Michelle Renee Majestic-Traphagen, who preferred Michelle Traphagen, reluctantly left this world on July 16, 2025, at home in New Jersey. She was 58. She loved life; loved her little house; her husband, Mitch; her friends; colleagues; and her many quadrupeds, both present and past. She also loved her motorcycle, and riding in the hilly, quiet parts of rural New Jersey were frequent weekend activities, with both Michelle and Mitch talking nonstop through their helmet communicators.
Michelle was born on December 31, 1966, in Richfield, MN. New York City threw a big party for her birthday in Times Square every year. In 2001, she actually attended. In 1997, she was married on the beach at Captiva Island by Rev. David Looney, formerly of the Ruskin United Methodist Church. Michelle had a special place in Dave’s heart, as she did in so many hearts, and Dave has remained a source of comfort and support to this day.
She was preceded in death by her beautiful mother, Carole Ann Kobin; her wonderful father, Richard George Majestic; and her brother, David Majestic, along with a number of dearly loved dogs and cats, all of whom she had saved. She is survived by her sister, Leisa Erickson, and her loving husband of 28 years, Mitchell Traphagen.
It’s hard to know what to make of a world without Michelle in it, but Michelle and Mitch had an agreement to ensure their dogs and cats would be cared for, as they are approaching elderly— it was an eight-year-plan, as she liked to call it, to live long enough to support the dogs and cats. Now, both Mitch and quadrupeds agree that eight years will feel like an eternity without Michelle, although they have faith they will someday be reunited.
To all who knew her, she glowed so brightly, her spirit was so beautiful, so strong and caring. That light, perhaps all light, has dimmed for those who loved her. But in time, the many memories of her, a full life of memories, will brighten things again, at least a little. Cancer may have robbed us of Michelle’s presence, but it never touched her joyful and loving spirit.
That lives on, as it will forever.
She went through her cancer diagnosis and treatment with remarkable courage and grace. She was so very brave, so steadfast, she became even more of a hero to her husband. She beat the worst of it, until a new diagnosis became too much to fight. And even then, she still fought to the end.
Michelle and Mitch, both originally from Minnesota, were long-time residents of South Hillsborough, spending the first eight years of their marriage living aboard their sailboat, Hetty Brace, at the former Bahia Del Sol Marina in Ruskin, where lifetime friendships were made.
Celebrations of Michelle’s life in South Hillsborough, New York City and Minnesota are currently being planned for late autumn. For more information, click here to email. If you feel inspired to do so, please consider a donation to CARE or your favorite animal rescue in Michelle’s memory.
Text sent by Mitch to Michelle’s phone, one of dozens since she passed, no doubt echoing the sentiments of many who are navigating grief after loss…
Sunday, July 20, 2025: Would you visit me in my dreams again tonight? Even a few moments spent with you in a dream makes waking up without you less crushing. I miss you more than I can say, Michelle. I love you more than I can describe.
Jack L. Summers, MD, PhD
Jack L. Summers, MD, PhD, professor emeritus of urology at Northeast Ohio Medical University, passed away on July 31, 2025. He was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, to Margaret E. Summers (nee Snyder) and Leo G. Summers on February 18, 1939. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Patricia A Summers (nee Walrond); a son, Scott A Summers, of Viginia Beach, and his wife, Julie, and grandchildren, Mikala and James Sargent; a daughter, Marcia L. Summers, and her husband, Demetri C. Capetanopoulos, and grandson, Leo Capetanopoulos, of Columbus, Ohio. He was preceded in death by his sister, Shirley Fox, of Clarksburg, West Virginia.
After Jack graduating from Clarksburg’s Victory High School in 1957, he attended West Virginia University where he was the president of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, a member of Mountain Honor Society and a member of the WVU marching and concert bands.
After his father was injured in a mining accident, Jack left the university and moved to California to work for a company doing drug research. When his father recovered, Jack returned to WVU and completed his degree. While there, he met and married the love of his life, Patricia. After graduation, he continued on to the West Virginia University College of Medicine and completed his medical degree in 1966.
Upon graduation Dr. Summers moved to Akron, Ohio, for an internship and surgical residency at Akron City Hospital. His studies were interrupted by the Vietnam War. After completing his commitment to the United States Navy and achieving the rank of Lt. Commander, he returned to Akron for a urology residency. After completing residency in 1973, Dr. Summers entered practice with the chief of urology, Manley Ford, MD.
When Dr. Ford retired, Dr. Summers was appointed chairman of the Urology Department at Akron City Hospital. He was later appointed professor and chairman of the Department of Urology at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, he received his PhD from the Institute for the Advanced Study in Human Sexuality in San Francisco and he founded a departmental research laboratory focusing on urologic cancer. Dr. Summers also served as president of the Ohio State Urological Society, was chairman of the Ohio Medical Foundation and was the president of the North Central Section of the American Urological Society.
Dr. Summers retired to Sun City Center, Florida, in 2001, where he was an active member of the Ruskin Methodist Church. In his spare time, he enjoyed non-fiction and fiction creative writing, clay sculpting, golfing and scuba diving. In lieu of flowers, Jack requested that donations be made to the Ruskin Methodist Church. A memorial service will be held on August 9 at 11 a.m. at the church.
Douglas H. Atkins
Douglas (Doug) H. Atkins, 83, of Sun City Center, FL, died July 23, 2025. Doug was born Feb. 13, 1942, in Baltimore, MD. He grew up in Indianapolis, where he attended Broad Ripple High School. He enrolled in Industrial Engineering at Purdue University, where he graduated with honors.
His first job after college was with McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis. In 1969 he took a job with Kaman Aerospace in Bloomfield, CT. Over a 34-year career at Kaman, he held various director-level positions over manufacturing, project management and manufacturing operations in addition to industrial engineering.
He was never reluctant to volunteer. He was a long-time member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, serving as various chapter and regional officers. As a long-time resident of Ellington, CT, he volunteered for many years in coaching various recreational youth sports and also served as chairman of the town’s recreational committee.
After retiring to Sun City Center in 2002, Doug continued to volunteer his time, serving on the SCC Security Patrol and the 11,000 resident community’s projects office. He served for many years as president of the Laurel Woods Property Owner’s Association. In addition to playing volleyball and serving as a fitness trainer, he took up playing duplicate bridge, a game he loved, achieving a rank of Golden Age Master with over 2500 master points.
In late 2017, Doug and Linda moved to Freedom Plaza (a continuous care retirement community) where he continued to volunteer, including as chairman of the maintenance committee and a member of the finance committee.
Doug is survived by his beloved wife of 28 years, Linda, along with two sons from his previous marriage, Brent Atkins (Kristen) of Greenwich, CT, and Sean Atkins (Heather) of Arlington, VA, as well as five grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date in Freedom Plaza. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation: https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/donate/.
Carol Ann Kingsbury
Carol Ann Kingsbury, age 71, passed away on July 26 at 10:26 a.m. in a tragic motorcycle accident in Opp, AL, where she recently resided.
She was a former resident of Holiday Palms RV Park in Ruskin. Before retiring she was employed as an LPN by Bayada Home Health Care and Lifepath Hospice.
She leaves behind a daughter, Melissa, in Massachusetts; a sister, Lu corrado of Bartow; and several grandchildren.
James E. Brate Jr.
James (Jim) E. Brate Jr. passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on July 10, 2025. He is predeceased by his parents, James Brate Sr. & Ellen Warner Brate. Jim is survived by his children, Nancy (Edwin) Parrish, David, Jimmy, Sara, Emmanuel and Nikole, along with other beloved children whom he had fostered and adopted over the years. He is also survived by his siblings Joan (Bill) Plunkett, George Brate, Donna Martin, Jackie (Ivar) Bauer and Patty Hunter Brate. He was Grampy to Garrett, Danae, Tara, Rechael, Trevor, Megan, Zachary, Quentin, Tsion, Caleb and Atalie and leaves a legacy behind in his 12 great-grandchildren.
Jim was born in Albany, NY, to James (Sr.) and Ellen Brate and grew up in the town of Clarksville, where he owned and operated Brate’s Auto Sales, had a 24-hour wrecker service, owned a junkyard and had an auto body shop, where he acquired an amazing talent for body work and refurbishing wrecked vehicles. He also acquired equipment to excavate land, and he built several homes and duplexes in the area. In 1968 moving the family to California seemed a great idea, so they headed west only to head back east a few short weeks later when his father’s grocery store burned down.
After helping his dad rebuild his store, Jim decided he was done with the cold winters, and it was time to try a move again. This time he moved the family (and all his equipment) to Ruskin, FL. It was 1973 and at the ripe old age of 34, a new venture was begun, selling mobile homes and developing his first mobile home park. He opened Neptune Mobile Home Sales at the current location of the Elks Lodge on US 41 and began developing Neptune Mobile Village on Gulf City Road. Many of the mobile homes that were sold filled Neptune as well as many other parks in the area. With his family and some very loyal employees (who were like family), Jim completed Neptune and moved on to Chulavista MH Park, where he expanded the number of lots, installed roads and made numerous other improvements. Two other parks, Woodland Estates and Riverbreeze Estates, were developed during the early ’80s and by the late ’80s Jim had purchased Hide-A-Way RV Resort where substantial improvements were made in added lots and a swimming pool, among other things.
It was also during this time that he built his residence on 4th Street NW, which was over 9,000 sq. ft. and included a not-so-common thing for Florida. The bottom floor was a beautifully decorated basement where many a party was had at holiday times. It was also in the ’80s that Neptune MH Sales became Sun Manor Mfg. Home Sales and plans were set in motion to develop another mobile home park, which was to become Sun Manor Mobile Home Community, on 20 acres located on SR 674. However, life took a different turn, and God had other plans. The property was sold to the Calvary Lutheran Church, which now boasts of a beautiful church and outreach ministry.
Helping others was always a priority for Jim, so he and his family were always looking for opportunities to give back. One of his favorite outreaches was when he and his family and some friends would gather Christmas morning to load containers of food into their cars and deliver them to families who may not have been fortunate enough to enjoy a traditional holiday meal. He was always ready to lend a hand to help, whether it was collecting items to donate or if it was using his equipment to remove storm debris to help a neighbor out. If there was a need he could help with, Jim Brate would be there.
It was during the ’90s that Jim sold most of his properties and his interests and moved to Central America, where he did so much to help the people of Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and other adjoining countries. He donated land he had purchased in Belize to the Dream Center International to provide a meeting place for missionaries who would arrive to provide outreach. Jim was instrumental in getting bus loads of supplies and clothes shipped from Florida to Belize and was sometimes joined by his sons, David and Jimmy, to help. Jim enjoyed being able to distribute the items and see the smiles on the faces of the children. He also took great pride in being able to contribute financially and in labor hours to the Acres of Love Orphanage.
He was also involved in a wheelchair ministry, helping to collect and distribute wheelchairs, especially to children who were in need. Jim made many trips to Central America, and the number of people his life has had an impact on is countless. When Jim was no longer able to travel to Central America, he once again set his sights on helping those here in Ruskin. He would often ride around town checking to see if any of the homeless were in need of help. He even gave his phone number out so they could call him if they were in need of a ride, and he would show up to transport them to a doctor’s appointment or other place they requested to go to.
He always looked forward to Tuesday evenings when Meet Me in the Streets ministry would be at the Winn Dixie parking lot, providing food for those in need of a meal, and would often be passing out the clothes he had collected. He also enjoyed his Sundays when he was able to attend a service at the Crossing Church and end the day having family supper surrounded by many of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Even when he was no longer able to drive and had become bedridden, you just knew he wanted to be out there looking for someone to lend a helping hand to.
Services were held Saturday, July 26, at Wellspring Church, 705 9th St. SE, Ruskin. Visitation was at 10 a.m. with a service that followed at 11 a.m. If anyone would like to contribute to a ministry, two of Jim’s favorites were Meet Me in the Streets (Ruskin/Chris & David Hicks) and Dream Center International (Mexico/Pastor Bill Craver).
“For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in, 36) I needed clothes, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you looked after me.” Matt 25:35-36