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Our communities were enriched, enlightened by those we lost

By TIMES WIRES
Published December 30, 2006

The last 12 months saw the passing of dozens of people who played key roles in mid and North Pinellas County. The year claimed two former lawmakers whose legislation cleaned up Tampa Bay, a former mayor who led Clearwater through some of its darkest days and religious, social service and business leaders who strengthened the fabric of the community.

Amza Dervish Abdullaj, 72, of Clearwater (June 13, 2006). With his brother Neim, Abdullaj ran the Dervish Brothers Steakhouse and later the Gallery Restaurant between 1970 and 2000.

Donald B. "Don" Bohr, 70, of Oldsmar (Dec. 24, 2006). An Oldsmar City Council member and vice mayor, Bohr was preparing a run for mayor next spring.

Richard "Dick" Leroy Booth, 83, of Clearwater (July 19, 2006). Booth was a rancher and a member of one of the area's oldest pioneer families.

Bill Bunker, 68, of Clearwater (Jan. 12, 2006). As executive director of the Pinellas Sports Authority, he played a key role in bringing Major League Baseball to Tampa Bay.

Willa L. Carson, 80, of Clearwater (April 14, 2006). A registered nurse, Carson went door to door in Clearwater's predominantly black Greenwood community to care for people in need and founded a community health center to provide care to those who lacked insurance or were underinsured.

Gabe Cazares, 86, of Clearwater (Sept. 29, 2006). A civil rights advocate, champion of the disadvantaged and arch-enemy of the Church of Scientology, the former Clearwater mayor led the city in the mid 1970s, when Scientology arrived amid great suspicion and strife.

Sean Christian, 15, of Palm Harbor (Jan. 4, 2006). The East Lake High School student received a bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of leukemia, in 2001, and attracted support from the community and late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien.

The Rev. Robert E. Coleman Jr., 85, of Clearwater (July 13, 2006). The longtime minister at First Christian Church of Clearwater founded the city's first ministers' association, served as a trustee at Morton Plant Hospital, chaired the Juvenile Welfare Board and Clearwater Library Board, and broadcast Clearwater Bombers softball games.

Meagan Craig, 12, of Palm Harbor (July 31, 2006). She was the first infant in the world to receive a double lung transplant because of a rare genetic disorder.

Don DeHart, 71, of Palm Harbor (April 15, 2006). A former general manager of a large Midwestern road construction firm, DeHart became a missionary who founded For Haiti With Love, which fed and cared for thousands of people.

Phillip Demas, 93, of Tarpon Springs (Aug. 1, 2006). Demas was an entrepreneur who worked more than six decades at Vinson Funeral Home and was a popular band leader, authority on local history and a city commissioner.

John Doglione, 73, of Dunedin (Oct. 12, 2006). A former Air Force officer and Vietnam veteran, Doglione was a Dunedin city commissioner from 1991 to 2003 and mayor from 2003 to 2006.

Bailee Ann Dunnigan, 10, of Tarpon Springs (Sept. 6, 2006). Her five-year battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia inspired a wide range of community support.

John G. Fatolitis, 80, of Tarpon Springs (Nov. 27, 2006). Fatolitis was a city judge and past president of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.

John Paul Frazer, 62, of Dunedin (Sept. 7, 2006). A founding partner in the law firm of Frazer, Hubbard, Brandt, Trask & Yacavone, Frazer in 1991 coached a group of local boys all the way to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Philip A. Fredrickson, 81, of Clearwater (July 17, 2006). His career in education took him from a junior high school band room to a job as a dean of what was then St. Petersburg Junior College.

John Fricker, 58, of Madeira Beach (Dec. 9, 2006). As an adoption lawyer, he was responsible for the adoptions of more than 2,000 children throughout Florida and the U.S.

Mary Grizzle, 85, of North Redington Beach (Nov. 9, 2006). The first Republican woman elected to the Florida Legislature, Grizzle co-sponsored, with state Sen. Harold S. Wilson, a 1972 bill that set strict standards on sewage dumped into the bay. Fifteen years later, she pushed through a law requiring that treated wastewater be almost clean enough to drink. She also fought for women's rights.

James D. Hall, 72, of Clearwater (July 24, 2006). Hall was part of the family that ran Jimmy Hall's Steak House, a popular downtown Clearwater restaurant, for four decades.

Mike June, 43, of Palm Harbor (July 11, 2006). The former football coach at Palm Harbor University High School for five seasons, June died after a battle with leukemia.

Glenn DeVere Maxon, 88, of Belleair (Aug. 17, 2006). Maxon was the managing general partner in the development of the original Clearwater Mall.

The Rev. Monsignor John McCall, 75, of St. Petersburg (March 23, 2006). McCall served as pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Largo from 1968 to 1998, was president of Clearwater Central Catholic High School, and was one of the organizing members of the Largo Ministerial Association.

Daniel Guy McMullen Jr., 72, of Port Richey (Dec. 5, 2006). A descendant of the Pinellas pioneer family, McMullen developed businesses and restaurants in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, served as a legislator who chaired the state House Subcommittee on Aging, and was active in saltwater conservation, commercial fishing, water quality and natural resources issues.

Kurt Peters, 60, of Palm Harbor (Dec. 4, 2006). Peters, the director of Safety Harbor's Public Works Department, also served as Belleair's public utilities superintendent for five years and its town manager for seven years.

Mike Roberto, 50, of Clearwater (Aug. 5, 2006). As Clearwater city manager, Roberto launched projects to beautify the city and redevelop the beach, downtown and certain neighborhoods. His tenure sometimes brought controversy, but several of his initiatives remain as blueprints for future city efforts.

Roy E. Shaffer Jr., 63, of Clearwater (April 21, 2006). Shaffer overcame a desperate childhood to develop more than 6,000 homes and see Morton Plant Mease put his name on two hospital buildings in recognition of his support of the hospitals.

Sharon "Sherry" Sisco, 60, of Clearwater (June 24, 2006). Sisco was a career teacher and principal of Cypress Woods Elementary School in East Lake.

Mary Stephan, 78, of Clearwater (Feb. 28, 2006). Stephan founded the nonprofit AIDS Partnership, a countywide ministry dedicated to teaching awareness and serving anyone infected or affected by the disease.

Isabelle Ellen Sutton, 78, of Holiday, formerly of Tarpon Springs (July 19, 2006). Sutton, along with her then-husband, Allen Leepa, donated about $17.5-million in art and property that led to the creation of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art at St. Petersburg College's Tarpon Springs campus.

Abe Leon "Buddy" Tarapani Jr., 79, of Tarpon Springs (Aug. 3, 2006). Tarapani owned Tarapani's department store, established in 1911, was a board member with First Federal Savings & Loan Association and past president of the Rotary Club.

Muriel P. Watson, 97, of Largo (April 4, 2006). Watson co-founded Channel Markers for the Blind - later renamed the Lighthouse of Pinellas at Watson Center - to teach people to cope with vision loss and give them confidence and self-esteem.

Ed Wells Jr., 75, of Clearwater (Oct. 15, 2006). Wells coached football and track teams at Clearwater High School to more than 100 victories and later served as an assistant principal at Kennedy and Fitzgerald middle schools.

Harold S. Wilson, 85, of Clearwater (Oct. 20, 2006). An attorney, judge and state senator, Wilson worked to reform Florida's judicial system and with then-Rep. Mary Grizzle to reverse the effects of pollution in Tampa Bay by requiring municipalities to provide advanced wastewater treatment in sewage plants.

[Last modified December 30, 2006, 06:17:07]