Obituaries June 15, 2017

Lawrence Yeatman

Lawrence “Skip” Yeatman was born July 28, 1944, and passed away at home on June 3, 2017. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia, but for the past 40 years he has lived in Ruskin, Fla.

He is survived by his four sons; five step-children; two sisters; 24 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren and many niece’s and nephews along with other family and friends.

His celebration of life will be held Sunday. June 25, 2017, from noon to 4 p.m. at Bayou Pass Clubhouse, 2203 Dorothy Duke Lane, Ruskin, FL 33570.

Thomas L. Stinson

Thomas L. Stinson, 80, passed away May 28, 2017, at South Bay Hospital. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Myrtle Stinson. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Foster-Stinson; daughters, Susan McNamee Miller, Shari Thomas, Deborah Pearce; stepdaughter, Erin Drudge; grandchildren, Tiffany, Cody, Stan, Zachary, and Noah; step-grandson, Daiton.

Tom worked for American Electric Power for 40 years.

William Paul Carney

William Paul Carney, Jr., 71, of Sun City Center, Fla. passed away June 3, 2017. He retired as a tool and die maker and served the United States Army National Guard. Bill was an avid golfer and enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He was a member of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church and served as President of the Church’s Men’s Club in Sun City Center, Fla. In addition, he was a volunteer Lay Eucharistic Minister and Lay Eucharistic Minister Coordinator for the 11 a.m church service. He was predeceased by his brother James Carney.

Survivors include his wife, Paulette, three sons, David Carney, Brian (Denise) Carney and Christopher Hill; two grandsons, Matthew Carney and Patrick Carney; a granddaughter, Madison Carney; two brothers, John (Fran) Carney and Don (Michelle) Carney; and sister-in-law Pam Carney.

Memorial service will be at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 19, 2017 at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, 1015 Del Webb Blvd. E., Sun City Center, Fla.

Sharon Aileen Zahorsky

Sharon Aileen Zahorsky, 66, of Apollo Beach and Surf City, N.J., fell asleep in the arms of the Lord on June 9, 2017, after a lengthy fight with cancer.

Sharon was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, and spent the majority of her youth in Belton, Texas. She was the daughter of the late Forrest I. George and Marjorie Clark George. Sharon is survived by her husband of 46 years, retired USA Col. Michael “Zack” Zahorsky, Jr.; son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Laura Zahorsky III; son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Galina Zahorsky; and grandchildren Jacob and Reagan Zahorsky, who affectionately called her Baba. She is also survived by a brother, Wayne A. “Rusty” George of Belton, Texas; sister and brother-in-law, Peggy and Jimmy Begley of Jacksonville; sister, Carol Maberry of Tucson, Ariz.; and several nieces and nephews.

Sharon was married at Fort Hood, Texas, in 1971 and was an “Army Wife” for 27 years. During those years, she traveled the world and moved her family across the United States and Europe 23 times before settling in Apollo Beach. She was employed by the University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, and retired after 17 years of service.

Sharon enjoyed vacations at the beach, cooking for her family, gardening and traveling. Her greatest joy was going on Disney Cruises with her grandchildren.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m., Friday, June 16, 2017, at Nativity Catholic Church, Brandon, with Rev. John Tapp officiating. Graveside service and interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., with the Very Reverend John Basarab, Epiphany of Our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church, Annandale, Va.. officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to Lifepath Hospice, 3725 Upper Creek Drive, Ruskin, FL 33572. Arrangements by Sun City Center Funeral Home, Sun City Center, Fla., phone 813-634-9900.

William Wood

Dr. William D. “Bill” Wood, 70, formerly of Medford, Mass. passed away on June 4, 2017 in Sun City Center, Fla.  He was known as a Renaissance man with a dynamic personality.  Born in Cambridge, Mass. on November 10, 1946 to a family that struggled with poverty, he was instilled with a lifelong commitment to the fight for social justice and civil rights.  Volunteering for the U.S. Army in 1964, he received a traumatic brain injury which resulted in a complicated, lifelong disability.  Returning to the Boston area, he became a well-known and forceful political organizer involved in the radical movements of the 1960s. Over the years he was sought out by state and local politicians for his sharp political analysis and his keen sense of the person on the street.  In recognition of this skill, Senator Edward Kennedy personally solicited his help in the Senator’s tough election fight against Mitt Romney in 1994.

Dr. Wood created one of the first substance abuse intervention programs in Cambridge with funding assistance from his musician friend, Andy Pratt of the Pratt Institute family.  His work led to an adjunct position at the Metropolitan College of Boston University teaching Social and Political Science and Government.  He also taught at Cambridge and Brookline Public Schools and in the Industrial School for Crippled Children where he received a Premier Teacher Award for his ability to reach at-risk teens.  He returned to politics in his middle years, uniquely running a write-in ballot campaign, where he handily won election to the local Medford Democratic Party serving 20 years as a Ward Chair.

His greatest passion, though, was as an artist where he acted in the New England and New York theater circuit. As a playwright, in 1995 he placed third in a competition of the New England Playwriter’s Association where his play was judged by such notables as Arthur Miller.  A dance choreographer for the Boston Tea Party, a 60s concert venue in Boston, he created jazz impressionist dance routines.  Moving to Greenwich Village for a short time in the early 70s, he was befriended by notable jazz and blues artist Mose Allison, who introduced him to famed Method Acting Teacher, Lee Strasburg. As his mentor, Mr. Strasburg offered him free classes at the Strasburg Theater and Film Institute in Los Angeles in return for his fundraising skills. It was there he met his wife where they became an inseparable partnership. He built film credits as a character actor in independent films, having the privilege of working with such directors as Orson Welles and Peter Bogdanovich and was a performer with actress Paula Shaw’s Second City comedy improvisational group.

In 1975 he won the Best Actor Award in a short film at the San Francisco Art Awards. In later years Dr. Wood used these skills to develop a local public access TV show called the “Medford Pundit,” highlighting community issues and volunteers.

Returning to Massachusetts due to ill health, he became a successful entrepreneur in the new industry of computer technology, developing the first fully integrated EDI computer system in New England.  This brought a guest speakership at MIT and the opportunity to narrate and host an independent film on EDI for PBS in San Francisco.

In 1994, he received his Ph.D. in Humanities with a focus on Disability Rights and Theatrical Arts from the Union Institute and University of Cincinnati, Ohio in addition to his Master’s Degree in Computer Science and his Master’s in Integrated Studies in Education.  Upon his retirement, he dedicated the remainder of his life to being a disability advocate for special-needs students and providing free counseling to families with disabilities through play and expressive art therapy.  His volunteerism was extensive; teaching blind students at Project Literacy, President of the Medford Sons of Italy, a founding member of the Somerville Committee for a Response to AIDS, and a member of the Kiwanis Club of Medford where he developed the largest public/private school Builders Club in the New England chapters.  He was also a member of American Legion Post 447 of Somerville, Mass.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Carolyn Rosen; his brother, Charles (Jean) Wood of Arlington, Mass.; his sister, Lelia (Frank) Amorelli of Shrewsbury, Mass.; his wife’s family, four nephews and a great-niece.  Dr. Wood was preceded in death by his mother, Margaret (Hunt) Wood Faull, his father Harold Wood and his brother Harold Faull.

Dr. Wood will be buried in his wife’s hometown of Loudonville, Ohio in a private family service according to his wishes.

The Lindsey Funeral Home, Londonville is assisting the family with arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be sent to Toys for Tots, Gift Processing Adm., 18251 Quantico Gateway Dr., Triangle, VA 22172 or the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, 17 Court Street, Boston, MA 02108. Online condolences may be left for the Wood family by visiting www.Byerly-Lindsey.com.

Arthur M. Villemaire

Reverend Arthur M. Villemaire, 91, passed away peacefully into the arms of the Lord on June 10, 2017. He was born in Ruskin, Fla. July 7, 1925 to Alfred and Marie Anna Villemaire. He is survived by his sister, Yvonne Kiraly; three brothers, John J. Villemaire and his wife, Georgette, Joseph A. Villemaire and his wife, Jutta Teichman, and Alfred Villemaire, Jr. and his wife, Regane; sister-in-law, Paulette Villemaire; brother-in-law, Bernard LaRocque; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was ordained a priest in 1951 in Quebec, Canada. He served in many capacities in Catholic education and as a parish assistant. Prior to his retirement, he was the pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dade City, Fla.

Visitation was 2 to 8 p.m. with a wake service at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at St. Anne Catholic Church, Ruskin, Fla. A Funeral Mass for Father Arthur will be 1 p.m. Thursday, June 15, 2017 at St. Anne Catholic Church, 106 11th Avenue NW, Ruskin, FL 33570. Interment will follow in Ruskin Memorial Park, Ruskin, Fla.

In Lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Lifepath Hospice, 3010 W Azeele St., Tampa, FL 33609.

Ellen Huet Ricketts

Ellen McCaslin (Huet) Ricketts was born on September 23, 1928, to Floyd and Myrtle McCaslin formerly of Ellwood City, Pa. and she passed away on June 2, 2017.

Ellen was a longtime resident of Lower Burrell, Pa. before relocating to Sun City Center, Fla. where she resided at the time of her passing. She was married to Edgar J. Huet, formerly of Tarentum, Pa. for 43 years and remarried after his passing to Bill Ricketts who also preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by her sister Donna Mae Baird formerly of Wampum, Pa. and her daughter, Gayle (Huet) Musser formerly of Fort Myers, Fla.

Ellen graduated from Lincoln High School in Ellwood City, Pa. in 1946. She continued her education at the Butler School of Nursing in Butler, Pa. and after raising her children, continued her education at Penn State University, where she was one of the first graduates of the E-Nurse Program earning her B.S. in Nursing. After completing her B.S.N., Ellen continued her education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she earned her master’s degree in Education.

Ellen was a lifelong member of Grace Community Presbyterian Church, Lower Burrell, Pa. and a longtime member of Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church, Sun City Center, Fla. She enjoyed gardening, ceramics, playing bridge and most importantly volunteering at her church and spending time with her family.

Ellen is survived by her three sons and their spouses, Matthew (Linda) Huet of New Kensington, Pa.; retired USN Capt. Gregory Huet,  and (Lisa) of Middletown, R.I.; and Brian (Karen) Huet of Alpharetta, Ga.; her son-in-law Barry Musser of Haines City, Fla.; her sister Elsie Fombelle of New Castle, Pa.; and her sister-in-law Yvonne Brown of Tarentum, Pa. Ellen is also survived by eight nieces and nephews and seven grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held at Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church, 1239 Del Webb Blvd. W, Sun City Center, Fla. on a date to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name may be made to Metropolitan Ministries, 2002 N Florida Ave., Tampa, FL 33602; the Gayle Huet Musser Memorial Scholarship Fund, 525 South Main Street Attn: Advancement Office, Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio 45810; or Life Path Hospice, 3723 Upper Creek Road, Sun City Center, FL 33573.