Jefferson Oliver Landis
Dec. 5, 1931- Oct. 7, 2021
On Dec. 5, mid-winter of 1931, Jeff, the eighth child of Harry E. and Lizzie
(Auckerman) Landis, was born at home in Central City, Pa. His mother, who developed pleurisy and was gravely ill throughout the month, was given medical help at home by volunteer nurses and numerous relatives and neighbors. The older children and friends cared for baby Jeff during that period. Jeff was named after both grandparents, Jefferson D. Landis and Oliver Auckerman. Siblings were, starting with the oldest, Ruth, Frank, Louise, Bernice, Elma, Fay and Jack.
Jeff and all his siblings began school in a two-room school with no plumbing and rudimentary heating in what was referred to as “Old Central.” After 5th grade, students then attended a much nicer two-story school in “New Central” across town, where they remained through the eighth grade. High school was in Caimbrook, where Shade Township High was located. Central City did not provide school buses, so students within the borough had to trek the mile and a half to and from Caimbrook for the next four years.
It was during the summer after his freshman year at Shade that Jeff met Joetta Lyon, whose family had just returned to the area after having spent a year in Corpus Christi, Texas, where Dr. Thayer Lyon, her father, had gone to practice medicine because of his health. They “dated” throughout high school and Joetta would, in later years, become his wife. Dating was essentially the 25 cent Saturday night movie at the Central City movie theater, followed by a stop for a “lemon blend” at Kirkman’s drug store.
At age 13, Jeff was issued his social security card and worked as a “tender” with his father and brothers in the brick mason trade. However, after graduation from high school, he was selected by Somerset Trust’s president, John Scull, to attend the start-up Somerset Summer Art School and was provided a scholarship of $600 (the equivalent of what he would have earned as a tender). Then it was on to Indiana State Teachers College, where he majored in art, with summers as a student and part-time teacher at the summer art school.
After two years at Indiana and a change in career goals, he transferred to the Pittsburgh Art Institute in preparation for a career in commercial art and illustration. The Korean war was being waged, and in 1952, school was cut short and Jeff was drafted into the army. His two years at Ft. Bliss, Texas, provided him an opportunity to further his education at night school at U of Texas, El Paso, where he also made contacts with local advertising agencies. His MOS (military job title: “draftsman”) provided him with basic studio equipment that allowed him to do free-lance illustrations for those ad shops, one of which subsequently hired him after his discharge in 1954.
Joetta was finishing her nursing education at U. of Pittsburgh, and after nurse’s training, she, along with Marion Russel, a friend and fellow registered nurse, drove to El Paso and worked at Doctor’s Hospital there.
On March 23, 1956, Jeff and Joetta were married in El Paso and had a brief honeymoon in the New Mexico mountains at Ruidoso. Later in September that year, they drove their brand-new orange Volks-wagon out to the Monterey Peninsula in California and vacationed at a cabin on the coast in Pacific Grove. Approximately a year after their wedding, they packed up a U-Haul trailer and left El Paso for Miami, Florida. The first two and a half years there Jeff was with an ad agency in Miami Beach; then he did free-lance illustration for another two and a half years, working out of a studio in their home. During those five years in Miami, their two daughters were born. Heather Ann was born on Sept. 9, 1957, and Marie Joetta on July 3, 1959.
In 1962, the family moved to Kansas, where Jeff had taken a position as art director with the Brewer advertising agency in Kansas City, Missouri, and where Joetta’s aunt, Maude (Kennedy) House, lived. Jeff and Joetta designed and built a home there that included an area for an apartment for Dr. and Mrs. Lyon, who would retire and move there in 1965.
In 1978, the ad agency, which was now part of Young and Rubicam, an international agency, approved a transfer to a sister agency in St. Petersburg. And the Landis were back in Florida once again. Heather had just recently married Mark Schlessman, and they occupied the house for a few months before its final sale. Joetta’s father had passed away in 1973, and her mother joined them in the move. Three years with the agency there, and Jeff once again formed his own studio. Marie Joetta had now graduated from U. of Kansas, and after a brief stint
with a Tampa TV station as camera operator, she joined her dad in the studio as a graphic artist. Joetta married Christopher Lewis of St. Petersburg.
In 1996, Jeff and Joetta traveled the state and elsewhere looking for the ideal
place to retire. They found it just across Tampa Bay. Sun City Center, a vibrant, active community, provided every conceivable activity one could possibly want.
For several years Jeff was very involved in the pottery club and Joetta in the local
weight club. Both revived their interest in music and participated in musical groups, Joetta on the piano and Jeff on trumpet. Joetta sang for several years with the “Sweet Adeline’s.” They were active in both the fitness center and the exercise pool.
Jeff is survived by his wife of 65 years, Joetta; his daughter, Heather Schlessman, and her husband Mark; his daughter, Joetta Lewis, and her husband Chris. Jeff also has five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to St. Petersburg College in Jeff’s name – here is the link: https://spcollegefoundation.spcollege.edu/giving/.
Dorothy Jeanne Carmine Love
May 3, 1943 – Sept. 9,2021
Dorothy (Dotty) Jeanne Love was born in Baltimore, Md., May 3, 1943, and passed peacefully on Sept. 9, 2021, in Sun City Center, Fla. She battled Pancreatic Cancer for 23 months. She is survived by her husband, William Earle Love (Bill), of 54 years; two sons, Christopher William Love and his wife, Lori Anne Demshar, of Goodyear, Arizona, and Michael Howard Love, and his wife, Jennifer Lynn (nee Mooi), and their two children, Jacob Michael and Hailey Elyce Love, of Lockport, Illinois; her brother, Henry Ellsworth Carmine Jr., his wife Dona and his daughters, Allison Ann McDonald (Kelly) and Heather Lynn Carmine and her partner Sean; and a first cousin, Joan Shirley Moore, of San Francisco.
Dotty was pre-deceased by her parents, Henry Ellsworth Carmine and Dorothy Golden Carmine (nee Butz); three loving aunts, Melba Butz, Lillian Garrett, Vera Moore; and a first cousin, Vernon K. Garrett.
Also known as DJ by her family, she attended the schools of Baltimore County, Md., graduating from Catonsville Senior High School in 1961. She continued her education at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in home economics education in 1965. Her first teaching experience was at Mt. Hebron Junior High School in Howard County, Md. In September 1978 Dotty accepted a home economics teaching position at Westview Hills Middle School, Clarendon Hills, Ill. In 1993 she was awarded her Masters Degree in education from National-Lewis University. She really loved teaching teenagers, including her own two sons. She got a lot of joy out of watching them mature. She stayed in touch with some students even after they graduated and had families of their own. She retired from Westview Hills Middle School in 2005.
Immediately after retiring, she and Bill moved to Sun City Center, Fla. There she got involved in several social and civic groups and enjoyed the friendship and camaraderie of their new neighbors. She organized and was hostess for social activities for large groups. She was an excellent cook and enjoyed entertaining family and friends at home. She loved to travel and accompanied Bill when he was stationed in Turkey and Germany. They also enjoyed traveling to South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and Asia.
Dotty was a member of Colonel George Mercer Brooks Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the General Society of the Mayflower Descendants. She was very active in the South Bay Genealogical Society, where she served as a member of the board of directors for several years.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family suggests memorial donations to the Research Center, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612.
Dotty was a cheerful and loving wife, mother, grandmother, teacher and friend who will be sadly missed by all she touched.
Mae Porrett
On Oct. 4, 2021, Mae died after a long illness. She was the widow of James C. Porrett, her beloved husband who died in 2017. She was the daughter of Jonathan and Mabel Herring. She was predeceased by a sister, Ina Evanchalk. She is survived by two children, Dale Everhart (Eileen), Florida, and Diane Lang (Bob), Pennsylvania, and two step-children, James D Porrett (Jean), Florida, and Susan Hitchcock (Bill), New Jersey. Additional survivors include five grandchildren, Ashley, Lindsey, Katie, Jonathan and Daniel; two step-grandchildren, Betty Sue and Tom; and eight great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, John M. Everhart.
Mae grew up in Central Pennsylvania where she lived until becoming a snowbird and, eventually, a Florida resident. She was a graduate of Penn State University and was employed for 25 years in the PA Department of Education, from which she retired as a federal program coordinator.
As an active member of Sun City Center Methodist Church, she participated in Friendship Circle, JAM, Fellowship Team, ASK ME Welcome Team and the Counting Team. Mae especially enjoyed working with the children’s group. She was a member of the SCC Audubon Society and Harrisburg Chapter 552 OES.
Her memorial services will be held on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, at 11 a.m. in the Sun City Center Methodist Church sanctuary. Further services will be held on later date at Jesse Geigle Funeral Home, Harrisburg, Pa., with interment at Indiantown Gap Military Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mae’s memory to Sun City Center United Methodist Church, 1210 Del Webb Blvd. West, Sun City Center, Florida 33573.
Edward Michael Solin
Edward Michael Solin, 72, of Riverview, Fla., died at Lifepath Hospice, Hospice House in Ruskin, Fla., on Sept. 22, 2021, of complications related to lung and bladder cancers.
Ed grew up in Springfield, Mass. During college at Western New England University, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps and served two tours of duty in Vietnam. His last assignment was with SubUnit #1, 1st Anglico, Hawaii.
He was a decorated Marine, earning two Purple Hearts, The Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with a Bronze Star, numerous service medals and citations from the USMC, and the Air Medal with Bronze Star and Naval Aviator Observer Wings from the secretary of the Navy. Following Vietnam, Ed trained and raced horses out of Suffolk Downs, Mass., for over 20 years. After moving to Florida, he worked for AAA Auto Club South, earning Presidents Circle status for multiple years for his exemplary sales performance.
Ed is survived by his wife, Laura Solin, and sons, Brenton Zillins, (Joanna Bak, partner) and Jeffrey Solin. Extended family members from the Solin, Suher, Jones and Hovell families as well as many lifelong friends are grieving the loss of this kind man. Ed was predeceased in 2020, by his parents, Lillian and Robert Solin.
In lieu of flowers, please remember Ed through service/gifts to your favorite charity. Ed’s charity of choice was the Disabled American Veterans, VA Regional Office, Bay Pines, FL 33744, 727-319-7444.
The family wishes to express their gratitude to everyone who has supported Ed and our family throughout the years. Condolences may be shared at www.suncitycenterfuneralhome.com/.
Henrietta Wharton
Henrietta Hourigan (Gruner) Wharton, of New Jersey and Sun City Center, Fla., passed away peacefully in Florida on Sept. 30, 2021. She was 101.
Born in 1919 in Dover, N.J., she attended school in Dover and Philadelphia. She married Clarence Hourigan in 1941 and lived for (72) years in Wharton, N.J., before moving to Florida in 2013 to join her children.
She was predeceased by her parents, Max and Martha Gruner; her husband, Clarence Hourigan; and her twin brother, Henry Gruner.
She is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Neuwirth (Frank); her son, David Hourigan (Joan); her four grandchildren of New Jeresy, Pennsylvania and Texas; five great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren; also her nephew and nieces in Connecticut; plus extended family in Ireland.
Henrietta worked as an assistant office manager in Suffern Tri County Distributors in Wharton for 17 years. She was also an auxiliary member of the America Legion Post 91, Wharton, for 74 years.
Henrietta loved spending time with family and also travelling with both her daughter’s and son’s families. She attended and enjoyed the many functions at The Legal Secretaries with her daughter Elizabeth. Henrietta enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and playing bingo right up to her 100th birthday. She was an amazing woman. Everyone called Henrietta a lady. She was a very gentle person and never made a fuss; we will miss her dearly.
We would like to thank the wonderful management and staff at Cypress Creek Assisted Living for taking such great care of mom at her forever home over the last few years, plus a thank you to Life Path Hospice and Sun Terrace rehab.
At the request of Henrietta, services will be private. No flowers please but donations can be made in Henrietta’s name to the American Legion, Post 91, 99 North Main Street, Wharton, NJ 07885.
Don W. Deno
Don W. Deno, 97, of Ruskin, passed away on Sept. 12. He was born on Sept. 3, 1924, in Evanston, Ill., to Norman and Edith Deno. He died peacefully at home from natural causes.
Raised in the suburban Chicago area, he began college at University of Illinois, which was interrupted by World War II. The US Navy used his talents to teach radio and radar. Afterward he earned his BS in electrical engineering at Cornell. While working full-time, he completed a masters and Ph.D in EE at University of Pennsylvania.
He was a licensed professional engineer, beginning a lifelong career (35 plus years) at General Electric in radar, aircraft, missile reentry systems, television and culminating his career with innovative measure electric fields and commencing a side career at his own company, Electric Field Measurements, creating and manufacturing meter to measure electromagnetic fields. He was a fellow of the IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, reflecting on his career’s contributions to high voltage power transmission.
He was a long time resident of Stockbridge, Mass. He loved to sail and create with wood, both in his home and in electronics. His lake side home on Stockbridge Bowl hosted many gatherings of family and friends, using sail boat, ski boat and canoes, and created many family memories for his wife, children and grandchildren in a picturesque setting. The lake side home inspired service on the Conservation Commission for the town of Stockbridge, devising a water quality sensor computer program for Blandford Water Systems. In 2013 he retired to Ruskin, Fla., with his wife Christine. He became cofounder of the Kayak/Canoe Club for Hawaiian Isles RV resort in Ruskin, leading weekly paddle trips for 15 years.
He is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Christine H. Deno; son, D. Curt (Fern) Deno; daughter, Gail M. (Carl) Nehls; daughter, Maryann Deno (Tony) Brock; and five grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, Norman and Edith; brother, Norman Jr.; former wife, Albina D. Deno; and niece, Jan Deno Sealover. We will miss his enthusiasm and passion.
A grave side service for Don was held on Sept. 18, 2021, at Prairie Conservation Cemetery, Gainesville, Fla. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Don’s memory can be made to Lifepath Hospice, My Warrior’s Place or a charity of choice. Plans for future memorials are to be determined.
Bryan Gibbons
On Monday, October 4, 2021, in no relation to National Taco Day, the world lost an amazing brother, son, husband, friend and dog dad, Bryan Gibbons, at the age of 43.
Bryan was born on Jan. 29, 1978, in Johnstown, Pa., to Michael and Michelle Gibbons. In 1997, he began his career at Nextran, and in 2001 he married the love of his life, Susana Gibbons. Together they raised several fur-babies, including Chyna, Rusty, Casper, Ruger and Kimber.
Bryan was best known for his goofy-spirit, his willingness to always help his friends, his eagerness to join his sister in pranking their mother and his love and support for veterans. Bryan ALWAYS made sure to thank a veteran with a handshake or a hug. He was also known for always being in a rush and even earning the title, “Mr. Rush.” He was great at going against the grain and doing things his own way.
Bryan had a passion for fishing, golf, Jeeps and supporting Mission 22. One of his favorite pastimes was to have cookouts with friends and family where he’d feed everyone with his amazing smoked or grilled steaks! His friends loved him dearly, and those in the Jeep community learned never to let him work on the electrical system as to avoid another Jeep fire. He was the president and founder of The Squirrels, founder and charter member of the Sun Vikings Krewe, and participated in many Orange Crush events.
Bryan was preceded in death by his great-grandparents, Perry and Emma Boyle; his grandparents, Chuck and Gloria Shaffer, and William and Marjorie Gibbons; and his very first dog, Kimo.
Bryan is survived by his parents, Michael and Michelle Gibbons; his wife, Susana Gibbons, and her parents Pete and Sherry Hernandez; his grandparents, Thomas and Janet Lindsey; his sister, Colleen Keen; his brothers-in-law, Jason Keen and Pedro Hernandez; his nephew, Brayden Keen; his aunts, Kathleen Gibbons and Theresa Stanton; his uncle, Thomas Lindsey Jr.; and his many cousins.
A funeral service was held Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the National Cremation & Burial Society.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to Mission 22.
Joan Pitts
Joan Riley McNamara Pitts, age 90, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. Born in Rochester, New York, on Aug. 31, 1931, she was the only child of Marie (Petzing) and Vincent Riley. Following Vincent’s death in 1935, Joan and Marie joined Daniel (Marie’s brother) and Mary Petzing’s household, staying throughout Joan’s school years.
Joan graduated from Rochester’s John Marshall High School in 1949. She was an honor student, cheerleader and participated in sports and choir. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Rochester in 1953 and 1959, respectively. Joan spent most of her career in Westchester County schools, where she taught several grades, including kindergarten and, her favorite, third grade.
Joan married Thomas McNamara; they were together 26 years until his death in 1987. Retired, Joan connected with friends and tried living in Reading, Salt Lake City and Napa. No place “shook her up,” so she went “home to Rochester” and found old and new friends who became her family.
In 2009 Joan ran into her old friend Bertha “Berthe” Santirocco at the grocery store. Berthe was having a group of her University of Rochester friends for Easter dinner and added Joan to a guest list that included James (Jim) Pitts. Joan and Jim made an instant connection and realized that Joan and Jim’s late wife, Betty Brownell Pitts, had known each other when they were undergraduates. Soon Joan, who had no children, and Jim, who had four daughters and six grandchildren, decided to become one family. They were married that October. Joan quickly got to know Jim’s daughters’ families, and over the next 12 years, followed all their adventures.
Joan spent many years in community theater and continued to enjoy singing show tunes (particularly from Oklahoma). Joan and Jim’s adventures included river boat cruises, seasonal travel to Sun City Center, Fla., and visiting with the people they met through Jim’s participation in masters swimming.
Joan is survived by her husband Jim; Jim’s daughters, Cynthia (Harkleroad), Diana (Stuart), Donna (Dalton) and Linda (Snyder) and their families; and sister-in-law, Sue McNamara, and her family.
In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to a breast cancer program of your choice.
David F. Tracy
David Farquhar Tracy, 76, of Sun City Center, Fla., passed away Oct. 8, 2021. He was born on Oct. 21, 1944, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, to the late Kinley and Elizabeth (Tainsh) Tracy.
David served on the USS Shenandoah during the Vietnam Conflict.
In his free time, he enjoyed watching old Sci-fi movies and rebuilding computers.
David is survived by his wife, Shirley Tracy; children, Christine (Robert) Sket, Ken Fioritto, Susanne (Patrick) Arthur; grandchildren, Samantha (Matt Hirst) Lutz, Alex Sket, Josh Sket, Corinne Arthur, Camilla Arthur; and extended family members and friends.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, John Clayton Tracy.
A celebration of life will be held at a later time in Ohio.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care at https://seasonsfoundation.org/donate/ or North Olmsted Evangelical Friends Church at https://www.noefc.org/give/.
Arthur Walton McClurg
Arthur Walton McClurg, husband of Donna Fontanella, passed away on Sept. 26, 2021. Arty and Donna resided in Kings Point for the past year. Previously, they retired to NEPA from Long Island, N.Y. where Arty was born in Douglaston, Queens, went to school and attended St. Johns University.
Arty was orphaned at 15, then lived with the Diehl family and is survived by “sister,” Nancy Manfredonia; four children, Wolfe, Tom, Sean, Anne Campbell; and four grandchildren.
Sailing was Arty’s favorite pastime, and he delighted taking friends and family out on his boat. When he met Donna, he took up skiing, and they enjoyed 26 years together sailing, skiing, biking, hiking and dancing. They traveled the world together, enjoying life, each other and friends.
In his final phase of life, Arty was a member of Breakaway Ministry of United Methodist Church, SCC. He will be remembered by all for his humor, love of music and dance and will be missed by all who knew him.