Robert R. Leeper
Robert R. Leeper, 88, of DeFuniak Springs, died April 9 at a local hospital.
Dr. Leeper was born in North Carolina on Sept. 8, 1913, to Dr. Donald H. Leeper Sr. and Beria Davis Leeper. He had lived in DeFuniak Springs for 23 years. He was a former resident of Silver Spring, Md., and was Presbyterian by faith. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of DeFuniak Springs.
Prior to World War II, Robert attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he earned a master of arts degree. After proudly serving his country during the war he returned home to complete his education at Columbia University in New York City, earning a doctorate of education.
For 28 years he was the editor of “Educational Leadership,” a magazine published by ASCD, a professional organization in education. Upon retirement, he and Sarah Lou continued to work in the field of education by reviewing and rewriting material for publication.
In 1983, Robert published a collection of poems and short stories he had written while attending Columbia University. “The Brindle Mule” shares his memories of growing up in his beloved Brushy Mountains of North Carolina.
Robert was preceded in death by his wife, Sarah Lou Leeper.
He is survived by a brother, William Hugh Leeper of New York; sister, Mary Eunice Bower of Williamsport, Pa.; nieces, Georgeann Leeper, Julia Leeper, Mary Petero, Mary Lou Hawkes and Jean C. Findley.
Funeral services were scheduled for April 12 at Euchee Valley Presbyterian Church with the Revs. Henry Mooney and Kenneth Kelley officiating. Burial was to follow in Euchee Valley Cemetery.
Active pallbearers for the service were Robert Dobson, Mark Davis, Ingram McDonald, Benton Southard, Billy Fountain and Norman Young. Honorary pallbearers were P.W. Miles, Molin Campbell, Dewyne Douglass, Sonny Yates, Ron Andrews, Frank Anderson and Leslie Reese.
Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church of DeFuniak Springs or to Euchee Valley Presbyterian Church.
Clary-Godwin/Comander Funeral Home was entrusted with the arrangements.
Helen Vivian Northeimer
Helen Vivian Northeimer, previously a resident of Reading, Pa., and most recently of Destin, died April 9.
A graduate of Reading High School, Class of 1939, she retired to Destin four years ago.
She was the wife of the late Richard Calvert Northeimer of Reading.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Cheryl and Lamon Booker; grandson, William Frank Lee Jr.; twin sister, Evelyn Virginia Bachman; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Graveside services were scheduled for April 12 in Beal Memorial Cemetery in Fort Walton Beach.
Emerald Coast Funeral Home in Fort Walton Beach was in charge of arrangements.
Seasun M. Carter
Seasun Michelle Carter, 23, of Shalimar, Fla., died April 6 from injuries suffered in an automobile accident.
She was born on March 3, 1979, in Fort Walton Beach and had lived in this area most of her life.
She is survived by her husband, Christopher Carter of Shalimar; parents, Leighlove and Henning Spilling of Mary Esther; grandparents, Peggy and Arnold Caylor; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Cherry and Cecil Carter; sisters, Maryiah Spilling and husband, Henning Spilling III, of Santa Rosa Beach, Erika Miller of Austin, Texas, and Katie Carter of Santa Rosa Beach; several nieces and nephews; and several aunts and uncles.
Services were scheduled for April 12 at St. Simon’s Episcopal Church with the Rev. Martha Harris officiating. Burial was to be in Magnolia Cemetery in DeFuniak Springs.
McLaughlin Mortuary in Fort Walton Beach handled the arrangements.
Dennis Eugene Hicks
Dennis Eugene Hicks, 32, of DeFuniak Springs, died April 5 as a result of an automobile accident in the Oakwood Hills community.
He was born Aug. 5, 1969, in Fort Walton Beach. He was a house painter in the construction industry. Moving here from Fort Walton Beach, he had been a resident of DeFuniak Springs for the past 15 years. He was Baptist by faith.
Dennis loved to hunt and fish with his friends and spend time with his family. He loved his son very much. To his family and friends he was known as “Goober.”
Dennis was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Jeff Faulk; paternal grandparents, Pete and Hazel Hicks; and stepfather, Lloyd Earl Hicks.
Survivors include his father, Carl Dennis Hicks, and stepmother, Mary, of Mossy Head; mother, Shirley Hicks of DeFuniak Springs; fiancée, Bridgett King of Mossy Head; son, Danny Wendall Wayne Hicks of Mossy Head; brother, Danny Carl Hicks of Sarasota; three stepbrothers, Paul Webb of England, Steve Webb of Atlanta and Bill Webb of Orlando; sisters, Linda Hicks of Crestview and Lisa Ann Hicks of DeFuniak Springs; and a stepsister, Claytina Mosley of Orlando.
Funeral services for Dennis Hicks were scheduled for April 9 in Mossy Head Baptist Church with the Rev. Bill Willcox officiating. Burial was to follow in Crowder Chapel Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Larry Nicholson, Joe Nicholson, Glenn King, Earl Hayes, Steve Smitty and Dewayne Worley.
Clary-Godwin/Comander Funeral Home handled the arrangements.
Randall Dale Shover
Randall Dale Shover, 42, of Freeport, died April 1 as the result of an automobile accident.
He was born in Lebanon, Ind., and had resided in this area for the past 15 years. He was Protestant by faith and a Cub master with Pack 751 in Freeport. Randy enjoyed hunting and fishing and was a U.S. Army Ranger.
Survivors include his wife of 13 years, Cynthia Shover; and son, Jeffrey Dale Shover, both of Freeport; parents, Richard and Donna Shover of Lebanon, Ind.; brother, Richard Shover of Sheridan, Ind.; and sisters, Rhonda Shover of Denton, Ind., and Brenda Shover Cadle of Crawfordsville, Ind.
Shover will be taken to Lebanon for services and burial in Lincoln Memorial Gardens of Zionsville, Ind., with Myers Mortuary in Lebanon directing.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to Cub Scout Pack 751, c/o Cynthia Shover, P.O. Box 483, Freeport, Fla. 32439.
Clary-Godwin/Comander Funeral Home handled the local arrangements.
Roy Neil Smith
Roy Neil Smith, 77, died early Easter Sunday morning, March 31, of heart failure in DeFuniak Springs following a long battle with heart disease.
Smith, born on Sept. 22, 1924, in Floyds Knobs, Ind., had lived with his wife, the former Audrey Lee Ruth Cunningham of Tazewell, Tenn., in DeFuniak Springs since 1992. He was a retiree of DuPont de Nemours Co. in Louisville, Ky., where he spent his entire career.
Smith graduated from New Albany High School in New Albany, Ind., with an academic diploma in 1943. He was the youngest of 10 children born to Noah and Nora Scott Smith of Floyds Knobs.
He responded to his country's call to duty at a young age and enlisted in the Army-Air Force, where he served as a pilot during World War II. During his military service he was awarded the Good Conduct, American Third Service and Victory medals and received an honorable discharge from the service on Feb. 28, 1946.
Following his military service he married Audrey and they raised four children, the former Belinda Smith who now resides in California, Stephen Smith of Sellersburg, Ind., Shawn Smith of DeFuniak Springs and Brian Smith of Jeffersonville, Ind.
In addition to his wife and children, Smith is survived by three of his seven sisters: Sylvia Smith Stroup of Florida, Goldie Smith Thomas of New Albany and Daisy Smith Stoner of Florida. Sisters Violet Smith Morris, Marguerite Smith Rhodes, Opal Smith Baker and Velva Smith Simpson and brothers Charles Smith an Nolan Smith preceded him in death.
Smith and his wife spent their retirement years in Florida. His favorite pastime was genealogy, travel and researching family history.
Funeral services were scheduled for April 4 at Seabrook Dieckman and Naville Funeral Home in Indiana.
Charles C. Hataway
Charles Conley Hataway, 69, of Destin, died March 31, Easter Sunday.
He was born in Troy, Ala., on June 13, 1932, to the late Conley and Myrtle Hataway.
Charles, a highly recruited high school football running back at Troy High School, accepted a scholarship from Auburn University and graduated in 1957. He was a successful high school football coach for six years. After coaching, Charles was a respected family business owner of Fort Walton Beach Roofing Co. and had retired.
Charles is survived by his wife, Monica, of 48 years; and beloved family; son, Cleve, and wife, Kitti Hataway; grandchildren, Hillary, Chase, Haley and Conley; daughter, Ilon, and husband, Russell Wilbanks; granddaughter, Ila; son, Scott Hataway and grandchildren, Marianne, Joshua and Jonathan, all of Destin. He had one surviving brother, Dan of Montgomery, Ala.; sister and her husband, Betty and Jack Powell of Dothan, Ala.; and sister, Frances Gautney of Columbus, Ga.
There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. todaywed. april 3 at Grace Tabernacle Church, 218 N.E. Eglin Parkway, in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
In lieu of flowers, those who wish may contribute to a favorite charity in Charles’ memory.
Norma J. Clapp
Norma J. Clapp, 81, of Destin, died March 30 at The Manor at Bluewater Bay.
Norma was born in Norwalk, Ohio, on April 8, 1920.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 29 years, Donald, in 1997; and her sister, Margaret Grinold.
Norma is survived by her daughter, Jean Bennett, and husband, David, of Niceville.; stepchildren, Judy Williams, John Clapp and Peggy Williams, all of Ohio; and Sandy Hunter of Kentucky.
She is also survived by a sister, Mary Esker of Ohio; and brother, Robert Allen of Destin. She is also survived by two loving grandsons, Josh and Chris Bennett, and numerous stepgrandchildren and stepgreat-grandchildren.
There will be no viewing or memorial service, at her request.
Burial will be in Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola at a later date with family and friends.
Edith Helen Walsh
Edith Helen Walsh, 87, of Destin, died March 28.
Edith was born April 5, 1914, in Brooklyn. She was an only child of second generation German immigrants, Harry and Mildred Holdorf. She was the first of the family to attend college and received a degree as a dental hygienist from City College of New York.
She married Dr. Joseph Walsh, a dentist, and subsequently moved to Huntington and later to Westhampton, Long Island, N.Y. As a mother of two children, Edith stayed busy as a president of the St. Charles Hospital Auxiliary in Port Jefferson, N.Y., and as a loyal and dedicated volunteer for St. Patrick’s Church and the Association for the Help of Retarded Children.
After the death of her husband in 1972, Edith moved to Lake Worth, Fla., where she lived and cared for her special daughter, Adrienne, for more than 20 years. During this time she continued her volunteer work with the Palm Beach County Habilitation Center (workplace for the handicapped and retarded) where she won many awards for her services.
In 1998 she moved to Crystal Bay Senior Living facility in Sandestin, where she was very happy with her independent life and many new friends and acquaintances.
As part of the “Greatest Generation” Edith passed on to all of us her love and faith in God, strong work ethic, high moral standards, and the importance of sacrifice and caring for others through volunteering. Her determination, fortitude, optimism and good humor were other admirable qualities she passed on to her family and friends.
Edith, affectionately known by the family as “Mimi”, is survived by her two children, Adrienne of Horizon’s of Okaloosa County Inc., Fort Walton Beach, and son, Richard of New Orleans; three grandchildren, Caryn Crawford of Atlanta, Christen Farmer of Arlington, Va., and Richard Walsh Jr. of Jacksonville; five grandchildren, David, Carly and Caroline Crawford, and Cate and Carrie Anne Farmer.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a memorial contribution be made to Horizons of Okaloosa County Inc., 123 Truxton Ave., Fort Walton Beach, Fla. 32547, home of her daughter, Adrienne.
A Mass and memorial service will be held at Crystal Bay Senior Living Facility in Sandestin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11.
