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William H. Sperling
William H. Sperling, 68, of Port Charlotte, Fla., passed away April 28, 2001 at Bon Secours-St. Joseph Hospital, Port Charlotte.
Mr. Sperling was born June 1, 1932, in New York, N.Y., to Robert and Mary (Hoph) Sperling. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean conflict, and worked general construction in the New York area for nearly 30 years, retiring due to medical reasons in 1974. He and his wife, Allene, moved to the Gulf Cove area in 1980 from Mahopac, N.Y. He was a member of the Marine Corps League and VFW Post 8203, both in North Port, Fla., the American Legion No. 110 in Port Charlotte and the DAV of Sarasota, Fla.
He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Allene P. (Press) Sperling of Port Charlotte; sons, William H. and Darren W. Sperling, both of Port Charlotte; a daughter, Lisa Marie Hersey of North Port, Fla.; a brother, Paul Sperling of Melbourne, Fla.; a sister, Eleanor Gshwend of Queens, N.Y.; and a great-grandson, Kyle W. Sperling.
Visitation was from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on May 1, at the Lemon Bay Funeral Home, Englewood Chapel. Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. May 2, at the funeral home, with the Rev. William D. Nelson officiating. Interment will follow in Gulf Pines Memorial Park where the VFW Post No. 8203 and the Marine Corps League will conduct military honors.
William J. Foresto
William J. Foresto, 72, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died April 28, 1999.
Born Sept. 17, 1916, in Phoenixville, Pa., he moved to this area three years ago from Delaware. He was a retired bartender at Deer Park Hotel in Newark, Del. He served in the Army during World War II.
Survivors include his friend, Lois Graybeal; and sister, Rose DiCicco of Philadelphia, Pa.
Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Southwest Florida, 5955 Rand Blvd., FL 34238. Arrangements are by National Cremation Society, Port Charlotte.
Rose G. Hiney
Rose Georgianna Hiney (née Steege) of Punta Gorda, Fla., and Rocky Point, N.Y., died April 23, 1999.
Rose and her husband, Bill, moved to Punta Gorda in the mid-1980s.
She was the beloved wife of the late J. William Hiney, a respected businessman and past president of the Rocky Point School Board, and loving and entertaining mother of Carol Mahony and husband Charles of Clinton Corners, N.Y.; Bill Hiney and wife Joanne and Jaye Vedder and husband Daniel of Rocky Point, N.Y.; and Jill S. Hiney and husband Rocco Simone of Setauket, N.Y.
She was admired and loved by her grandchildren, Patrick, Erin, Quinn, Bill, Jesse, Louis, Cole, Joshua, Katy, Kyle, John and Gabriel. Rose was cherished by thousands of fans for her yearly performances in "Showtime" and "Good Time Singers" at the Isles Yacht Club.
An annual memorial award has been created in her name to be presented to an individual who has positively affected the life of another as she had affected the lives of of many. A memorial service was held at the Setauket Presbyterian Church, Setauket, N.Y., with arrangements by Casimir Funeral Home, Port Jefferson, N.Y. Inurnment followed at Washington Memorial Park.
Local memorial services will be held at 4 p.m. May 12 at the Episcopal Church of The Good Shepherd, 401 Henry St., Punta Gorda. In lieu of flowers, contributions to your favorite charity would be greatly appreciated.
Bernice E. Schmitz
Bernice E. Schmitz, 87, of Punta Gorda, Fla., died April 30, 1999, at National Health Care of Port Charlotte.
She was born Aug. 10, 1911, in Chippewa Falls, Wis., and moved to Punta Gorda in 1987 from Waterloo, Wis. She attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Punta Gorda.
Survivors include her sisters, Doris Milz of Cary, Ill., and Norma Tegelman of Winneconne, Wis.; brother, George Josi of Waukesha, Wis.; and many nieces and nephews.
Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Home & Crematory, Punta Gorda.
Robert H. Weber
Robert H. Weber, 78, of Punta Gorda, Fla., and formerly of Fremont, Ind., passed away April 28, 1999, at Toledo Hospital, Toledo, Ohio.
He was born June 29, 1920, in Steuben County, Ind., to Floyd and Hazel (Doster) Weber. A 1981 retiree of Holloway Construction, he began wintering in Florida in 1966.
Survivors include his daughters, Anita Feller of Fremont and Cindy McComb and husband Andy of Toledo; son, Steve Weber and wife Sharman of Angola; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; sister, Margaret Bechtolt, and brother, Jack Weber, both of Punta Gorda.
A graveside service is planned for a later date. There will be no calling hours. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. Arrangements are by Beams Funeral Home, Fremont, Ind.
Robert James Davids
One of the first babies born in Englewood passed away last week at the age of 74.
Englewood pioneer Robert James Davids, born Aug. 7, 1924, was one of several great-great grandsons of Rebecca Jane Arnold Slaughter Barnett, the first settler of Pinellas County. Davids died Tuesday, April 27, in Largo, Fla., after a four-year battle with lung cancer.
Davids served in the United States Navy aboard the Destroyer-Escort USS Huse from January 1943 to August 1944, earning three battle stars and a commendation signed by President Harry S. Truman.
After his tour of duty, Davids returned to Englewood where he was a commercial fisherman, along with his father, Varian Franklin Davids. Davids and his father fished throughout Englewood, Placida, Venice and Sarasota, building their own boat and making their own cast nets.
From 1956 until 1962, Davids, along with his wife, Phyllis LaRene Davids, started and coached many Little League and farm league baseball teams. Many times when the players' parents could not afford to pay for their children's baseball uniforms and equipment, the Davids would pay for them, said their son, Robert F. Davids.
Davids' son recalled that family always meant a lot to his father.
In 1962, Davids moved his wife and five children to Largo, where once again the Davids became immersed in the startup of Pony-Colt League baseball teams, while working at Largo Lumber. Davids eventually retired from Scotty's Lumber in Clearwater and enjoyed his retirement years fishing with his homemade cast nets and traveling throughout the United States.
Davids greatly enjoyed the annual Pioneer Days celebrations held in Englewood, reliving the "old days" with his childhood friends and relatives, his son said. He attended the 1998 Lemon Bay Historical Society "Old Timers Picnic" at the Snook Haven Restaurant. Davids, along with Englewood pioneer families and their descendants, reminisced about days gone by while lunching and visiting at the picnic tables under the old oak trees on the banks of the Myakka River. Davids told his family the recent reunion was "one of the best ones ever."
Davids was a member of the Destroyer-Escort Sailors Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the USS HUSE (DE-145) Association.
He is survived by Phyllis LaRene Davids, former wife and life-long friend, of Largo; one daughter, Janet E. Hill of Largo; four sons: Michael F. Davids, USMC-retired, of Fredericksburg, Va., Douglas D. Davids, USMC-retired, of Jacksonville, N.C., Dawson D. Davids-USMC, of Arlington, Va., Robert F. Davids, USA-retired, of St. Petersburg, Fla.; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Two grandchildren predeceased him. Davids is also survived by one brother, Ellis Vincent Davids of Valley Park, Mo., and two sisters, Helen Marie Hutchinson of Lakeland, Fla., and Delecie (D.C.) June Winslow of Sarasota, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Donations can be made to the American Cancer Association in memory of Robert James Davids.
Donald A. Reinke
Donald A. Reinke, 83, of Warm Mineral Springs, Fla., died Sunday, April 29, 2001 in Englewood Community Hospital, Englewood, Fla.
He was born Aug. 10, 1917 in West Springfield, Pa. He came here in 1978 from Wadsworth, Ohio. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a radio and radar technician. He was employed by the Babcock & Wilcox Co. of Barberton, Ohio, for 36 years, first as a boiler erector and later as a pricing analyst.
He is survived by his loving wife of 40 years Eleanor of Warm Mineral Springs, Fla., sons Donald Jr. of Erie, Pa., and William of Denver, Colo.; a brother, Richard of West Springfield, Pa; three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Cheryl, a sister, Dorothy, and his parents.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. May 2 at the James A. McKee Funeral Home, 14538 S. Tamiami Trail, North Port, Fla., officiated by the Rev. Linford Houck, a personal friend of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the American Cancer Society, 2100 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite A, Venice, FL 34293, would be appreciated. Arrangements by the James A. McKee Funeral Homes, North Port, Fla.
Anne M. Paraison
Anne M. Paraison, 81, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died April 28, 2001 at Fawcett Memorial Hospital, Port Charlotte.
She was born January 11, 1920 in Port Au Prince, Haiti and moved to Port Charlotte in 1990 from Boston, Mass. She was a member of the Eben-Ezer Haitian Baptist Church of Port Charlotte.
She is survived by two daughters, Mireille M. (William) Etheart and Presline Metellus both of Port Charlotte; two sisters, Amelia and Marthe Paraison both of Port Au Prince, Haiti; 13 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, May 4, at Roberson Funeral Home Port Charlotte Chapel, with a Wake Service at 6:30 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 8:30 a.m., May 5, at Eben-Ezer Haitian Baptist Church, 17195 Oakleaf Ave., Port Charlotte, FL 33953. The Rev. Enoc Toby will officiate. Interment will follow at Restlawn Memorial Gardens, Port Charlotte. Arrangements by Roberson Funeral Home Port Charlotte Chapel.
Glenna Wagner
Glenna Wagner, 76, of Punta Gorda, Fla. died April 27, 2001.
She was born Sept. 29, 1924 in Providence, R.I., and moved to this area in 1968 from Plainfield, Conn. Mrs. Wagner was a homemaker. She attended Rhode Island School of Design and Ringling School of Art.
She was predeceased by her husband Bud Wagner. Survivors include three daughters, Abby (Roy) Parkinson of Mystic, Conn., Kim DeVries of Port Charlotte, and Candy (Gary) Magley of Punta Gorda, five grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
Memorial Services will be held at 3:30 p.m. May 2 at Life Care Center of Punta Gorda. Memorial Donations may be made to Charlotte County Jazz Society, Bud Wagner Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 4121, Port Charlotte, FL.
Wasyl Tymoczko
Wasyl Tymoczko, 78, of North Port, Fla., died Saturday, April 28, 2001.
He was born on Dec. 18, 1922 in the Ukraine. He came to North Port from Yonkers, N.Y. in 1992.
He was a member of St. Mary's Ukranian Catholic Church in North Port.
Survivors include his wife, Olka Voloshyn, of North Port; son John Tymoczko of Campbell Hall, N.Y.; daughter Natalie Tepperwien of Centereach, N.Y.; and seven grandchildren.
Visitation will be held today from 6-8 p.m. at Farley Funeral Home, North Port Chapel. A Panachyda service will be held at 7 p.m.
Funeral services will begin at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Farley Funeral Home, North Port Chapel and continue on to St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church at 10 a.m. with Rt. Rev. Mitrat Archpriest Wolodymyr Woloszczuk officiating.
Burial will be in Goshen, N.Y. Farley Funeral Home, North Port Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.
Nathaniel P. Alston
-- Nathaniel P. Alston, who first came to Englewood in the 1930s and was known affectionately as "Snook" by friends and family, passed away Sunday, April 25, 1999, at Bon Secours-Venice Hospital in Venice. He was 86.
Alston was born March 1, 1913, in Lucedale, Miss., the son of James K. Alston and Josephine Burden Alston. He was the last survivor of nine siblings.
Alston came to Englewood in the early 1930s where he met and married Audrey F. Townsend in Punta Gorda on April 7, 1937. Audrey's grandfather and the late L.A. Ainger witnessed their wedding vows.
Reached at home Wednesday, Audrey Alston recalled their meeting:
"Back in those days there wasn't much to do other than read and walk. I was with my grandfather for the winter and we stayed at a cottage owned by the author James Oliver Kerwood. I was reading, and two young girls invited me to go walking. We walked across the old, old bridge to the beach, and I sat up on the bridge railing. "Snook" came walking by with a young lady. We were introduced and they walked on. "Two days later, Snook came over and asked me for our first date. There was a little beer house next to what is now Kelly's and it had a dance floor. We danced to "There's a Chapel in the Moonlight." I was going to be returning to Falmouth, Maine, and Snook asked me to marry him."
A friend, Florence Johnson, had painted a picture of the old bridge and gave the Alstons the painting because that was where they had met. The painting is displayed in their home.
Audrey explained that the nickname "Snook" came about when Alston was a very young child and had a curl on top of his head. He crawled around in a nightshirt and resembled the cartoon character Baby Snookums. His dad began to call him Snook.
A hard worker, he fished in the summer and trucked fruit to the East Coast in the winters before going to Maine in 1939. His last job there was as an electrician on liberty ships being built in South Portland, Maine. Audrey told of a difficult surgery her husband had on his sinuses and winters in Maine that were 40 degrees below zero. A doctor advised Alston that he could not endure another winter in the cold, so the couple returned to Florida.
Alston and his wife came back to Englewood in 1944, and in 1946 started an electrical contracting and appliance business.
"We didn't have much money in those days," Audrey said, "and we opened our first store on Broadway. I believe we had the first neon sign in Englewood. It had a red arrow pointing up Horton Avenue. We sold fish and tackle. Appliances were not available in those days. I was so painfully shy, I used to hope people would pass by the store and not come in.
"In 1948, we built a store at 301 W. Dearborn St. on the site which is now The Bargain Box, and after 30 years in the business, I loved meeting people. We retired in 1976.
"In the '60s, we began to travel," Audrey continued. "We bought an Airstream trailer and for one month at a time, we'd go all over the country. We saw every state except six.
"We were 'rock hounders' and found many semiprecious gemstones in our travels to Deming, New Mexico and Arizona. Snook was a very talented silvercrafter and made beautiful jewelry. He was an absolute perfectionist and was so good, his teacher in Venice was upset when he stopped making jewelry."
Audrey fondly recalled one of Alston's favorite hats.
"He always wore hats, but about six years ago he bought one that he really loved. He even wore it when he went outside while he was at the nursing home, and people would say, 'Love that hat!' "
The Alstons' daughter, Pamela, remembers a childhood where many family activities took place on the water and at the beach.
"We all fished," she said. "When dad was a commercial fisherman, we'd sleep on the boat under the stars. Kids do not get to do this anymore. Our lives were richer. Times were very different. Our family swam in the Gulf at night, and we had wiener roasts on the beach -- open fires were allowed on the beach then."
"He was a soft-spoken man; a good man and a very hard worker," she said of her father.
Alston is remembered by long-time friend Don Platt as a wonderful person. Said Platt: "Snook and his brother George used to camp out at the Hermitage House on Manasota Key. The Hermitage was the headquarters for turtling and beach parties in those days. He was a fine fisherman."
Alston was a past Nobel Grand in the Englewood Order of Odd Fellows, a 40-year member of United Commercial Truckers and a lifetime member of the Englewood Elks and the Lemon Bay Historical Society.
In addition to Audrey, his wife of 62 years, Alston is survived by daughter Pamela and son-in-law John L. Webb of Sarasota; one granddaughter, Shannon R. Blake of Falmouth, Maine; two grandsons, Philip L. Webb and Nathaniel Y. Webb, both of Sarasota; one great-granddaughter, Evelyn Grace Blake of Falmouth; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Englewood Historical Society, P.O. Box 1245, Englewood, FL 34295, or a charity of one's choice.
Robert D. Dote
Robert D. Dote, 80, of Port Charlotte, Fla., and formerly of Utica, N.Y., passed away Wednesday, April 27, 2005, at Deep Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Port Charlotte.
He was born Nov. 3, 1924, in Utica, N.Y., and was the son of the late Joseph and Mae (Lux) Dote.
Mr. Dote was raised and educated in Utica. He proudly served in the U.S. Army in Burma during World War II. He was a truck driver most of his life, driving long-distance rigs, tow trucks and ambulances. Robert was very proud volunteering at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County, and he will be remembered for his many hours of service there. He was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans.
Robert is survived by his children, son, Timothy J. (Denise) Dote Sr. of Port Charlotte; daughters, Cynthia Hammond and her fiancé, Earl W. Carter III of New Hartford, N.Y., Debra Zalewski of Old Forge, N.Y., and Barbara Little of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; grandchildren, Timothy Jr. and Joseph Dote, John and James Hammond, Danielle Doyle and Allison Little; great-grandchildren, Kayla, Timothy III, Jonathan, Joseph Jr. and Jake; his sister, Dolores Eichstadt; his brother, George (Gwen) Dote, and a sister-in-law, Rose Dote, all of Utica; many nieces and nephews; and his special nephew and niece, Joseph A. Dote III and his wife, Chris, of Port Charlotte. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Joseph, John, Charles and Vincent; sisters, Julia Dote, Cecilia Burger, Dorothy Nardone, Betty Mayville and Loretta Giovinco; grandson, Dean Barnard; and nephew, Joseph A. Dote IV.
Per Robert's wishes, there will be no visiting hours. A memorial Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 2, 2005, at St. Peter's Church in North Utica, N.Y. His cremains will be interred at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Fla.
In lieu of cards or flowers, the family requests donations to Hospice of Southwest Florida, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34238.
