Richard Taylor, 70 Crystal River
Richard Edward Taylor, 70, Crystal River, died Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001, at his home in Crystal River under the care of his family and Hospice.
Born Nov. 6, 1931, in Philadelphia, to Walter and Caroline (Lunn) Taylor, he came to this area 11 years ago from Orlando.
He was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran serving in the Korean War. He was also a retired accountant with Westinghouse in Philadelphia and Orlando. He was Protestant.
Survivors include four sons, two brothers, one granddaughter and one grandson.
Strickland Funeral Home, Crystal River.
Kenneth Venning, 80 Dowling Park
Kenneth M. Venning, 80, Dowling Park, formerly of Homosassa, died Friday, Dec. 7, 2001, in Dowling Park. Born April 20, 1921, in Plant City to Robert S. and Ossie McKey Venning, he moved to Homosassa in 1981 from Plant City and left Homosassa about five years ago.
He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II.
His memberships included Jasper (Fla.) Masonic Lodge No. 199, Order of the Eastern Star of Jasper and the VFW Post of Jasper. He was a former member of the VFW Post 8189 of Crystal River, the Fleet Reserve of Hernando and the Crystal River Moose Lodge.
He was also a former member of Christian Center Church of Homosassa Springs.
Survivors include his wife of 20 years, Rosa F. Black Venning of Dowling Park; a son, Kenneth M. Venning Jr. of Plant City; a brother, Joseph Venning of Plant City; a stepdaughter, Nellie Koyi of San Francisco; two sisters, Mildred Clendenning and Reba Hutchinson, both of Plant City; and two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Wilder-Fountains Funeral Home, Homosassa.
Marion Wisner, 90 Inverness
Marion Wisner, 90, Inverness, died Thursday, Dec. 6, 2001, in Inverness.
Born Dec. 10, 1910, in Detroit, to Stanislaus Gruszczynski and Catherine Adamczyk, she came to this area in 1972 from Caseville, Mich.
She was a homemaker.
She was a member of The Club, Inverness. She was Catholic. She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward Wisner, on Dec. 20, 1980.
Survivors include a son, Daniel Wisner of Caseville, Mich.; and two brothers, Joseph Gregory of Ocala and Stanley Grendon of Clinton Township, Mich.
Memorials may be made to a charity of choice.
Hooper Funeral Homes, Inverness.
Dolores Eccher, 68 Crystal River
Dolores May Eccher, 68, Crystal River, died Sunday, Dec. 9, 2001, at Seven Rivers Community Hospital in Crystal River.
Born March 4, 1933, in Chicago, Ill., to Bruno and Eva (Rossi) Zarandenello, she moved from Homewood, Ill., to Treasure Island in 1970 and came to this area three years ago from there.
She was a retired assistant manager with the Howard Johnson Hotel Corporation after 25 years.
She was a loving mother, sister and grandmother. She was Catholic.
Surviving are her son, Gary Eccher, and wife Jennie of Crystal River; daughters, Pam Davis and husband Walt of Beverly Hills and Nancy Lundy and husband Scott of Crystal River; brothers, Donald Zarandenello of Hazel Crest, Ill., Roy Gonzalez of Treasure Island, Robert Gonzales of Henderson, Nev., and Paul Gonzalez of Monee, Ill.; sisters, Vivian Mrozek of Richton Park, Ill., and Virginia Jareck of Lindenwood, Ill.; four grandchildren, Heather Slusser, Walter Davis, Christina and Joey Burgner; and two great-grandchildren, Kodie and Jessica Lundy.
Strickland Funeral Home, Crystal River.
C. Joe Falcone, 83 Floral City
C. Joe Falcone, 83, Floral City, died Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2001, at Avante’ at Inverness.
He was born May 28, 1918, in Flushing, N.Y., to Raffaele and Maria Falcone.
He was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II. He was a retired foreman in the sheet metal industry.
Survivors include his son, Robert Falcone of Bayside, N.Y.; a brother, Jerry Falcone of Rockaway, N.J.; and a sister, Louise Hussey of Floral City.
Heinz Funeral Home, Inverness.
Lovie Jones, 94 Old Town
Lovie Copeland Jones, 94, of Old Town, died Friday, Dec. 7, 2001. Mrs. Jones was a lifetime resident of Dixie County, her family being a pioneer family that settled in what is now Dixie County. She was a homemaker and a mother. She was a member of Rock Sink Baptist Church.
She is survived by her son, Ray Jones of Perry; daughters, Margie Brown of DeLand, Willene Gay of Gainesville, Shandry Hembree of Crystal River, Sharon Fond of DeLand and Nell Stutts of Jacksonville; brother, Cauley Copeland of Cross City; sister, Hettie Jones of Old Town; 15 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.
Rick Gooding Funeral Home, Cross City.
Oskar Nowakowski, 81 Beverly Hills
Oskar Nowakowski, 81, Beverly Hills, died Saturday, Dec. 8, 2001.
A native of Poland, he was born Oct. 30, 1920, to Francis and Helen (Zeidel) Nowakowski. He came to this area in 1988 from New Jersey.
Mr. Nowakowski was a retired analyst chemist for Refined Onyx Corp.
Surviving are his wife of 54 years, Tamara Zgun Nowakowski of Beverly Hills; and two daughters, Margaret Eagen and Elizabeth Quirk, both of New Jersey.
Hooper Funeral Home, Beverly Hills.
John R. Applegate, 81 Beverly Hills
John R. Applegate, 81, Beverly Hills, died Monday Dec. 10, 2001, at his home.
A native of St. Louis, Mo., he moved here from Fenton, Mich., in 1986.
He owned and operated the John Applegate Company.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was an avid golfer.
He was a Protestant.
Surviving are his wife, Lois Applegate of Beverly Hills; a daughter Janice Lynn Thiele of Webster Township, Mich.; a son, James H. Applegate of New York, N.Y.; and three grandchildren, Craig Applegate of New York, N.Y., and William and Katherine of Webster Township, Mich.
Fero Funeral Home in Beverly Hills.
William P. Blessing, 67 Hernando
William P. Blessing, 67, Hernando, died Saturday, Dec. 8, 2001, at his home.
He was born in Dover, N.J., He grew up in Staten Island, N.Y., and Sparta, N.J. where his family were pioneer members of Lake Mohawk.
He moved to Sparta in 1954 and had lived in Hernando for the past 10 years.
Mr. Blessing had served an enlistment with the U.S. Navy in the 1950s and was also a member of the reserves for several years. Mr. Blessing was a member of the Independence Lodge No. 42, F&AM, Hackettstown; Tall Cedars Forest No. 37, Sussex County; Elks Lodge No. 2356, Sparta; an honorary member of the Sparta Township Fire Department; an associate member of Lodge No. 26, Fraternal Order of Police of Sparta. He was a former member of the lake Mohawk Country Club. He was a member of the Sparta United Methodist Church.
Mr. Blessing was preceded in death by a brother, Dr. Joseph Blessing, in 1963.
He is survived by his wife, the former Ruth Dyer; a son, William J. Blessing, of Sparta, N.J.; two daughters, Phyllis E. Blessing of Washington Township, N.J.; and Betsy L. Blessing of Santa Cruz, Calif.; a sister, Maude Bittel of Staten Island, N.Y.; his aunt, Katherine Blessing of Hackettstown, N.J., and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Gobel Funeral Home, Sparta, N.J.
Alina Durante, 99, Forked River, N.J.
Alina Durante, 99, Forked River, N.J., formerly of Inverness, died Friday Dec. 7, 2001. She was born Feb. 12, 1902, in Hoboken, N.J., to Oskar Altonen and Alina Davidson.
She came here in 1973 from New Jersey.
She was an avid crossword puzzle solver and card player.
She was a Presbyterian.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Durante, in 1977.
She is survived by eight nieces and nephews, including Edith Keiper, and many great nieces and nephews.
Hooper Funeral Homes, Inverness.
Claude ‘Randall’ Hanson, 63 Floral City
Claude “Randall” Hanson, 63, Floral City, died Sunday, Dec. 9, 2001, at his home.
He was born Feb. 19, 1938, in Putney, W.Va., to Charles Darty and Ina Ethel (Johnson) Hanson.
He came here June 1, 2001, from Charleston, W.Va.
He retired from the maintenance department of the Kanawha Valley Regional Transit Authority in Charleston, W.Va., with 14 years of service.
He was a Protestant.
He is survived by his loving wife of 42 years, Susan (Perry) Hanson; two sons, Jerry Duane Hanson of Charleston, W.Va. and Todd Allen Hanson of Given, W.Va.; one brother, Charles Denver of Hanson, W.Va.; one sister, Phyllis Willis of Van, Texas; and five grandchildren.
Chas E. Davis Funeral Home, Inverness.
