2001 deaths

Patrick "Pat" Kirkwood (December 22, 1927 in Fort Worth, Texas – February 9, 2001) was a NASCAR Grand National Driver from 1949 to 1957.

Robert Daniel Ealey (December 6, 1925 – March 8, 2001) was an American electric blues singer, who performed Texas blues. Among other releases, he recorded a couple of albums for Black Top Records in the 1990s, having earlier formed a duo with U.P. Wilson. Ealey also worked with Tone Sommer, Mike Buck, and Mike Morgan.Ealey's best-known work includes "One Love One Kiss" and "Turn Out the Lights". He variously worked with the Boogie Chillun Boys, the Juke Jumpers and the Five Careless Lovers.

Edith Picht-Axenfeld (1 January 1914 in Freiburg im Breisgau – 19 April 2001 in Hinterzarten) was a German pianist and harpsichordist.

Wacław Iwaniuk (born 17 December 1912 in Stare Chojno near Chełm Lubelski - died 4 January 2001 in Toronto). Educated in Warsaw and Cambridge, England, a poet, literary critic and essayist for various Polish émigré newspapers in Canada and abroad. He served in the Polish Diplomatic Corps and as an officer in the Polish Armed Forces during World War II. Iwaniuk immigrated to Canada in 1948 (Toronto) where he continued to write and published in Polish. He was a member of several international literary societies (PEN) and writers unions (SPP - Lublin Chapter). During his career as a postwar émigré poet and writer, he had published numerous articles and publications including in popular Polish Kultura paryska.

Helen Vita (7 August 1928 in Hohenschwangau – 16 February 2001 in Berlin) was a Swiss chanson singer, actress, and comedian. In 1966 Vita recorded Freche Chansons aus dem alten Frankreich, traditional French chansons translated into German. The explicit content of the songs was under scrutiny by courts in Germany before the Protests of 1968. She was married to the composer Walter Baumgartner.

Naomi Harriet Ward Randall (October 5, 1908 – May 17, 2001) was a Latter-day Saint songwriter and author and a leader in the Primary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). In 1957, Randall wrote the lyrics to "I Am a Child of God", an LDS Church hymn that was originally written as a song for children.
Randall served as a member of the general board of the Primary Association for 27 years. As a member of the board, she was asked to write a song for children that would teach them the LDS Church beliefs on the nature of a child's relationship with God. The result was "I Am a Child of God", which has been published in over 90 languages. Randall also wrote the lyrics to "When Faith Endures", which is hymn #128 in the LDS Church hymnal.
Randall was a frequent contributor to The Children's Friend and was the chair of the Primary committee that created the CTR ring. From 1970 and 1974, Randall was the first counselor to LaVern W. Parmley in the general presidency of the Primary.
On October 13, 1998, Randall was awarded a Presidential Citation by Brigham Young University president Merrill J. Bateman for her lifelong service to the children of the LDS Church.Naomi Harriet Ward was born in North Ogden, Utah. She was married to Earl A. Randall and was the mother of one child. Naomi Randall died due to advanced age in La Mesa, California.

Aadel Bülow-Hansen (24 September 1906 – 18 November 2001) was a Norwegian physiotherapist. Together with the psychiatrist Trygve Braatøy (1904-1953), she developed psychomotor physiotherapy using psychomotorics, which can be used for the treatment of neuromuscular stress conditions.Aadel Bülow-Hansen was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. She went to primary and middle school at Nissens Pigskole. She continued her education at the Orthopedic and Medico-Mechanical Institute (Christiania Orthopediske and Medico Mekaniske Senter), which had been founded by her father, Victor Bülow-Hansen (1861–1938).She was employed by Sophie's Mind Clinic (now a subsidiary of Oslo University Hospital) from 1927 until 1945. During World War II, she worked together with the neurologist Henrik Seyffarth to find treatments for work-related stress. She came to understand that there might be a connection between muscle tension, respiration, and mental trauma. Bülow-Hansen saw how important controlled respiration was to contributing to a healthy body, and that it can also lead to control of the emotions.She was the first physiotherapist to be named to the First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, and in 2000, she was named as the physiotherapist of the century in Norway.One of her students was Gerda Boyesen, who later developed Biodynamic Psychology, a form of body psychotherapy.

Gerd Larsen born Gerd Elly (19 February 1921 – 4 October 2001) was a Norwegian ballerina who performed frequently with England's Royal Ballet, in a career lasting over fifty years up until her seventy-fifth birthday. In her later years, she was known for her mime roles.

Jaime Benítez Rexach (October 29, 1908 – May 30, 2001) was a Puerto Rican author, academic and politician. He was the longest serving chancellor and the first president of the University of Puerto Rico.

Fredrik Stabel (4 January 1914 – 2 July 2001) was a Norwegian illustrator and writer. He was born in Kristiania. He is particularly known for his daily satirical column in the newspaper Dagbladet over forty years (1950–1990), on the imaginary society Norsk Dusteforbund. Among his books are Snarere tvert imot, from 1960, Nok av det from 1962, and Jeg sier ikke mer! from 1978.