G. BETTY HANDY, 87, of Franklin, Ind., formerly of Tampa, died Tuesday. A native of Tampa, she was a homemaker and member of Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church. She is survived by two sons, Paul of Greenfield, Ind., and Donald of Hobbsville, N.C.; three daughters, Clara of McBain, Mich., Virginia of Sodus, Mich., and Eleanor Blankenship of Olympia, Wash.; a sister, Bernice Kelpy of Tampa; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Glass Funeral Home, Tampa.
April 2, 1999
WILLIE VERDELL LaFAYETTE, 75, of Tampa died Monday at St. Joseph's Hospital. A native of Fort Valley, Ga., she moved to the area in 1925. She was a homemaker and a member of True Faith Inspirational Baptist Church. She is survived by her husband, Bernard Sr.; two sons, Bernard Jr. and Michael; five daughters, Joyce Davis, Rozelia Kennedy, Brenda Austin, Geraldine Coverson and Victoria Davis; 14 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Wilson's Funeral Home, Tampa.
April 2, 1999
SANDY LILES, 61, of Ruskin died Wednesday. A native of Jefferson City, Mo., she moved to the area in 1984. She was a member of First Baptist Church. She is survived by her husband, Billy; two sons, Marc of Sundance and David of Riverview; a brother, Dale Browning of Plano, Texas ; three sisters, Marjorie Browning of Brazil, Betty Mowery of Fort Worth, Texas , and Linda Hudson of Sherman, Texas ; and four grandchildren. Family Funeral Home.
April 2, 1999
ARTY L. MULLIS, 76, of Tampa died Wednesday. A native of Griffin, Ga., he moved to the area 40 years ago from Valdosta, Ga. He was a driver and mechanic for Florida Convoy Auto Transport and an Army veteran of World War II. He is survived by two sons, Michael of Tampa and Arty Jr. of Lakeland; a daughter, Hulda Miller of Jacksonville; a brother, Fred of Columbus, Ga.; two sisters, Betty and Marie, both of Columbus; 26 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Blount, Curry & Roel Funeral Homes, Garden of Memories Chapel, Tampa.
April 2, 1999
DOROTHY PURDY, 67, of Tampa died Monday. A native of Tampa, she was a lifetime resident. She was a dry-cleaning presser. She is survived by her husband, Luther of Las Vegas; three sons, Leroy and Errol, both of Detroit, and Robert of Dallas; two daughters, Barbara Tillman of Tampa and Cynthia of Detroit; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Wilson's Funeral Home, Tampa.
April 2, 1999
SARA CATHERINE ROBERTS, 72, of Ruskin died Wednesday. She moved to the area from Reynoldsville, Pa., in 1962. She was a homemaker and Baptist. She is survived by three daughters, Linda Badgerow of Ruskin, Donna Craven of Eridu and Marsha Gasbarre of DuBois, Pa.; four brothers, John Wisor of Butler, Pa., Dan Wisor of Reynoldsville, Roland Wisor of Gary, Ind., and Harry Patterson of West Palm Beach; and eight grandchildren. Lewers Funeral Home, Ruskin.
April 2, 1999
LEROY G. ROBERTSON, 84, of Sun City Center died Wednesday. He moved to the area from Texarkana, Texas , in 1976. He was an accountant for The Kroger Co. and a member of United Community Church. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; two sons, Thomas of Reno, Nev., and Peter of Muskegon, Mich.; two daughters, Kathleen of Austin, Texas , and Dana Flanders of College Park, Md.; a sister, Mabel Miner of Mentor, Ohio; and three grandchildren. Lewers Funeral Home, Ruskin.
April 2, 1999
THOMAS PETER ROMANO, 81, of Summit, N.J., and Plant City, died Thursday in Plant City. A native of Orange, N.J., he was a custodian, an Air Force veteran of World War II and Catholic. He is survived by his wife, Amelia; a son, Tom of Plant City; a daughter, Ann Ricciardi of Union, N.J.; three brothers, Joseph and Tony, both of New Jersey, and Santo; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Wells Memorial Funeral Home, Plant City.
April 2, 1999
TIMOTHY JAMES RUTH III, infant son of Timothy and Gabriel of Valrico, died Wednesday. He is survived by a sister, Andrea of Valrico; his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Ramon Perez of Pearsall, Texas ; and his paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. R. Steven Bethea of Jacksonville, and Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Ruth Sr. of Tampa. Blount, Curry & Roel Funeral Homes, Garden of Memories Chapel, Tampa.
April 2, 1999
HERB SEYMOUR, 67, of Tampa died Wednesday. A native of Tampa, he was a lifetime resident. He was director of human resources for Tampa Electric, a Navy veteran, a guardian ad litem and a member of Idlewild Baptist Church. He is survived by his wife, Bernice; a son, Scott of Tampa; three daughters, Laura and Lisa Dunn, both of Tampa, and Karen Silver of Tennessee; three sisters, Catherine Warren, Margaret Clark and Carol Clark, all of Tampa; and three grandchildren. Blount, Curry & Roel Funeral Homes, Carrollwood Chapel, Tampa.
April 2, 1999
JAMES WILEY SHOEMAKER, 80, of Brandon died Wednesday at St. Joseph's Hospital. A native of Olin, N.C., he moved to the area from Orlando in 1976. He was a carpenter, an Army veteran of World War II and a member of First Baptist Church. He is survived by his wife, Thelma; two sons, John of Deltona and Kenneth of Brandon; four brothers, Howard of Winston-Salem, N.C., Harold of Sebring, Ernest of Bridgewater, Va., and Roy of Statesville, N.C.; a sister, Edna Ives of Suffolk, Va.; three grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Stowers Funeral Home, Brandon.
April 2, 1999
J.B. "ZACK" THOMAS, 77, of Tampa died Sunday at University Village Nursing Home. A native of Raleigh, Ga., he moved to the area from Avon Park about 40 years ago. He was a payload operator for Superior Fertilizer and a member of Oak Hill Missionary Baptist Church. He is survived by his wife, Mary; a daughter, Mary Allen; a sister, Martha Perryman of Manchester, Ga.; four grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Wilson's Funeral Home, Tampa.
April 2, 1999
EARL RAY TIGUE, 68, of Tampa died Tuesday at home under the care of LifePath Hospice. A native of Winchester, Tenn., he moved to the area from Chicago in 1996. He was a maintenance worker for Archdiocese of Chicago and an Army veteran of the Korean War. He is survived by two sons, Michael of Tampa and Phillip of Tullahoma, Tenn.; three brothers, Clifton, Milton and Charles; two grandchildren; and two great- grandchildren. Swilley Funeral Home, Tampa.
April 2, 1999
JIMMIE IRENE TOLLERTON, 49, of Odessa died Thursday at St. Joseph's Hospital. A native of Tampa, she was a lifetime resident. She was a bus driver for Hillsborough County schools and Methodist. She is survived by her husband, Lee; a son, Christopher of Tampa; her parents, William and Irene Moates of Tampa; two brothers, Skip Vaccaro and Darren Moates, both of Tampa; and a sister, Terry Danner of Zephyrhills. Swilley Funeral Home, Tampa.
April 2, 1999
NETTIE MAE VALENTINE, 90, of Plant City died Wednesday. A native of Alachua, she moved to the area in 1918. She was a homemaker and a member of East Side Baptist Church. She is survived by a son, Errie of Lakeland; a daughter, Mattie Williams of Plant City; a brother, Fred Grimes of Plant City; a sister, Christine Crosby of Tampa; seven grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Wells Memorial Funeral Home, Plant City.
April 2, 1999
MARY ELLEN ZAITZ, 82, of Tampa died Tuesday at University Community Hospital. A native of Lake Wales, she moved to the area from Amherst, Mass., in 1960. She was a registered nurse at Tampa General Hospital, Centro Asturiano and Centro Espanol, an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II and a member of American Legion Post 334 and First United Church of Christ. She is survived by her husband, Anthony; two sons, Larry of Tampa and Rich of Cayucos, Calif.; two daughters, Susan Chandler of Tampa and Cynthia of San Francisco; a brother, Ralph Young of Atlanta; two sisters, Dorothy Barber and Maxine Cassell, both of Lake Wales; five grandchildren; and a great-grandson. Blount, Curry & Roel Funeral Home, Garden of Memories Chapel, Tampa.
April 2, 1999
BOTT, Dorothy F., 80, of Hudson died Friday. Thomas B. Dobies Funeral Homes, Hudson.
April 4, 1999
COCCIA, Isabelle L., 78, of Bayonet Point died Friday. Prevatt Funeral Home, Hudson.
April 4, 1999
DI PIETRO, Aurelia, 95, of Bayonet Point died Friday. Prevatt Funeral Home, Hudson.
April 4, 1999
FELTMAN, Para Lee, 77, of New Port Richey died Friday. Thomas B. Dobies Funeral Homes, New Port Richey.
April 4, 1999
FUSCO, Rose M., 89, of New Port Richey died Friday. Thomas B. Dobies Funeral Homes, Tarpon Springs.
April 4, 1999
GOUGHERTY, Helen M., 79, of Hudson died Saturday. Faupel Funeral Home, Port Richey.
April 4, 1999
HAND, Mary L., 79, of New Port Richey died Friday. National Cremation Society, Holiday.
April 4, 1999
McCOY, Eleanor Marie, 79, of Hudson died Friday. Bell Funeral Home, Bayonet Point.
April 4, 1999
OLENIK, William L., 79, of Port Richey died Friday. Bell Funeral Home, Bayonet Point.
April 4, 1999
PARKER, Don S., 84, of Port Richey died Friday. Family Funeral Care, Hudson.
April 4, 1999
STAAMP, Wilma L., 66, of Dade City died Thursday. Oakley Funeral Homes, Dade City.
April 4, 1999
WOOD, Clyde Ardell, 79, of Dade City died Wednesday. Coleman and Ferguson Funeral Home, Dade City.
April 4, 1999
COOK, John R. "Jay" Sr., 61, of Palm Harbor died Friday. Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home, Clearwater.
April 4, 1999
FOLEY, Rosa, 84, of Oldsmar died Thursday. Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home, Clearwater.
April 4, 1999
HEISEY, Kenneth J., 81, of Safety Harbor died Wednesday. Holloway Funeral Home, Oldsmar.
April 4, 1999
MOORE, Catherine H., 76, of St. Petersburg died Friday. National Cremation Society, Clearwater.
April 4, 1999
FOLSOM, Josephine E., 55, of Eaton Park died Thursday. Lakeland Funeral Home.
April 4, 1999
