Huge Marriages Search Engine!
Dennis Ross
Dennis Ross, 58, of Englewood, Fla. (Sarasota County), died Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2002, at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Sarasota, Fla.
He was born Feb. 14, 1944, in Tampa, Fla., and came to the Englewood area 35 years ago from there. He owned and operated Ross TV, which was formerly Lemon Bay TV, in Englewood. He was a member of the Jaycees, Elks Lodge 2378 and the Loyal Order of the Moose Lodge 1933, all of Englewood. He was a member of St. Raphael's Catholic Church in Englewood and was a veteran of the U.S. Army.
He is survived by his son, Richie, of Englewood; daughter, Kellie Ward of Boone, N.C.; four brothers, Joey of Tampa, Joseph of Hanover, Md., Ronny of Millersville, Md., and Robert of Crownsville, Md.; one granddaughter, Giana Felice Ward; mother, Frances Ross of Hanover; and a loving companion, Janice Huffman of Englewood.
Visitation will be held 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, 2002, at Lemon Bay Funeral Home in Englewood. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 7, 2002, at St. Raphael's Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Gulf Pines Memorial Park in Englewood.
Memorial donations may be made in memory of Dennis Ross to Richie Ross, 22 Caroll Circle, Englewood, FL 34223.
Lemon Bay Funeral Home, Englewood Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Randolph Edwards
Randolph Edwards, 91, was born in Norma, Fla., Aug. 30, 1910, to the late Gustavia and Alice Edwards.
He was the husband of the late Eloise Edwards and the father of two sons. He was a member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.
He leaves two sons, Nathaniel and wife, Julia Edwards of Tampa, Fla., and R.V. and friend, Maxine McKinley of Arcadia, Fla.; one sister, Cleo Kirkland of Arcadia; one niece, Clara Nunnally of Arcadia; one nephew, James Edwards of Lawton, Okla.; six grandchildren, 12 great-grands; two great-great-grands; two brothers-in-law, Charles Everhart of Rochester, N.Y. and William Everhart of Arcadia; and a host of other nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Visitation will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at Hickson Funeral Home. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Oct. 6 from Friendship Baptist Church, with Rev. James Wells Sr., Pastor, Rev. Reginald R. Edwards, officiating. Burial in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Walter Henry Gooch
Walter Henry (Rocky) Gooch, passed away on Sept. 30, 2001, in Clemson, S.C., at the age of 50 from cancer.
Rocky was a caring, gentle man who spent his entire life advocating for children.
He is survived by his wife, his mother, Dixie June Goswami of Clemson; five brothers and sisters; and his uncle, Dickie Reed of Charleston, S.C. Rocky will be remembered as the oldest son of Walter Gooch, head football coach, DeSoto High School, Arcadia, Fla., who died in 1958.
A memorial service to celebrate the life of Rocky will be held at 3 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Unitarian Church in Clemson.
Paul Elliott Ayers
Paul Elliott Ayers, 50, of Port Charlotte, Fla., passed away Oct. 3, 2001.
He was born in Winston-Salem, N.C., Oct. 21, 1950, and moved to Port Charlotte in 1996. Paul is the son of Paul T. Ayers, Winston-Salem and the late Nancy Elliott Ayers.
Survivors include his wife, Lynn Ayers of Port Charlotte; four children, Christy Ayers and Jessie Ayers Vasques, both of Winston-Salem, Amy Ayers Bauer and Jason Ayers, both of Port Charlotte; six granddaughters, Mary Allison, Laura Elizabeth, Kirsten, Yamilex, Thereza and Megan; one sister, Martha Ayers Box; and three brothers, John Ayers, Eric Freeman and Tim Freeman, all residing in North Carolina; as well as many cousins and nephews and nieces and friends.
Services to be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 6, at the Kays-Ponger Royal Palm Chapel in Port Charlotte, with burial to follow in Royal Palm Memorial Gardens, with Chaplain Larry Pope officiating.
The family request gifts to The American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers.
Gladys L. Pitt
Mrs. Gladys L. Pitt, 88, of the Huntersville Oaks, Huntersville, N.C., passed away Oct. 1, 2001, in Charlotte, N.C.
She was born on Oct. 8, 1912, in Augusta, Mich., the daughter of the late Jerusha A. and Benjamin G. Ingraham. After retiring from the Augusta Lumber Company, Gladys became a very caring wife and mother of three.
Surviving are her children, Sharon Kurr of Charlotte, Clinton Pitt of Union City, Mich., and Joyce Smith of Dayton, Ohio; eight grandchildren, Rhonda McClintock, Timothy and Ryan Kurr, Ashley Smith, Sara Perkins and Nathan, Jasmine and Seth Pitt and four great-grandchildren. Gladys was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Clarence Pitt; her sister, Idabelle Graham; and her brothers, Glenn and Ray Ingraham.
Her funeral service will be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 5, in the Wilson Chapel of Hankins & Whittington Funeral Service, Charlotte, N.C., with Mr. Al Goff and Mr. Leslie Pulley, officiating. Interment will follow in Charlotte Memorial Gardens, Punta Gorda, Fla. The family will receive friends from 7 p.m. to 8:30 tonight at Wilson Chapel.
The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, a memorial may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 1820 E. 7th St., Charlotte, NC 28204 or the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 1232 22nd St. NW, Washington, DC 20037.
Theodore V. Kowaleski
Theodore V. Kowaleski of Port Charlotte, Fla., died Sept. 13, 2002, at Bon Secours-St. Joseph Hospital in Port Charlotte.
He attended St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Port Charlotte. Mr. Kowaleski was a former resident of Pittsburgh, Pa., where he worked as a bridge painter. He enlisted in the Navy in 1942, serving during World War lI. Following the war, Ted was a shore patrolman.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth; parents, Casimir and Victoria; and numerous siblings. Ted is survived by his sister, Rose Moceika, numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
Friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 5, at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. Interment of cremains will immediately follow in the St. Charles Memorial Garden.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 21505 Augusta Ave., Ste. 4, Port Charlotte, FL 33952. Arrangements are by Paul Schelm Funeral Home, Port Charlotte.
Stella M. Ruhe
Stella M. Ruhe, 79, of Port Charlotte, Fla., passed away Oct. 2, 2002, at Bon Secours-St. Joseph Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Port Charlotte, after a long illness.
She was born in Newcastle, County Down, Ireland, and lived in Port Charlotte for 18 years. She was a homemaker. Stella was a member of Sacred Heart Parish, Punta Gorda, Senior Friends volunteer organization, and the Irish-American Club.
Mrs. Ruhe is survived by her husband, Richard E. Ruhe Sr.; a son, Richard (Catherine) Ruhe of Escondido, Calif.; daughters, Susan (Charles) Drexler of Escondido, Nancy (James) Gesuelle of East Granby, Conn., Mary (Timothy) Leonard and Joy (Paul) Froeschle of Port Charlotte; a sister, Katherine Barker of Manorville, N.Y.; 13 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
A Mass of Christian burial and private graveside service will be held Oct. 5 at St. Charles Cemetery in Lindenhurst, N.Y.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in memory of Mrs. Ruhe to the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation, 302 W. Main St., No. 100, Avon, CT 06001.
Pearl A. Tait
Pearl A. Tait, 83, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died Oct. 2, 2002, at Charlotte Harbor Healthcare of Port Charlotte.
She was born Sept. 30, 1919, in Old Town, Maine, and moved to Port Charlotte 12 years ago from Cape Elizabeth, Maine. She was a member of St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Port Charlotte.
She is survived by two daughters, Carol A. (Ron) Whitney of Port Charlotte and Catherine Dupuis-Tait of Bath, Maine; two sons, Terry J. (Cathy) Tait of Windham, Maine, and Peter M. Tait of Embden, Maine; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 5, with a funeral service at 2 p.m., at Roberson Funeral Home, Port Charlotte Chapel. The Rev. Robert B. Mattingly of St. Maximilian Kolbe Church will officiate. Private graveside services and interment will be held at later date in Arlington Cemetery, Windham. Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Home, Port Charlotte Chapel.
Jack Weisberg
Jack Weisberg, 85, of Port Charlotte, Fla., went to sleep Oct. 2, 2002, to await the resurrection morning.
He was born Sept. 16, 1917, to Benny and Sadie Weisberg. Mr. Weisberg served his country in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a 1st lieutenant during World War II. He was a devoted member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and served as a hospital administrator with the Seventh-day Adventist Health System in Palatka, Orlando and Punta Gorda, Fla.
A son, Douglas, preceded him in death in February 1994. Surviving are his wife, Ruth; daughter, Martha Tyndal of West Palm, Fla., John Weisberg of Deland, Fla., and James Weisberg of Port Charlotte; a brother, Samuel Weisberg of Lowell, Mass.; a sister, May Stonner of Manchester, N.H.; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A memorial service to celebrate Jack's life will be at 3 p.m. Oct. 6, at the Seventh-day Adventist church on 2036 Loveland Boulevard, Port Charlotte. The family will receive friends from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 5, in the Port Charlotte Chapel of Kays-Ponger/Royal Palm Funeral Home, 2405 Harbor Blvd.
John S. McLaughlin
John Sheffield "Shef" McLaughlin, 74, of Englewood, Fla., died Oct. 3, 2002.
He was born Jan. 3, 1928, in Detroit, Mich. His family moved to Lansing, Mich., where he received his primary education. After graduation he enlisted in the Army, where he was assigned to the 30th Weather Squadron in the South Pacific Theater. Upon his return from the service he attended Michigan State University, where he graduated in 1951. He spent 43 years in the automobile business, the first 18 with the Oldsmobile Division and the last 25 as general manager of a Pittsburgh Oldsmobile dealership. He was an Elk for more than 40 years with Lodge 1 in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was a member of St. Raphael's Catholic Church. He married Beverly Bassitt of Muskegon, Mich., in 1949
John is survived by his wife, Beverly; four children, Meagan (Matthew) Berube of Millbrae, Calif., John S. (Linda) McLaughlin II of Carnegie, Pa.; Colleen McLaughlin of Pittsburgh and Kelly (Charles) Mazurek of Libertyville, Ill.; and grandchildren, Anthony, Haley and Connor, all of Carnegie, Carly and Chelsea of Pittsburgh, and Madeline, Evan and Grace, all of Libertyville.
Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 4, at Lemon Bay Funeral Home, Englewood Chapel. Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Oct. 5, at St. Raphael's Catholic Church. Private interment will be in St. Raphael's Memorials Garden.
Memorials are suggested to the American Lung Association of Gulfcoast Florida, 2201 Cantu Court, Sarasota, FL 34232.
Glenna H. Murray
Glenna H. Murray, 88, of Englewood, Fla., died July 7, 2002.
A memorial service will be at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 9, in the chapel at Englewood United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Southwest Florida, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34238; or Englewood United Methodist Church.
Reo G. Croll
Mrs. Reo G. Croll, 82 of Bradenton, Fla., formerly of Adrian, Mich., passed away October 2, 2002, at Westminster Asbury Manor Healthcare Center in Bradenton.
Mrs. Croll was born Nov. 23, 1919, in Adrian to Mr. and Mrs. Floyd and Lucille Suydam. She was the owner and operator of Reo Gene's Beauty Shop in Adrian for several years and was a member of First Baptist Church of Adrian. Mrs. Croll was a winter resident of the Arcadia, Fla., area for many years before moving there permanently in 1984. She then moved to Bradenton in August 1998. While living in Arcadia, she served as a volunteer at DeSoto Memorial Hospital, Meals on Wheels and Order of Eastern Star. She was a member of Nocatee United Methodist Church, where she formerly served as the church treasurer.
She is survived by her son, John Croll of Bradenton; daughter, Linda Kluck of Minneapolis, Minn.; brother, Kenneth Suydam of Adrian; five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 5, with a funeral service at 4:00 p.m., in the chapel of Shannon Funeral Home Town Chapel, 1015 14th St. W., Bradenton, with Chaplain Louis Branning officiating. Private family inurnment services will be held at the Joshua Creek Cemetery in Arcadia.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the American Lung Association, 3333 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 34230, in her memory.
Elvin A. Bressler
Elvin A. Bressler, 84, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died Sept. 30, 2001, at Fawcett Memorial Hospital.
Born on Aug. 13, 1917 in Pinebrook, Pa., he moved to Port Charlotte in 1973, coming from Elizabethtown, Pa. Mr. Bressler worked for the federal government for 32 years in quality control of aircraft maintenance. He was a World War II Navy Veteran. He was a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Port Charlotte; the Elk's Lodge of Port Charlotte; and of the National Retired Federal Employees.
He is survived by his daughter, Joan L. (Quentin) McCoy of Lancaster, Calif.; a sister, Ethel Bahn of Camp Hill, Pa.; two grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
There will be no local services. Inurnment will be in Grand View Memorial Park in Annville, Pa.
Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Home & Crematory, Port Charlotte Chapel.
Alice Jean Butler
Alice Jean Butler, 75, of Punta Gorda, Fla., died Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001, at her residence.
Jean was born in Holbrook, Ariz. She came to this area from Oxon Hill, Maryland and has lived here since 1982. While living in Oxon Hill, she worked as a hospital administrator for St. Elizabeth Hospital in Washington, D.C. She was a member of NARFE, Moose Lodge 1319 of Port Charlotte and Methodist Church in Oxon Hill.
She is survived by her husband, Charles; three daughters; one son; several grandchildren; and a sister.
Arrangements were made by Forest Lawn Cremation, Inc. of Port Charlotte.
Norma Jean Lipp Griffiths
Norma Jean Lipp Griffiths, 77, of Punta Gorda, Fla., died suddenly Monday, Oct. 1, 2001, at Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte.
She was born on Oct. 25, 1923, in Wilkensburg, Pa., to Elwyn and Gertrude (Norwood) Lipp. A devoted wife and mother, she was also active for many years in the Girl Scouts of America as a volunteer troop leader and troop leader trainer. Mrs. Griffiths retired from the U.S. Census Bureau in 1987 and moved with her husband to Punta Gorda in 1989 from Canonsburg, Pa. She served joyfully for a number of years as the community's volunteer librarian during which time she developed the library's classification and book usage system.
She is survived by her loving husband, John R. Griffiths; son, Norman W. Griffiths of Eighty Four, Pa.; daughter, Carol Ann Griffiths of Crofton, Md.; two grandchildren, Kevin James Griffiths and Kathleen Jean Griffiths; and great-granddaughter Alexis Nichole Gabauer.
Arrangements are by the National Cremation Society of Port Charlotte.
Harry E. Maul
Mr. Harry E. Maul, 80, formerly of Port Charlotte, Fla., died Sept. 30, 2001, at Heritage Healthcare Center, Venice, Fla.
He was born Dec. 8, 1920, in Lincoln, Neb., and came to the area from Easton, Md., in 1971. He was a Navy veteran of World War II and a Purple Heart recipient. He was a member of American Legion Post 110, Port Charlotte; a life time member of the Salisbury, Maryland Moose Lodge. He was a past member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Fort Myers, Fla.; Araba Shrine Temple, Fort Myers; Masonic Temple AF & Am. Easton, Md.; and Elks Lodge 2153, Port Charlotte. He was of the Lutheran faith.
Survivors include two sisters, Christine Townsend of Winter Park, Fla. and Frieda Polovina of Sawyer, Mich.; two daughters, Patricia Dunlap of Venice and Sandra Doughty of Salisbury, Md.; two grandchildren, Bobbi J. Sanders of Magnolia, Del. and Jeffrey N. Dunlap of Delmar, Md. and a great-grandson, Devin M. Sanders of Magnolia.
A memorial service is planned at 2 p.m. Oct. 6 at Paul Schelm Funeral Home, Port Charlotte. Burial to take place at a later date.
Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of SW Florida, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34238 or to the American Cancer Society, 2100 S. Tamiami Trail, Ste. B, Venice, FL 34293.
