Gloria Pratt
DEC. 12, 1921 -- MARCH 30, 2004
DELTONA -- Gloria Violet Pratt, 82, of Tulip Street, a resident since 1985, died Tuesday at Orange City Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, DeBary.
Mrs. Pratt, a homemaker, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and came here from Miami.
Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Kenneth; two sons, Roger, Deltona, and Allen, Altamonte Springs; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Deltona Memorial, Orange City, is in charge.
Judson Schultz
JUNE 3, 1947 -- MARCH 29, 2004
DAYTONA BEACH -- Judson J. Schultz, 56, of Seabreeze Boulevard, a resident since 1990, died Monday at Hospice Care Center, Port Orange.
Mr. Schultz, a laborer for a sign company, was born in Troy, N.Y., and came here from Bennington, Vt. He enjoyed playing the lottery.
Survivors include a daughter, Nicole Schultz, Manhattan, N.Y.; his mother, Madeline Schultz, Pompano Beach; three brothers, Jerry, Bennington, John, Helena, Mont., and Jimmy, Dalton, Mass.; and a sister, Janis Kehn, Pompano Beach. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia - Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129. Alavon Direct Cremation, South Daytona, is in charge.
Marion Vermillion
APRIL 6, 1915 -- MARCH 31, 2004
ORANGE CITY -- Marion F. Vermillion, 88, of Grand Plaza, a retired truck driver, died Wednesday at Hospice Care Center, Port Orange.
Mr. Vermillion, an Army veteran of World War II, was born in Jefferson, S.D., and came here in 1999. He enjoyed fishing and playing billiards.
Survivors include two brothers, Glen, DeBary, and William, Beresford, S.D. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia - Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129. Baldauff is in charge.
Rev. Rogers P. Fair dies at 88
DAYTONA BEACH -- The Rev. Rogers P. Fair was "a giant of a man, " according to one of the many people who crossed his path during the 47 years he was chaplain of Bethune-Cookman College.
Fair, who died Monday at the Correan Reddin Adult Family Care Home, Ormond Beach, helped lead the community through the turbulent period of integration after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed. He was 88.
"He contributed a great deal to this community. Reverend Fair was a member of an ecumenical council of church leaders established by Rabbi Leon Herwitz of Temple Israel that tried to smooth over the transition to integration, " said Daytona Beach attorney Dan Warren. "Things went much more smoothly in Daytona Beach than in other communities in Florida because they and other community leaders recognized the need for change."
Warren, a former state attorney, said he met Fair through B-CC President Mary McLeod Bethune in the early 1950s. "Reverend Fair and I had a common interest in improving relations between the races. We collaborated on many social issues of the day."
Warren remembered Fair as a leader, not only in the black community, but also among all Christians in the community.
"Reverend Fair gave the sermon at the first integrated Easter sunrise service at the Bandshell on the beach in the mid-'50s, " Warren said.
Fair, also a former longtime pastor of Stewart Memorial United Methodist Church, was born in Greenwood, S.C. He earned a bachelor's degree from Clark College in Atlanta and a bachelor's of divinity degree from Gammon Theological Seminary, also in Atlanta. After graduation from Atlanta University with a master's degree in sociology, he was handpicked by Bethune to be the college's first chaplain, a position he held until he retired in 1994.
B-CC President Oswald Bronson, who first met Fair as a student working in the chaplain's office, said the college community remained grateful for Fair's tenure at B-CC.
"The passing of Dr. Fair brings much sadness to our hearts, " Bronson said. "His legacy will live at Bethune Cookman College as long as the college exists."
Fair's colleagues at the college remember him for his positive outlook and sense of humor.
"He would start my day off with humor, " said Clarence Childs, B-CC vice president for student affairs. "He had the ability to make people laugh. I can't think of anybody he couldn't get to laugh."
Fair was the first black to be appointed to the Daytona Beach Civil Service Board in 1968, a post he held for two years. He was appointed to the board again in 1974 and in 1987, he was unanimously elected as chairman, again the first black to serve in that capacity.
He also was a former member of the Volusia County Health Facilities Authority and Educational Facilities Authority and the Daytona Beach Interracial Advisory Board. He was a member and former president of the Halifax area Ministerial Association; a member of Sigma Pi Phi and Omega Psi fraternities; a member of the Daytona Beach Kiwanis Club; and chairman of the Richard V. Moore Community Center.
Traveling to more than 80 countries, Fair led study tours to Japan, China, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore. Bethune arranged a fellowship for Fair in 1955 at Oxford University in England.
In 1964, he was a member of the American Methodist delegation to study "Basis for World Peace" in the former Soviet Union, and he served as a delegate to the World Methodist Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1986.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Agnes; a son, Rogers Jr., Dallas; a daughter, Mattie Fair-Murphy, Port Orange; five grandchildren; and caregiver Correan Reddin, Ormond Beach. Gainous is in charge.
Harry Barhite
MARCH 29, 1913 -- MARCH 28, 2004
PORT ORANGE -- Harry Barhite, 90, of Pineland Avenue, a former tool and die maker with General Motors in Flint, Mich., died Sunday at home.
A native of Flint, Mr. Barhite moved to this area in 1994 from California. He enjoyed bowling.
Survivors include a son, Howard, Port Orange; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia - Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129. Neptune Society Funeral Home, Fort Lauderdale, is in charge.
Mary Boanno
OCT. 12, 1936 -- MARCH 30, 2004
SOUTH DAYTONA -- Mary Johanna Boanno, 67, of Big Tree Road, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., died Tuesday at home.
Mrs. Boanno, a homemaker, and came to this area from New York in 1981. She attended St. Paul Catholic Church, Daytona Beach. Mrs. Boanno enjoyed helping the homeless and battered women.
Survivors include her husband of 48 years, Frank; a son, Frank, Port Orange; three daughters, MaryLou Corrigan, Therese Gugliara and Maria Boanno, all of South Daytona; and four grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia - Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129. Volusia Memorial, Port Orange, is in charge.
Louis DeMaio
JAN. 9, 1915 -- MARCH 30, 2004
PORT ORANGE -- Louis D. DeMaio, 89, of Avienda Del Toro, resident since 1991, died Tuesday at Hospice Care Center.
Mr. DeMaio, an Army veteran of World War II, moved to this area from his birthplace, Paterson, N.J. He was a retired customer service representative in the textile industry. He was a member of Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church, a fourth degree Knights of Columbus and the Italian American Club. Mr. DeMaio enjoyed sports, travel, history and the dog track.
Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Eleanor; a brother, Roy, Maywood, N.J.; and a sister, Anna Iruato, Oakland, N.J. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia - Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129. Daytona Funeral Home, Daytona Beach, is in charge.
Lam Desaboune
MAY 5, 1927 -- MARCH 29, 2004
DELEON SPRINGS -- Lam Desaboune, 76, of Winning Wood Trail, a retired fern cutter for Shelton Fernery in DeLand, died Monday at Florida Hospital-DeLand.
Mr. Desaboune was born in Laos, and came to this area in 1982 from California. He was a member of Buddhist Temple, Crescent City. He enjoyed fishing.
Survivors include a daughter, Lisa Phothong, DeLeon Springs; and two grandchildren. Lankford, DeLand, is in charge.
Jack Differt
DEC. 23, 1929 -- MARCH 9, 2004
DELTONA -- Jack Ernst Differt, 74, of Tyler Terrace, a native of Milwaukee, died March 9 at home.
Mr. Differt, an Army veteran of the Korean War, moved here in 1986 from Orlando. He was a retired hotel night clerk and auditor.
Survivors include his wife, Mary; a son, Rick, Apopka; a daughter, Sherry Schneider, Casselberry; a brother, Gerald, New Berlin, Wis.; and two grandchildren. Deltona Memorial, Orange City, is in charge.
Fred Fiske
DEC. 15, 1918 -- MARCH 26, 2004
DELEON SPRINGS -- Fred H. Fiske, 85, of Red Dog Road, an engineer for the New England Telephone Co. before his retirement, died Friday at Woodland Terrace Extended Care, DeLand.
Mr. Fiske, an Army veteran of World War II, was born in Franklin, Mass. He moved to this area in 1999 from Wolfeboro, N.H. He was a member of Pioneers of America, the Masons and the National Rifle Association.
Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Shirley; a son, Richard, DeLeon Springs; a daughter, Nancy Fairley, Northborough, Mass.; a brother, Lincoln, Bethel, Maine; four grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 111 N. Frederick Ave., Suite 100, Daytona Beach, FL 32114. Lankford, DeLand, is in charge.
Marvin Gelles
OCT. 30, 1925 -- MARCH 29, 2004
PALM COAST -- Marvin Irving Gelles, 78, of Big Dipper Lane, a former director of agriculture with the U.S. Government, died Monday at Florida Hospital-Flagler.
Mr. Gelles, a Marine Corps veteran of World War II, was born in Washington, D.C., and moved here in 1997 from Silver Spring, Md. He was a member of Temple Beth Shalom.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Anna; three sons, Robert and Elliot, both of Palm Coast, and Steven, Des Moines, Iowa; a daughter, Merrie Gelles, Palm Coast; a brother, Arthur, Melbourne; and a grandchild. Coastal Cremation is in charge.
