Florence Cawein
Florence Marjorie Cawein
Florence Marjorie Cawein, 76, of Sun City Center, Fla., passed away on Monday, April 4, 2016.
Loving daughter of the late William and Rose (Seguine) Cole; beloved mother of Erika Gray; mother-in-law of Frank Gray; grandmother of Daniel Gray; sister of Edith Streubert; aunt of Lauren Streubert; and former spouse of Walter Cawein.
Florence grew up in New Jersey and was a graduate with honors of Pascak Valley Regional High School, Hillsdale, N.J., and Katharine Gibbs School, with honors, in New York City. Before relocating to Sun City Center, she lived in Waldorf, Md.
She held a passion for sewing and was an accomplished seamstress. She was a member of Sun City Center’s Cross Stitch and China Painting Clubs. She also enjoyed weaving and was Sun City Center’s master Bunka artist. While living in Maryland, she enjoyed quilting and square dancing.
At Florence’s request, funeral services were private.
Arrangements entrusted to National Cremation & Burial Society in Ruskin.
Ben Hillberry
Ben M. Hillberry
Benny “Ben” Max Hillberry, 78, of Sun City Center, Fla., entered eternal life on April 4, 2016. Ben briefly resided at Cypress Creek Assisted Living and was transferred to LifePath Hospice after suffering a stroke on April 2.
Ben is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Carol, and four daughters: Julie (Steve) Acosta of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Jeanne (Steve) Sexton of North Fort Myers, Fla.; Jennifer (Mark) Page of West Lafayette, Ind.; and Joellen (Bill) Sorenson of LaGrange, Ill. He is also survived by grandchildren Brian, Daniel and Matthew Acosta; Samantha and Alexandra Sexton; Ben, Jacob, Andrew and Nicholas Page; and William and Elizabeth Sorenson. In addition, he is survived by his brother Darwin (Ruth) of Riverton, Wyo.
Ben was born in Riverton on December 17, 1937, to Phil and Georgie (Renner) Hillberry. He was a graduate of Riverton High School. In 1957, Ben traveled to the Midwest to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University. Following his graduation, he worked for General Motors in Dayton, Ohio. Ben soon returned to Iowa State, where he continued his engineering studies and ultimately received his Ph.D. in 1967.
During his undergraduate years, Ben accompanied his friend, John Haase, to Wisconsin for holidays. It was there that he met Carol Kohn. They were married on June 4, 1960, at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in North Fond du Lac, Wis.
Ben began teaching at Purdue University in 1967 and was a full Professor from 1975 until his retirement in 2006. He served many roles during his tenure at Purdue, including Chairman of the Design Division of the School of Mechanical Engineering, Founder and Director of the Purdue Technical Assistance Program, and Faculty Coordinator for the Mechanical Engineering Building Renovation. Ben conducted research in the areas of Metal Fatigue and Biomechanics. He was named a Fellow in the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).
Despite his many distinctions, Ben’s most rewarding professional experience was time spent mentoring his graduate students. He would enthusiastically recall the enduring friendships, hard work, and successes they achieved both at Purdue and in their following endeavors.
Ben had a passion for sailing that began in 1967. He owned several sailboats, which he raced with Carol and his daughters at the Lafayette Sailing Club. Ben and Carol gradually acquired larger sailboats and enjoyed many years of cruising and racing on Lake Michigan. One of their most memorable journeys was in 1997, when they purchased their last boat in Gananoque, Ontario, and spent five weeks sailing it back to Lake Michigan.
Ben was a member of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament (West Lafayette, Ind.) for 40 years, where he served on the Parish Council and the Building Committee. He oversaw an expansion and renovation of the church in 1995.
In 2007, Ben and Carol moved to Sun City Center, where Ben enjoyed lawn bowling, Sawdust Engineers, and making new friends. He was a member of Prince of Peace Catholic Church and Caloosa Golf & Country Club.
Ben was preceded in death by his parents and a sister.
A funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Sun City Center.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Ben’s memory be made to the Ben M. Hillberry Graduate Scholarship in Mechanical Engineering. Gifts payable to Purdue Foundation, Fund #013165, 403 W. Wood St., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2007. This fund was established upon his retirement by former students and friends.
Ben was a beloved presence in the Hillberry and Kohn families and will be greatly missed. His family is grateful to the caregivers and friends who assisted Carol in helping him enjoy life as fully as possible during his final years.
Grace Alice Krucher
Grace Alice Krucher, 84, of Sun City Center, Fla., died Tuesday, April 5, 2016, at LifePath Hospice in Sun City Center. At her side were her son, daughter and son-in-law.
Grace was born and raised in New York and moved to Port Jefferson Station, Long Island, after she married. She was a beloved mother and grandmother; her pride and joy was always her family, especially her grandchildren.
She is survived by son Kory J. Krucher of Alpharetta, Ga., daughter-in-law Claudia Krucher and their children Justin and Haley; and daughter JoAnn Deleanides of Seffner, Fla., son-in-law Jorge Deleanides and their children Jessica L. Deleanides of Brandon, Fla., and Stephanie M. (Deleanides) Stewart and her husband John “David” Stewart of Savannah, Ga.
She was preceded in death by her beloved sister, Honora ‘Nora’ P. Todd; brother-in-law Allen G. Todd of Kansas City, Kan.; brother Charles Cabral of New York; and grandson Adam H. Deleanides.
Services were held April 8, 2016, at Cypress Creek Assisted Living in Sun City Center. It was an intimate gathering of family, close friends, staff and residents from the facility that made it a special memorial in Grace’s honor. Reverend Marco Molgado celebrated the memorial and his wife Sylvia honored Grace in song. Grace’s hugs and smiling face will be missed by her family and the many individuals she met while residing at Cypress Creek.
The family would like to extend their thanks to the owner at Cypress Creek Assisted Living, Jim Biggins; the Cypress Creek staff and all the special caregivers, with a special acknowledgement to Sabina Raymond for always going above and beyond her role in caring for Grace’s needs and well-being.
In Grace’s memory, memorial contributions can be made to LifePath Hospice, 3725 Upper Creek Drive, Sun City Center, FL 33573.
Arrangements entrusted to National Cremation & Burial Society in Ruskin.
Phyllis Sannem
Phyllis D. Sannem
Phyllis D. Sannem, 95, of Sun City Center, passed away gently and peacefully at LifePath Hospice House in Sun City Center on March 25, 2016.
Phyllis was born April 30, 1920, to Melville C. and Alice E. (Granquist) Pokorney in Evanston, Ill. She graduated from Chicago’s Nicholas Senn High School in 1937.
In 1942, Phyllis married Robert C. Cooke and with him had one child. In 1944, Robert was killed in action while serving with the U.S. Army Air Corps in Europe.
In 1947, Phyllis married Robert O. (Bob) Sannem, and with him had three more children. They raised their family in the Chicago suburbs. Following Bob’s retirement in 1976, Phyllis and he moved to Florida, locating first in Boca Raton, and eventually settling in Sun City Center. After a marriage of 66 years, Phyllis was widowed in 2013. She is survived by three children, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held for Phyllis at Aston Gardens at Sun City Center at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19. She will be buried at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, alongside husband Bob and daughter Patricia.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to either the Sun City Center Emergency Squad (720 Ray Watson Drive, Sun City Center, FL 33573), or LifePath Hospice House (3723 Upper Creek Drive, Ruskin, FL 33573).
Johnny Testerman
Johnny Ralph Testerman Sr.
Johnny Ralph Testerman Sr., age 92, of Sun City Center, Fla., went home to be with the Lord on Monday, April 4, 2016.
He was predeceased by his wife of 64 years, Pauline, who passed away one week ago. He was also preceded in death by son Johnny R. Testerman Jr.
Johnny is survived by son Jimmy (Leoda) Criss; daughters Wanda (Jack) Frayer and Patty Laird; daughter-in-law Sharon Testerman; five grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren, along with numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.
Johnny served in the Navy during World War II. He retired from the Defense Supply Agency after 29 years of service, where he was Superintendent of Supply for the Army. In his younger days, he loved to golf, hunt and fish. More recently, he enjoyed watching baseball, golf and Nascar racing on TV.
He was a very active member of Friendship Baptist Church.
A Memorial and Celebration of Life service for both Johnny and Pauline was held in the Chapel of Sun Towers on April 13, followed by a private service at Florida National Cemetery, where Johnny and Pauline were interred together.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a memorial be made to Friendship Baptist Church.
Arrangements by Sun City Center Funeral Home.