Mary E. Snow
Mary E. Snow, 85, of North Port, Fla., died Thursday, Sept. 22, 2005.
She was born
May 28, 1920, in Lynn, Mass.
Ms. Snow moved to Port Charlotte, Fla., from Essex, Mass., in 1970. For 18 years she worked as the X-ray secretary at Bon-Secours-St. Joseph Hospital, now known as Peace River Regional Medical Center. In 2002, she moved to North Port. Ms. Snow was a member of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary and the American Legion Post 110 Auxiliary.
She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Wanda Kortz of North Port; 11 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond Snow Sr.; and her children, Rae Irons, Raymond Snow Jr. and Richard Snow.
Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, 2005, at Kays-Ponger Funeral Home, 2405 Harbor Blvd., Port Charlotte. The funeral Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Restlawn Memorial Gardens.
Donations may be made in memory of Ms. Snow to Hospice of Southwest Florida, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34238; or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Mildred R. Spinella
Mildred Rita Spinella, 88, of Punta Gorda, Fla., died Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005, at Peace River Nursing and Rehabilitation in Port Charlotte, Fla.
She was born
Jan. 11, 1917.
She moved to Punta Gorda from Yonkers, N.Y., in 1996.
Mildred is survived by her daughter, Rosemary (James) McGrady of Punta Gorda; four grandchildren, James K. McGrady of Manorville, N.Y., Alfred T. (Janene) Pisano of Wappinger Falls, N.Y., Russell A. (Cindy) Pisano of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., and Nicole (Anthony) Palmiero of Wappinger Falls; and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Russell A. (Sam) Spinella; and her daughter, Loretta Gloria Pisano.
The family requests that condolences be made in the form of donations to a Salvation Army branch in the donor's area.
Arrangements are by Kays-Ponger Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Punta Gorda.
Janet E. Aaron
Janet E. Aaron, 66, of Arcadia, Fla., died Friday, Sept. 23, 2005.
She was born
Oct. 27, 1938, in Hillsdale County, Mich.
She moved to Arcadia from Miami, Fla., 27 years ago. She was a homemaker. Janet loved being near her granddaughters and great-grandson. She loved puzzles and games that challenged the mind. She loved her church and was active as a Sunday school teacher and in other church activities. She was a member of the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Arcadia.
She is survived by a daughter, Carole (Peter) Kennedy of Arcadia; brother, Robert (Joy) Ferguson of Cement City, Mich.; sisters, Marilyn (Norman) Lown and Susan Kelso, both of Cement City; four grandchildren, Geneva Kennedy, Andrea (Golden) Faircloth and Dana Kennedy all of Arcadia, and Amanda (Richard) Sears of Ocala, Fla.; one great-grandchild, Cameron Faircloth of Arcadia. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Carl Aaron, in 2000.
Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a funeral service at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, 2005, at the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, 205 S. Luther Ave., Arcadia. The Rev. Peter Kennedy will officiate.
Arrangements are by Ponger-Kays-Grady Funeral Home, Arcadia.
Rolando G. DeJesus
Rolando Garcia DeJesus, 34, of Arcadia, Fla., died Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005.
He was born
Sept. 1, 1971, in San Andres, Tuxtla, Vera Cruz, Mexico.
Mr. DeJesus was a highway construction laborer. He moved to Arcadia from Mexico two years ago. He attended St. Paul's Catholic Church.
He is survived by his companion, Maria Tristan of Arcadia; a son, Erick DeJesus; and his parents, Ines and Martha DeJesus Perez of Mexico.
Visitaton will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, 2005, at the Ponger-Kays-Grady Chapel, 50 N. Hillsborough Ave. in Arcadia. Mr. DeJesus will be returned to Mexico for services and Burial.
Arrangements are by Ponger-Kays-Grady Funeral Home, Arcadia.
Martha J. Abrahamsen
Martha J. Abrahamsen, 87, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, at Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte.
She was born
July 19, 1918, in Lista, Norway.
She moved to Port Charlotte from Roseland, Ill., in 1997. She was a member of Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Essex Fells, N.J., and attended Community Life Center of Full Gospel Ministries Assembly of God in Port Charlotte.
She is survied by her husband, John E. Abrahamsen of Port Charlotte; two sons, Arvid (Gail) Svendsen of Falls Church, Va., and Mel (Barbara) Svendsen of Lake Zurich, Ill.; a daughter-in-law, Rhonda Svendsen of Falls Church, Va.; two sisters, Augusta Svendsen of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Ase Grimsby of Norway; two brothers, Tudor Thorkildsen and Henning Thorkildsen, both of Norway; two stepsons, David (Valerie) Abrahamsen of Bethel, Conn., and Clifford (Sole) Abrahamsen of Mount Vernon, N.Y.; a stepdaughter, Dale (Eric) Bjorkback of Mount Hope, N.Y.; 14 grandchildren; and five step-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Arne Svendsen; and her oldest son, Ivar Svendsen.
Funeral services will be in Lake Zurich. Interment will be held at Randhill Park Cemetery in Arlington Heights, Ill.
Memorial contributions may made to Cornerstone Church (Building Fund) 14408 W. Edison, Unit E. New Lenox, IL 60451.
Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Home, Port Charlotte Chapel.
William F. Berard
Ret. U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. William "Bill" F. Berard, 79, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, at Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte.
He was born
August 3, 1926, in Newton, Mass.
Bill was a veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietname War and received numerous medals, including the Purple Heart.
He moved to Port Charlotte 34 years ago from Spain.
Bill was a registered nurse and a 1978 graduate of the Edison Community College School of Nursing in Fort Myers, Fla.
He previously worked at Fawcett Memorial Hospital, Bon-Secours St. Joseph Hospital, now Peace River Regional Medical Center, and Charlotte Regional Medical Center. He was a member of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church of Port Charlotte, a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a member of the Texas Tower Association.
He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Alice Berard of Port Charlotte; a daughter, Susan Berard of Port Charlotte; a sister, Joan L. Patriquin of Hadley, Mass.; and two nephews, John Patriquin of Arlington, Mass., and David Patriquin of Hadley.
Visitation will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005, at the Port Charlotte chapel of Roberson Funeral Home, with a Catholic Wake service at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005, at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. Entombment with military honors by the U.S. Air Force will follow at Restlawn Memorial Gardens in Port Charlotte.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of William F. Berard may be made to the Edison College Foundation Nursing Department, P.O. Box 60210, Fort Myers, FL 33906. Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Home, Port Charlotte Chapel.
Henry E. Cooley
Henry E. "Hank" Cooley Jr., 80, of Punta Gorda, Fla., died Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, at his home after a long illness.
He was born
June 9, 1925, in Savanna, Ill., the son of Henry E. Cooley and Joy Ritchie Cooley.
Although he was raised in town, his family farmed on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Hank served in the Army Signal Corps in the South Pacific during World War II.
After the war, Hank earned a BSEE in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois in 1949. Hank married the love of his life, Betty Buechler, on June 19, 1948, in Maywood, Ill.
Hank supervised IBM's engineering activities for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs. He held several executive positions in the Federal Systems Division and System Development Division, including vice president of the Washington Systems Center, vice president of systems components and vice president of development. He retired from IBM in 1980 and moved to Punta Gorda.
He loved the outdoor life, hunting, fishing and sports of all kinds.
While Hank was dedicated to his work, his greatest joy came from spending time with his family. He was a wonderful example of an involved father through all those busy career years and gave enthusiastic support and counsel to his children and grandchildren up to the end of his life. Hank was an avid fisherman, hunter and fan of the Fighting Illini, Yankees and Giants. He shared those passions with his family. In his later years he pursued golf and bowling.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Marjorie "Betty" Cooley; one daughter, Joyce (Keith) Noble of Springfield, Mo.; two sons, John A. (Debbie) Cooley Sr. of South Salem, N.Y., and Henry E. (Lissie) Cooley III of Madbury, N.H.; and eight grandchildren, Alison Noble of Watertown, Mass., Ian Noble of Cardiff, Calif., Abigail Cooley, Andy Cooley, Henry E. Cooley IV, and Peter Cooley, all of Madbury, and Emily Cooley and John A. Cooley Jr., both of South Salem.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, John A. Cooley.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 5, 2005, at the Congregational United Church of Christ, 1201 Aqui Esta Drive, Punta Gorda. The Rev. Bill Klossner of Congregational UCC will officiate. A private committal will be held at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made to Congregational United Church of Christ, P.O. Box 510838 Punta Gorda, FL 33951-0838, or to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation Gift Processing Center, P.O. Box 96268 Washington, DC 20090-6268.
Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Home and Crematory, Punta Gorda Chapel.
Lillian F. Johnson
Lillian Freeman Johnson, 95, of Punta Gorda, Fla., died Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005, at Charlotte Regional Medical Center in Punta Gorda, in the care of Hope Hospice of Southwest Florida.
She was born
July 21, 1910, in Atlanta, Ga., to David Esters and Russie Georgia (Gresham) Freeman.
After her retirement from the First National Bank in Atlanta, she moved to Decatur, Ga., where she resided for more than 25 years. She moved to Punta Gorda in 1989. She loved travel and reading, and she had a great talent for friendship. She was a beloved family matriarch.
At the time of her death Mrs. Johnson was the oldest living member of the historic Martha Brown United Methodist Church in Atlanta, where she was a lifetime member of the United Methodist Women's Association.
She is survived by her daughters, Ann Kelly (Duke) Gateff and Betty (Milledge) Middleton, both of Punta Gorda; her brother, David Esters Freeman of Sun City Center, Fla.; six grandchildren, Arthur Russell (Gary C. Hamm) Whisler of Birmingham, Ala., Kay (Patrick) Yarbrough of Wilson, N.C., Susan (Daniel Hodges) Whisler of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Carol (Troy) Martin of Carmel, Ind., Liegh (Roger) Chak of Ocala, Fla., and Lane (Peyton) Roberton of Orlando, Fla.; 12 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, newphews, cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur William Johnson, in 1952; son-in-law, Dr. Jake Kelly, in 1982; and sister, Edna Grace (Hubert) Davis in 1996.
Services honoring Mrs. Johnson's memory will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22, 2005, at First United Methodist Church, 507 West Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; and in Atlanta at Martha Brown United Methodist Church, with a date to be announced. She will be buried next to her late husband in Westview Cemetery in Atlanta. Interment will be private.
Memorial contributions may be made to the United Methodist Children's Home, 500 South Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA 30030; or to Hospice of Southwest Florida, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota FL 34238.
Arrangements are by Kays-Ponger Funeral Home, Punta Gorda.
Lawrence J. Baumgartner
Lawrence J. Baumgartner, 84, of Port Charlotte, Fla., and formerly of Hammond, Ind., died Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005, at Hospice House of Southwest Florida in Port Charlotte.
Lawrence was born
Feb. 20, 1921, in Bowling Green, Mo.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a longtime member of American Legion Post 330 in Calumet City, Ill.
Lawrence retired from Lever Brothers Company, and moved from his home of more than 50 years in Hammond, to Port Charlotte, in 1998. He was a member of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Port Charlotte.
He is survived by two sons, Larry E. Baumgartner of Port Charlotte, and Robert M. Baumgartner of Romney, Ind.; one daughter, Sharon M. Dayhoff of Longwood, Fla.; one brother, Edward B. Baumgartner of Venice, Fla.; and six grandchildren, Patrick, Andrew, Brendan, Micah, Sydney and Nathan. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley in 2003.
Funeral services will be private with entombment to follow at Restlawn Memorial Gardens in Port Charlotte.
Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Home, Port Charlotte Chapel.
John Daly
John Daly, 66, of Port Charlotte, Fla., passed away Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005, at Tandem Health of Port Charlotte.
Arrangements are by the National Cremation Society of Venice.
Salvatore Farina
Salvatore Farina, 86, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died Friday, Sept. 2, 2005.
He was born
Oct. 6, 1918, in Manhattan, N.Y.
Mr. Farina served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He moved to Miami, Fla., in 1956 from Queens, N.Y. Mr. Farina and his family moved to Arcadia, Fla., in 1980. Mr. Farina retired from his job as a food broker in 1980. He came to the Port Charlotte area in 2003. He was of the Catholic faith. He was a member of the American Legion Post 110, the Port Charlotte Elks, and was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Minnie Farina of Port Charlotte; son, Emilio Farina of Hobe Sound, Fla.; and daughter, Nan (Guy) Schroeder of Houston, Texas.
A visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m.from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005, at the Kays-Ponger Funeral Home, 2405 Harbor Blvd, in Port Charlotte. Burial will follow at Royal Palm Memorial Gardens.
Kays-Ponger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Joan A. Simmons
Joan Alice Simmons, 75, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died Friday, Sept. 2, 2005, at her residence.
She was born
Jan. 16, 1930, in Detroit, Mich.
She moved to Port Charlotte from Plymouth, Mich., in 1992. She was a retired accountant and a car-racing promoter in Michigan.
She is survived by her loving husband, Richard L. Simmons of Port Charlotte; a son, William Richard (Sharon S.) Simmons of Brighton, Mich.; and two grandchildren, Kristina Simmons of Rockwood, Mich., and Shannon Simmons of Brighton.
Memorial services will be held at later date in Plymouth, with inurnment at Riverside Cemetery in Plymouth.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Southwest Florida, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34238.
Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Home & Crematory, Port Charlotte Chapel.
James A. Mills
James Andrew Mills, 79, of Venice, Fla., passed away Friday, Sept. 2, 2005.
Arrangements are by National Cremation Society of Venice.
W. Donald Taylor
The Rev. W. Donald Taylor, 78, of Rotonda West, Fla., died Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, at his home.
He was born
March 10, 1927, in Evanston, Ill., to the Rev. Albert E. and Mildred M. Taylor.
The Rev. Taylor graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill., in 1947 and from General Theological Seminary in New York in 1951. He was ordained as a deacon in 1951 and a priest in 1952 at the Washington Cathedral. He served the Episcopal Church of St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Wheaton, Md., from 1951 to 1989, and was made rector emeritus of St. Mary Magdalene.
The Rev. Taylor moved to Florida after his retirement and assisted at St. David's Episcopal Church in Englewood, Fla. He has participated in choral groups over the years.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Ruth M. Taylor; one son, David (Maria) Taylor of Beltsville, Md.; one daughter, Donna Victoria of Punta Gorda, Fla.; two grandchildren, Daniel (Andrea) Taylor of Concord, Mass., and Edward (Erin) Taylor of Linthicum Heights, Md.; and one great-granddaughter, Alexandria Taylor of Concord.
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005, at St. David's Episcopal Church in Englewood.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Mary Magdalene Parish, 3800 Aspen Hill Road, Wheaton, MD 20906; to St. David's Episcopal Church, 401 South Broadway, Englewood FL 34223; or to the American Red Cross.
Englewood Community Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
