Huge Marriages Search Engine!
Clare Koppitch
Clare Koppitch, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died April 17, 2000, following a lengthy illness, at South Port Nursing Center.
He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 2, 1911. He was always interested in sports, and had majored in physical education and industrial arts at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. While coaching at Delta, Ohio, he married Mary Cutter, whom he met on a blind date at Miami University. World War II resulted in Clare enlisting in the Navy in the Armed Guard unit. While he was sailing around the South Pacific protecting merchant ships carrying supplies to various ports, Mary and daughter Heidi went to Mary's parents in Lima, Ohio, to wait out the war and the arrival of their second daughter, Mary Clare. She was 1 year old before he ever saw her. After the war, Clare decided to give up teaching and have a try at sales. Experimenting in different fields he finally settled at Wood Conversion Co., makers of building products, especially blanket-type insulation and ceiling tiles. Most of those years were spent in Ohio, expect for four years in Michigan after son John joined the family group. Following retirement in 1973, they moved to Lehigh Acres, Fla., where Clare played golf six days a week and on the seventh attended the Presbyterian Church. One large achievement in Clare's golfing career, four "Holes in One" (with a little bit of luck). He also served as president of Lehigh Acres Men's Golf Association, and several years as a board member of the Southwest Florida Men's Golf Association. In 1987 the Koppitches moved to South Port Square, Port Charlotte, where Clare was the first elected president of the Resident Council.
The Koppitches had a long happy life together, 58 years, aided and abetted by Heidi (Tom) Feast, Mary (Tom) Mackner and the Rev. Dr. John (Judy L. Woods). There are seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. on May 8, in South Port Town Hall. The Rev. Homer Ogle will officiate.
Edith A. Leith
Edith A. Leith, 87, of Summersville, W. Va., and formerly of Port Charlotte, Fla., died March 6, 2000, at the Summersville Memorial Hospital, after a short illness.
Born June 28, 1912, in Bremerhaven, Germany, she was a daughter of the late Johannes and Adele Brinkama Mueller. She was a member of the Worldwide Church of God in Summersville. Mrs. Leith was a retired registered nurse, with 25 years of service, and was a member of the Retired Nurses Association.
Survivors include her two daughters, Tete E. Evans of Summersville, and Barbara M. Downey of Chloe, W. Va.; stepdaughter, Sandra Reynolds of Tampa; stepsons, Harry Leith of Texas, and Victor Leith of Charlotte, N.C.; a sister, Tete Margaret Whitehill of Savoy, Ill.; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren and seven step-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lt. Col. Alexander F. Leith and sister, Liselotte Mueller Kuhnke.
Memorial services were March 11. Interment was in National Cemetery at Pensacola, Fla. Arrangements were by White Funeral Home, Summersville.
Louis Magnane
Louis Magnane, 88, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died April 21, 2000, at Bon Secours-St. Joseph Nursing Center.
He was born July 22, 1911, in Rimii, Italy, and moved to Port Charlotte in 1972 from Hillsdale, N.J. He was a member of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Port Charlotte.
Mr. Magnane is survived by his loving wife, Mary M. Magnane of Port Charlotte; three sons, Paul Magnane of Port Charlotte, Louis Magnane of Poultney, Vt., and Rudy Dreyer of Hillsdale, N.J.; a daughter, Jane Ost of Westwood, N.J.; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
A Memorial Mass will be at 10 a.m. April 25, at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Port Charlotte. Inurnment will be held in Washington Cemetery in Paramus, N.J.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Arthritis Foundation, 6221 14th St. West, Ste. 305, Bradenton, FL 34207. Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Home & Crematory, Port Charlotte.
Jean B. (Johnston) Martz
Jean B. (Johnston) Martz, 85, of Indianapolis, Ind., formerly of Punta Gorda, Fla. for 17 years, died April 21, 2000 at St. Vincent Hospital.
Mrs. Martz was a homemaker. She was a graduate of DePauw University with an A.B. degree. Mrs. Martz was a member and elder Ameritess at Northwood Christian Church, Indianapolis; a charter member and moderator of Congregational United Church of Christ, Punta Gorda; also a moderator for the United Church of Christ for the state of Florida; and a past president of Women's Christian Fellowship.
Survivors include a daughter, the Rev. Dr. Suzanne Webb; sons, Thomas C. Martz and James D. Martz; and five grandchildren; She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Carl D. Martz.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. April 25, at Northwood Christian Church, with calling from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 24 at Crown Hill Funeral Home. Burial will be at Crown Hill Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Scholarship Fund at the Christian Theological Seminary in the name of Dr. Carl D. Martz. Arrangements are by Crown Hill Funeral Home, Indianapolis.
Howard W. Steudler
Howard W. Steudler, 86, of Gardens of Gulf Cove, Port Charlotte, Fla., died April 21, 2000, at Charlotte Regional Medical Center in Punta Gorda, Fla.
Mr. Steudler was born Dec. 25, 1913, in Homestead, Pa., to Fred W. and Jennie R. (Sossman) Steudler. He was employed 40 years as a steel worker with U.S. Steel in Homestead, Pa., and following retirement in 1976, he and his wife, Mary Jane, moved to Port Charlotte from McKeesport, Pa. Howard was a member of the Blue Lodge No. 582 F. & A.M. Homestead, the Consistory and Syria Shrine in Pittsburgh, Pa., and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon, Forest No.138 in McKeesport. It was just Howard's nature to keep busy, so in addition to being an avid gardener he worked as a "bagger" for more than 10 years at the Merchant's Crossing Publix in Englewood. He and Mary Jane would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this July 1. They are members of Gulf Cove United Methodist Church.
Surviving in addition to his wife, Mary Jane (Roberts) Steudler of Gardens of Gulf Cove; two daughters, Nancy (Thomas) Callahan of Glassport, Pa. and Linda (David) Uhrin of Pittsburgh; a son, Fred (Judy) Steudler of Liberty, Pa.; and six grandchildren, Michelle Lee, Julie Callahan, Christina Uhrin, Jennifer, Susan and Stephen Steudler; and great-grandson Robbie Lee.
Visitation will be at 2 p.m. until time of funeral service at 4 p.m. April 24, at Lemon Bay Funeral Home, Englewood Chapel. The Rev. Scott Farmer will be officiating. Additional service will be at Willig Funeral Home, McKeesport, with burial at Jefferson Memorial Park, Pleasant Hills, Pa.
Memorial contributions in Howard's memory are suggested to be made to Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children, 12502 N. Pine Drive, Tampa, FL 33612-9499.
Harriett Vennetta Burge
Harriett Vennetta Burge, 82, of Osprey, Fla., died on April 21, 2000, in Venice, Fla.
Visitation is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 24 at Farley Funeral Home, Venice Chapel. Funeral services is at 11 a.m. April 25 at The funeral home. Interment will follow at Venice Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Nelson Wesley Durham
Nelson Wesley Durham, 78, of Tampa, a former resident of North Port, Fla., died on April 18, 2000.
Visitation will be at 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. April 21 at Farley Funeral Home, North Port Chapel. A funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. Burial will be at Venice Memorial Gardens.
Elmer Edward Enoch
Elmer Edward Enoch, 86, of North Port, Fla., died on April 21, 2000.
A Memorial Mass will be at 10 a.m. April 25 at San Pedro Catholic Church. Arrangements are by Farley Funeral Home, North Port Chapel.
Julia G. Moser
Julia G. Moser, 78, of Englewood, Fla., died April 16, 2000 in Bon Secours-Venice Hospital.
A memorial service will be at 6:30 p.m. May 2, at the Suncoast Auditorium of Englewood Community Hospital, Englewood, and Pastor Jennifer Turick will officiate. Burial will be in Wooster.
In lieu of flowers, donations to your favorite charity would be appreciated. Arrangements by The James A. McKee Funeral Homes, North Port, Fla.
Durward C. Smith Sr.
Durward C. Smith Sr., 90, of Lake Placid, Fla., formerly of Arcadia, Fla., died April 21, 2000.
Funeral services are at 2 p.m. April 24 at Ponger-Kays-Grady Funeral Home, Arcadia. Burial is at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Arcadia on April 24.
Memorial donations may be made to Life Path Hospice, 1037 S. Florida Ave. Ste. 106, Lakeland, FL 33803.
Ruth M. Henry
Ruth M. Henry, 97, of Port Charlotte, Fla., passed away Thursday, April 20, 2006.
She was born Sept. 1, 1908, in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Ruth moved to Port Charlotte from Miami, Fla., in 2005, and attended St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church.
Ruth will be greatly missed by her son, Jon (Marguerite) Henry of Port Charlotte; grandchildren, Gayla (Adam) Sobiech, Yvonne (Rick) Henry, both of North Fort Myers, Fla., Jon (Ann) Henry of Delaware, Edward (Wendy) Henry of Miami, Karen Caswell and David Henry, both of Bradenton, Fla.; 10 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward F. Henry; and son, James F. Henry.
A graveside service in celebration of Ruth's life will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22, 2006, at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Miami.
The family requests memorial donations be made to American Cancer Society, 992 Tamiami Trail C2, Port Charlotte, FL 33953. To express condolences to the family, please visit www.LTaylorFuneral.com and sign the online guest book.
Arrangements are by the Cremation Center of Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services, Port Charlotte.
William Parker
William "Bill" Parker, 73, of Port Charlotte, Fla., passed away Thursday, April 20, 2006. Arrangements are with National Cremation Society, Port Charlotte.
John M. Anderson Sr.
John Michael Anderson Sr., 41, of Arcadia, Fla., passed away Saturday, April 15, 2006. He was born Jan. 24, 1965, in Arcadia.
John was an orange grove tractor driver. He was an avid fisherman and hunter. John was of the Church of God faith.
He is survived by his wife, Shari Ann Anderson; son, John Michael Anderson II; and daughter, Shari Deeann Anderson, all of Arcadia.
Memorial services will be at 9 a.m. Monday, April 24, 2006, at the chapel of Ponger-Kays-Grady Funeral Home, 50 N. Hillsborough Ave., Arcadia. Burial will be at Joshua Creek Cemetery.
Arrangements are by Ponger-Kays-Grady Funeral Home, Arcadia.
John Edward Blake
John Edward Blake, 42, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died April 19, 2001, at Fawcett Memorial Hospital.
He was born in Bristol Township, Pa. John worked as a carrier for the Englewood Sun, he also worked eight years with the Manasota Land Development and Construction. He was the founder of "The John Wayne Band."
He is survived by his wife, DeAnne Anne Blake of Port Charlotte; daughters, Tisha Sheridan and Whitney; granddaughter, Alexis Sheridan; his mother, Carol Blake; grandmother, Muriel Kritzar of Grove City, Fla.; a sister, Geniece Hunt of Punta Gorda, and a brother, Steven Blake of Port Charlotte.
A memorial service will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 23, at the LightHouse Baptist Church, 14251 Chancellor Blvd., Port Charlotte.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to DeAnne. Arrangements are by I.C.S. Cremation Society Inc.
Jane P. Fulone
Jane P. Fulone, 47, of Port Charlotte, FL went to be with the Lord on April 20, 2001.
Jane was born on Feb. 19, 1954 in Woonsocket, R.I., living most of her life in East Douglas, Mass., until moving to Port Charlotte.
She was blessed with such compassion that she dedicated her life to the caring of others. Throughout her life, Jane worked with handicapped children to develop daily living habits and then with mentally and physically handicapped adults. On moving to Port Charlotte, Jane began work with Alzheimer's patients at Mariner Health Care in Deep Creek.
Jane was an artist and poet. Many of her poems were published in the National Library of Poetry's "Best Poems and Outstanding Poets of 1998" and the "Best Poems and Poets of the 20th Century." She also received the Editor's Choice Award by the International Library of Poetry. She was a member of First Christian Church of Port Charlotte, Charlotte County Art Guild, and International Library of Poetry.
She is survived by her sisters, Dale Phillips of Port Charlotte, Fla.; Faye Fulone-Sweeney of Southbridge, Mass.; and Susan Fulone-Langehough of BelGrade, Mont.
Memorial service will be 11 a.m. Monday, April 23, at First Christian Church of Port Charlotte. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Southwest Florida, 5955 Rand Blvd. Sarasota, FL 34238; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL; or American Cancer Society, 22107 Elmira Blvd., Port Charlotte.
Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services is in charge of arrangements.
Linda Miano
Linda Miano, currently of Punta Gorda, Fla., died on April 19 at Charlotte Regional Medical Center from complications stemming from multiple sclerosis. She was 55 years old.
Ms. Miano was born in Springfield, Mass., but lived some of her best years in Enfield, Conn., where she worked as a successful realtor, earning many "Realtor of the Year" awards. Creative and outgoing, Ms. Miano was also a self-taught bookkeeper and small business owner who enjoyed selling Avon, studying genealogy and making crafts.
A loving mother and grandmother, she will be greatly missed by her daughter, Lynelle Palencia; and two grandchildren, Samuel and Madelyn Palencia, of Falls Church, Va. She is also survived by her two sisters, Holli Ernandez, of Clermont, Fla., and Donna Funderburk, of Orlando, Fla. An animal lover, she also leaves behind her beloved dog, Shelby.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, in memory of Linda Miano, 2021 K St. N.W., Suite 715, Washington, D.C. 20006.
Arrangements are by Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services.
George F. Dignam
George F. Dignam, pioneer, real estate developer and insurance agent, 88, died April 21, 2001, at Englewood Community Hospital.
He was born Feb. 14, 1913, in Methuen, Mass. He moved as a youth to Fitchburg, Mass., where he attended public schools and graduated from Becker College in Worcester, Mass., with a degree in business administration. He was the owner of the "The Wren Cafe" in Townsend, Mass., and owner and vice president of Wachusett Engineering in Fitchburg, Mass., for 15 years.
He moved to Englewood in 1949 with his family, purchased property on Manasota Key and built a home. A year later he purchased gulf-to-bay property, subdivided it, and named it Lemon Bay Estates I.A. In 1952, he and Jack Stanford purchased bayfront property on South Englewood Beach and developed Holiday Shores, and also opened a real estate office at the intersection of North and South Beach Roads, naming it Key Realty. In 1959, Mr. Dignam purchased Mr. Stanford's interest in the business and also purchased the Bob Lawler Insurance Company of Englewood and changed the name to Key Agency Inc. In 1962, joined by his son Tom, he built a new office at 1201 S. McCall Road where the business is today.
Mr. Dignam retired from the business in 1981. He was very much interested in community affairs and the growth of Englewood. He led the drive to keep the original route of the Intracoastal Waterway through Lemon Bay vs. the Myakka River route proposed by the city of Venice and the General Development Company.
Mr. Dignam was active in politics and had many friends on the local and state levels. He served as Charlotte County chairman for the successful Tom Adams for Secretary of State, and later on for the successful election of Reubin Askew, governor and Tom Adams, lieutenant governor. Dignam was close to Sen. Bob Graham and Gov. Bob Martinez while his grandson, David, served in his administration. Mr. Dignam served two terms as president of the Englewood Board of Realtors, two terms as a supervisor of the Englewood Water District, one term as a director of the Englewood Chamber of Commerce, two terms as director of Englewood Charlotte County Lighting District, and a four-year term on the Charlotte County Housing Authority. He was also a founding member of the Englewood Little League Baseball Organization.
He was a veteran of World War II, and served two years as a Pharmacist Mate 2/C in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. He was a life member of the Disabled American Vets, member of the American Legion Post 0113, Rotonda West. George and son, Tom, were founding members of Englewood Elks Lodge No. 2378, where he served as a trustee and was the first life member. He was a founding member of St. Raphael's Catholic Church in Englewood.
Survivors include his wife, Marifrances; his son, Thomas M. and wife, Annette, of Englewood; two brothers, Joseph E. of Port Charlotte, Fla., and Francis of Leominster, Mass.; three sisters, Beatrice Hedblom of Fitchburg, Mass., Pauline Dowd of Burke, Va., and Beverly Delisle of Parksley, Va.; step-children, Byron Smith and Eric Smith, and Susan (Bill) Snell, all of Tampa, and Sally (Ron) Stachowitz of Geneva, Ill.; grandchildren, David (Laurie) Dignam and Leslie (Richy) Edwards of Englewood; step-grandchildren, Randy Snell and Lori Snell, both of Tampa, David Stachowitz and Karen Stachowitz, both of Illinois; and great-grandchildren, Ashley and Brandon Dignam, and Taylor Edwards, all of Englewood.
Visitation will be from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. April 23 at the Lemon Bay Funeral Home, Englewood Chapel, with a Scripture service at 8 p.m. April 23. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. April 24 at St. Raphael's Catholic Church, with interment to follow at Gulf Pines Memorial Park, Englewood.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the YMCA of Englewood, 262 S. Indiana Ave., Englewood, FL 34223; or the Elsie Quirk Library Children's Room, c/o Elsie Quirk Library, 200 S. Indiana Ave., Englewood, FL 34223.
