Carl Benjamin, 32, of Wildwood
Carl Roberts Benjamin, 32, of Wildwood died Saturday, Jan. 8, 2000, at Leesburg Regional North in Leesburg. He was born to Marjorie and Weston Roberts on May 12, 1967, in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. He moved here from England five weeks ago. He was an electronic engineer in the computer software industry. He was Episcopalian. He is survived by his parents, Marjorie and Adam Benjamin of Hernando and Weston Roberts of England; one sister, Rebecca Benjamin of Hernando; and several aunts and uncles in England. Brown Funeral Home, Crystal River.

Anna Danielsen, 82, of Hernando
Anna Andrea Danielsen, 82, of Hernando died Saturday, Jan. 8, 2000, at her home. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Hans and Thora A. (Torkelsen) Jacobsen, she came here 20 years ago from there. She was a shipping lines secretary. She attended the Hernando Church of the Nazarene. Surviving are two sons, Maurice O.A. Nelson of Prattsville, N.Y., and Franklin P. Nelson of Midlothian, Va.; four brothers, Andrew Jacobsen of Albuquerque, N.M., Hans Jacobsen of Richlands, S.C., George Jacobsen of Fort Lauderdale and David Jacobsen of Northridge, Calif.; one sister, Margaret Stoddard of Northridge, Calif.; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Doris Jan Nelson, in 1937. Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home, Inverness.

Lewis Edmondson, 89, of Inverness
Lewis E. Edmondson, 89, of Inverness died Friday, Jan. 7, 2000. He was born in Louisville, Md., and came to Inverness 24 years ago from Sykesville, Md. He was a construction heavy equipment operator. He was preceded in death by his wife, Eleanor Clingman Edmondson, who died Sept. 19, 1976. He was Methodist. Surviving are his three sons, Donald of Miami, Elvin E. of Eldersburg, Md., and Leroy H. of Sykesville, Md.; two sisters, Virginia Garver of Inverness and Betty Clark of Greenbackville, Va.; 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Hooper Funeral Home, Inverness.

Swoela Goldstein, 77, of Sugarmill Woods
Swoela M. Goldstein, 77, of Sugarmill Woods, Homosassa, died Sunday, Jan. 9, 2000, at Seven Rivers Community Hospital, Crystal River. She was born in Cass, Ind., and came to Homosassa 14 years ago from Rolling Meadows, Ill. She was an executive secretary for Albert Frank & Associates in Chicago. She was a member of Sugarmill Woods Golf and Country Club and Ladies Golf Association Swingers. Surviving are her husband of 58 years, Herbert; son, Robert of Arlington Heights, Ill.; and daughter, Judy Goldstein of Sugarmill Woods. Wilder-Fountains Funeral Home, Homosassa Springs.

Marion Gubitz of Beverly Hills
Marion D. Gubitz, of Beverly Hills, died Monday, Jan. 10, 2000. She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and came to Beverly Hills 30 years ago from Wantaugh, Long Island, N.Y. She was a member of the Citrus County Art League. She is survived by her sister, Katherine Falke of Safety Harbor; and several nieces and nephews. Hooper Funeral Home, Beverly Hills.

Daniel Mercer Jr., 78, of Dunnellon
Daniel Howard Mercer Jr., 78, of Dunnellon died Monday, Jan. 10, 2000, in Inverness. Born in Macon, Ga., he came to Dunnellon in 1990 from Cherry Hill, N.J. He was a retired manager employed by Radio Corporation of America. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Dunnellon. Surviving are his wife, Mary; son, Daniel H. III of Erial, N.J.; brother, James W. of Alpharetta, Ga.; two sisters, Emily Mercer and Evelyn Barnette both of Macon, Ga.; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughters, Susan Della Vecchia and Janet Mercer. Roberts Funeral Home of Dunnellon.

Helen Metzger, 85, of Beverly Hills
Helen W. Metzger, 85, of Beverly Hills died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2000. She was born in Littleneck, N.Y., and came to Beverly Hills 25 years ago from Hicksville, N.Y. She was a retired school baker. She was a member of the Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, Citrus Springs. Surviving are her two sons, Theodore R. Metzger Jr. of Naranja and Richard E. Metzger of Palm Bay; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Hooper Funeral Home, Beverly Hills.

Tom Owen, 71, of Inverness
Tom Fate Owen, 71, of Inverness died following a short illness in Tampa on Jan. 7, 2000. A lifetime and fourth generation Citrus County resident, he was born on the family property (Owen Trail) in Inverness on Sept. 2, 1928, to Charles A. and Mary Jane (Rooks) Owen. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean conflict. He was a retired meat cutter for Winn-Dixie. Surviving are his wife, Mary; two sons, Tom and John, both of Inverness; one brother, Al of Inverness; two sisters, Alma Britsch of Inverness and Jane Gilmore of Alabama; and one grandchild, Paige Louise Owen. Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home, Inverness.

Janice Rowe, 87, of Lecanto
Janice M. Rowe, 87, of Lecanto died Monday, Jan. 10, 2000, at her residence. She was born in Brockton, Mass., and came to Lecanto 52 years ago from Abington, Mass. She was former owner of the Country Corner Store in Lecanto. She was a member of St. Anne's Episcopal Church of Crystal River. She is survived by three sons, Henry E. Rowe and wife Jane, Raymond Rowe and wife Pamela, and John Rowe and wife Marilyn, all of Lecanto; 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Wilder-Fountains Funeral Home, Homosassa Springs.

Funeral notices

Anna Andrea Danielsen. Funeral services for Anna Danielsen will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2000, from the Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Larry Brincefield officiating. Burial will follow in the Oak Ridge Cemetery, Inverness. Friends may call at the funeral home on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Hernando Church of the Nazarene.

Tom Fate Owen. Graveside committal services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15, 2000, from Dampier Cemetery of Inverness with Dr. Babb Adams, pastor of the First Baptist Church, officiating. Burial of the urn will follow. There will be no calling hours.

Janice M. Rowe. Graveside services for Mrs. Rowe, age 87, of Lecanto, who passed away Monday, Jan. 10, 2000, will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 13, at Magnolia Cemetery in Lecanto. Arrangements are under the care of Wilder-Fountains Funeral Home, Homosassa Springs.

Deaths Elsewhere

George Athanson, 72, former Hartford mayor
HARTFORD, Conn. -- George A. Athanson, a former Hartford mayor who frequently dressed up in costumes to promote the city, died Saturday. He was 72. The Democrat served as mayor from 1971 to 1981, one of the longest tenures in Hartford history. Athanson once rowed across the Connecticut River holding a state flag and wearing a tricorn hat and cape to protest a General Assembly decision to give half of the Connecticut River to East Hartford. He left office in 1981 after being defeated in a primary.

Roger Barr, 78, sculptor and teacher
SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- Roger Barr, a sculptor whose work is in the collections of institutions ranging from the Smithsonian to the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, died Friday from diabetic complications. He was 78. Barr's work is also in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Natural Art Museum in Goteborg, Sweden, and the Museum of Fine Art in Sao Paolo, Brazil. He also illustrated several books, including "The Conversion of the Jews" and "Epstein," both by Philip Roth. Barr, a Navy flier during World War II, studied and taught art in Wisconsin, New Mexico, Los Angeles, Paris, San Francisco, Hayward and Santa Rosa. A resident of Sonoma County for almost 25 years, Barr moved to La Quinta near Palm Springs after his third wife, painter and printmaker Elizabeth Quandt, died of cancer in 1994.

Lavor K. Chaffin, 83, education editor
SALT LAKE CITY -- Former Deseret News education editor Lavor K. Chaffin died Saturday of causes incident to age and pneumonia. He was 83. Chaffin, who was one of the major contributors to establishing the newspaper's Sterling Scholar Awards program, joined the newspaper staff in 1948. He became the state's first full-time education writer in 1952 and was named the newspaper's education editor shortly afterward. During his nearly 34 years at the Deseret News, Chaffin was recognized widely for his coverage of education. He was honored by the Education Writers Association and was awarded an International Press Institute fellowship in 1961 for three months work and study in Australia. In 1970 he was named Utah Man of the Year for service to education by the University of Utah Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa. Utah Technical College at Salt Lake presented him a Distinguished Service Award in 1980, and in 1982, he was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Westminster College.

Edward Cony, 76, managing editor
NEW YORK -- Edward Cony, a former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones executive and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, died Sunday of complications from pneumonia. He was 76. Cony started at the Journal as a reporter in the San Francisco bureau in 1953 and stayed with the newspaper for 35 years. He received the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1961, and served as a bureau chief and regional news manager before being named managing editor in 1965. Cony was named executive editor of Dow Jones publications and news services in 1970, and he took on the role of vice president of Dow Jones in 1972. He served as president of the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund from 1981 through 1988, and he was an associate editor at The Wall Street Journal from 1986 until his retirement in 1988. Cony served as a president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Associated Press Managing Editors Association. When Cony retired, the AP Association newsletter called him "the boss you would like to have." At about the same time, Cony went public with the news that he was suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Mary Lahey Duffie, 79, disability activist
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Mary Lahey "Betty" Duffie, who led efforts to improve treatment for mentally disabled South Carolinians, died Saturday from complications of pneumonia. She was 79. Ms. Duffie fought to get job training and education for mentally disabled people and to place them in group homes in the community in the 1960s. She later founded the state Special Olympics and the Richland/Lexington Disabilities and Special Needs Board. She believed mentally disabled people should enjoy the same rights as others.

Milton Krents, 88, radio producer
NEW YORK -- Milton Krents, a broadcast executive who produced the religious drama and discussion series "The Eternal Light" on NBC radio for the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, died Saturday. He was 88. Krents received a lifetime achievement award in 1989 from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for producing "Light" from its inception in 1944 until 1989. He also received a Media Arts award and a medal from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture. He was director of radio and television at the American Jewish Committee. By 1979, "Light" was broadcasting's oldest continuous drama series. Its dramas ranged from biblical tales to the lives of renowned contemporaries.

Abraham Landau, 77, Holocaust survivor
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- Abraham Landau, a Holocaust survivor and the main supporter of constructing the city's Holocaust memorial, died Friday. He was 77. In 1940, Landau was taken from his home in a Polish ghetto by the Nazis and imprisoned in 14 camps, including Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He was liberated from Bergen-Belsen by the British in April 1945. In 1950, Landau moved to New Bedford with his wife, who was also imprisoned in Bergen-Belsen. He opened a tailor shop and eventually became the force behind the creation of the Holocaust memorial here, which was unveiled in 1998.

Cal Pokas, 66, sports editor
MARTINS FERRY, Ohio -- Cal Pokas, sports editor of The Times Leader in Martins Ferry for 29 years, died Sunday. He was 66. Pokas, who had been hospitalized with an undisclosed illness, worked for The Times Leader for 40 years and continued covering Ohio State football part-time after his retirement. He and his wife, Betty, who still works for The Times Leader, covered Ohio State football games as a team. They could be seen transcribing quotes and editing copy after most Buckeye games at Ohio Stadium. Pokas was a past president of the Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association and was honored by the organization as its state writer of the year in 1976 and as a member of its hall of fame. He also was inducted into the UPI Sports Editors Association hall of fame. In addition to his wife, survivors include two sons, a daughter, a sister and three brothers and four grandchildren.