COMMUNITY'S LOST BRIGHT ONES IN '01.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem and Amy Raisin Staff Writers

SANTA CLARITA - Meghan Torp was just 2, Miriam Canty, 85 - a toddler and an elderly woman who drew our tears when they died this year.

Santa Clarita, a young and healthy community, mourned the loss of a special few people who gave back, who showed courage or who otherwise touched our hearts.

In February, a heart attack claimed Canty, a former Los Angeles schoolteacher and longtime community volunteer in Val Verde.

Little Meghan battled valiantly against an aggressive cancer that claimed her in March. The youngest of six children, the Saugus toddler's smile was bright until the end.

News that 19-year-old Nolan LeMar died in a collision with a drunk driver April 9 in Saugus stunned the community. LeMar, a baseball standout at College of the Canyons, courageously battled back from severe burns suffered two years earlier in a freak accident at Hart High School.

About a week later, Al Kass, 73, of died of cancer. For years, Kass worked behind the scenes, removing graffiti as soon as he spotted it and picking up litter at Santa Clarita Central Park - even after learning he had few days to live.

On May 31, Donald Guglielmino died at age 81. A veteran of World War II, Guglielmino owned Santa Clarita's oldest business, the 50-year-old Newhall Hardware.

Diann Heath, 45, was praised for her upbeat attitude and her dignity as she taught music to children in the Newhall School District - continuing through her three-year fight with cancer. She lost the battle on July 15, after 23 years working with schoolchildren.

July also marked the passing of another hard-working volunteer, Sheila Veloz, 59, who died of cancer. Among her charitable activities was raising funds for medical equipment for Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, including items to make hospital stays more comfortable for cancer patients and their families.

Howard Hill, a member of the Newhall School District board for eight years, died in August of a heart attack. Hill, 61, also was president of Keysor-Century Corp. in Saugus, which employs 120 people, a member of the board of Newhall Memorial, and was involved with the Santa Clarita Child and Family Development Center and the community Theatre Arts for Children.

Santa Clarita lost the good and bad in 2001 - on Aug. 31, sheriff's Deputy Jake Kuredjian was gunned down in a dramatic shootout in Stevenson Ranch by James Beck, a disgraced former police officer wanted for questioning, who perished in the same shootout.

Actress Lani O'Grady, 46, died a quiet death Sept. 25 in a Valencia travel camp. The ``Eight is Enough'' co-star had suffered from depression and died of natural causes.

PTA volunteer Maureen Mendenhall, 44, died in October of brain cancer. The mother of three boys was active at Old Orchard School and with the American Youth Soccer Organization.

In December, Santa Clarita lost a civic leader - Louis Brathwaite. Brathwaite, 68, was on the city's first Planning Commission, having rallied tirelessly in the battle to form the city of Santa Clarita.