9 notable local deaths of 2012

CINCINNATI - In 2012, the Tri-State said goodbye to many well-known residents, including these 9 notable newsmakers.

1. Ryan Freel, former Cincinnati Reds fan favorite. Freel was 35 when he died from an alleged suicide at his home in Florida. (March 8, 1976 - Dec. 22, 2012.)
2. Henry Winkler, former University of Cincinnati president, who had the Center for the History of the Health Professions named in his honor. Winkler died at age 96. (Oct. 27, 1916 - Dec. 26, 2012.)
3. Louise Nippert, Cincinnati icon and art patron. Nippert was the widow of Louis Nippert, who owned the Reds in the 1970s. (Aug. 27, 1912 - July 23, 2012.)
4. Elwood Jensen, award-winning University of Cincinnati professor. Jensen was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and was 92. (Jan. 13, 1920 - Dec. 16, 2012.)
5. Frank Pastore, former Reds pitcher who died from injuries he suffered during a motorcycle crash. He was 55 years old. (Aug. 21, 1957 to Dec. 17, 2012.)
6. Dr. Anant Bhati, Hamilton County Coroner who died at age 71. Bhati served as director of the Division of Gynecology at Good Samaritan Hospital for 32 years. (Sept. 15, 1940 - Feb. 17, 2012.)
7. Pedro Borbon, a former pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He was 65. 
   “What was worth savoring about Pedro was his fire, his talent and his tender side," wrote 9News Sports anchor Dennis Janson earlier this year of Borbon.
   A peek inside the onion that wouldn’t have been revealed were it not for a visit Channel 9 Sports Director John Popovich paid to Borbon in San Juan, Texas, in 1990. In the course of a “Where are they now?” feature, Popovich revealed Borbon’s passion for raising exotic birds.
   "His tenderness belied his ferocious reputation,” Janson wrote. (Dec. 2, 1946 - June 4, 2012.)
8. Dale Sommers, a former host of WLW's overnight show for truckers. Sommers hosted the show from 1984-2004. (Aug. 5, 1930 - Aug. 25, 2012.)
9. Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died at the age of 82. He was a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati for nearly a decade. (Aug. 5, 1930 - Aug. 25, 2012.)