Remembering notable Utahns who died in 2012

Here is a look at newsworthy Utahns, or people with strong Utah connections, who died in 2012. Click on the photos for a slide show, and click on the applicable links for more about each person. You can use Twitter to tell us which of these notable people had an impact on your life. Use the tag #sltrib2012.

Melva Niles Barborka • The former Broadway star died March 12 of a neurological disorder. She was 86.

Brian Barnard • The civil rights attorney died of cardiovascular disease Sept. 4 at his home in Salt Lake City. Barnard was 67.

Aaron Beesley • Utah Highway Patrol trooper died June 30 of injuries from a fall on Mount Olympus. Beesley, 34, was part of a helicopter crew that minutes earlier had rescued hikers from the mountain.

Rex Black • A Democratic state senator from Salt Lake City for 24 years, Black died Dec. 12. He was 92.

Sarah Burke • The pioneering freestyle skier from Canada died Jan. 19 at age 29 after suffering head injuries in a crash while skiing in Park City.

Carolynn Burt • An advocate for parks and public art, she served 13 years on the West Valley City Council. She died of leukemia June 24 at age 74.

Leyah Chausow • The early adviser to Salt Lake City's Repertory Dance Theatre also was involved with the founding of the Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake City. She died Feb. 26 at the age of 94.

Glen Edward Clark • A federal bankruptcy judge in Utah from 1982 to 2009, Clark died Oct. 25 at his home on Saint Simons Island, Ga. He was 70.

Stephen R. Covey • The motivational speaker who wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People died July 16 of complications from a fall he suffered three months earlier. Covey was 79.

Harold "Hal" G. Christensen • The former U.S. deputy attorney general, law professor and chairman of Snow, Christensen and Martineau died Nov. 14 in Salt Lake City of cancer. He was 86.

Kim Duffin • An associate director of the Salt Lake City Arts Council for 25 years, Duffin died Nov. 4. He was 57.

Walter "Bud" Ellett • The attorney who prosecuted some of Salt Lake County's most notorious killers died Feb. 15 of complications due to prostate cancer. He was 84.

Dick Felt • The former Brigham Young University assistant football coach and American Football League All-Star died Nov. 17 at his home in Provo. He was 79.

David Fetzer • A Salt Lake City stage actor, he died Dec. 19 of unknown causes at age 30.

Helen Forsberg • A former Tribune features editor and dance critic, Forsberg died April 17 of liver disease. She was 60.

Jared Francom • The 30-year-old Weber Morgan Narcotics Strike Force agent died Jan. 5 after a shootout at the Ogden home of Matthew David Stewart.

Don Fullmer • The Utah boxer fought nine world champions, won an American middleweight title in 1965 and fought for the world title in 1968. He died Jan. 28 at age 72.

Jack Gallivan • The longtime Tribune publisher and civic leader died Oct. 2 at age 97.

Milt Hollstein • A reporter who became a journalism scholar at the University of Utah, Hollstein died Sept. 24 of kidney failure. He was 86.

Blaine Huntsman Jr. • A successful businessman from the prominent Utah family, Huntsman also was a professor and dean at the University of Utah business school. He died Nov. 8 from pancreatic cancer. He was 76.

Merv Jackson •The University of Utah guard was an All-American in 1968 and played for the Utah Stars on its 1971 American Basketball Association championship team. He died June 7 at age 65.

Jim Judd • The president of the Utah AFL-CIO and vice chairman of the state Democratic Party died Aug. 17 of injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident in Montana. He was 60.

Earl Lindley • The Utah State Hall of Fame football player and former Sky View High School coach died Feb. 14 of pneumonia. He was 79 and died in Logan.

Rick Majerus • The former basketball coach at the University of Utah and Saint Louis University died of heart failure Dec. 1 while awaiting a heart transplant. He was 64.

Robert Marquardt • The entrepreneur and founder of Management & Training Corp. died Jan. 14 at age 86.

Emilie Parker • The 6-year-old girl, formerly of Ogden, died Dec. 14 at the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. In all, the shootings in Newtown killed 20 children and eight adults, including the gunman.

Ann Parr • An equestrian endurance rider and advocate for trails and open space in Draper, she died Aug. 19 of pancreatic cancer. She was 73.

Val "Rocky" Patterson •The Salt Lake County man gained fame after his July 10 death from throat cancer. Patterson's self-penned obituary confessed to youthful pranks at a local drive-in as well as Yellowstone's Old Faithful and claimed a clerical error led him to receiving paperwork saying he had a doctorate. He was 59.

Greg Peterson • A 37-year-old GOP activist who was charged with crimes against five women, including kidnapping, rape and assault charges, Peterson committed suicide Oct. 23 at his cabin near Heber.

Joe Petras • The co-owner and founder of Bohemian Brewery died Oct. 7 from a heart attack. He was 62.

Ira Pilgrim • A former University of Utah cancer researcher, Pilgrim died May 11 at his home in Ann Arbor, Mich. He was 87.

Braden, Charlie and Josh Powell • On Feb. 5, Josh Powell, 36, set fire to his rented home in Graham, Wash., killing himself and his sons Charlie 7, and Braden, 5. At some point, Powell also struck the boys with a hatchet. Josh Powell was the only person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, Susan Powell, who was last seen at the family's West Valley City home on Dec. 6, 2009.

Larry Sagers • The Utah State University extension agent, host of KSL Radio's "Greenhouse Show," died Nov. 6 of mesothelioma. He was 63.

Ken Sansom • He was the voice of Rabbit in Disney's "Winnie the Pooh" cartoons. Sansom died Oct. 8 in Holladay from complications of a stroke. He was 85.

Constantine Skedros • Skedros' collected stories of Utah's Greek immigrants were published in a 2005 book. He died Nov. 11 at age 89.

James Slavens • A criminal defense attorney in Millard County, Slavens died Dec. 12 when his car skidded off an exit ramp in Fillmore. He was 54.

Paul Swenson • The editor of Utah Holiday magazine and mentor to a generation of writers died at age 76 on Feb. 2. He suffered from diabetes and died at a hospital after having been found unconscious at his apartment.

Todd Taylor • The longtime executive director of the Utah State Democratic Party died March 6 of cardiovascular disease. He was 46.

Booth Wallentine • He led the Utah Farm Bureau for 30 years. He died Oct. 24 at age 74.

Homer Warner • The Utah cardiologist was widely recognized as the father of medical informatics. He died Nov. 30 of complications of pancreatitis. He was 90.

Richard Wilkins • The Brigham Young University law professor, who for 27 years played Ebenezer Scrooge in Hale Centre Theatre's production of"A Christmas Carol," died Nov. 26. He was 59.

Mel Wilson • For almost 20 years, Wilson was the Davis County Attorney. He died from pancreatic cancer on Oct. 19 at age 68.

Richard Winters • The longtime advocate for the homeless died March 8 at age 80.

Richard Wirick • A merchant known as "Mr. Downtown" for his tireless advocacy on behalf of downtown Salt Lake City, Wirick died Feb. 21 after being hit by bus. He was 82.

Robert (Bob) Wright • A former Utah Republican Party chairman and one-time gubernatorial candidate, he died Jan. 13 after a 20-year struggle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 76. His son, Thomas Wright, is the state's current GOP chairman.