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Letter to the editor

Fires have movable feast for 50th celebrations

By Times Staff Writer
Published November 22, 2007

Peter and Janice Fire of Belleair Bluffs celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at Salt Rock Grill in Indian Shores with family and friends, and also took a trip to North Tonawanda, N.Y. for a second party.

They were married June 13, 1957, in Ascension Roman Catholic Church, North Tonawanda.

Mr. Fire worked six years as a sheriff in Niagara County, N.Y., and 22 years as a Clearwater police detective, now retired.

He is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, Knights of Columbus, and the couple are members of St. Cecelia Catholic Church, Clearwater.

The Fires have three children, and two granddaughters.

Walter and Mary Jane Etheridge of Palm Harbor first celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in June of this year at a family reunion in Canton, Ohio, and are anticipating a cruise to the Panama Canal in December.

They were married Nov. 8, 1947, in Detroit.

Mr. Etheridge was an estimator and project manager for a Detroit materials handling company.

Mrs. Etheridge worked as the accountant for a men's clothing store and was also a homemaker and mother of four.

The couple retired to Palm Harbor in April 1987.

The Etheridges stay busy by golfing, ballroom dancing and playing cards with friends.

Larry and Terry Biondi of Palm Harbor, both natives of Brooklyn, N.Y., were married there 50 years ago on Nov. 3, 1957, in St. Frances de Chantal Church.

The couple took a cruise aboard a Royal Caribbean ship in July with their three sons, and eight grandchildren, two of whom hold the rank of lance corporal in the Marines.

The Biondis lived in Long Island, N.Y., and in 1980 moved to Cape Coral. They have resided in Palm Harbor since 1996.

Mr. Biondi held the rank of army sergeant first class and is a veteran of the Korean War, having served from 1951 to 1953. He worked as a New York City fireman and retired in 1973.

Mrs. Biondi was a homemaker.

They are members of St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church, Palm Harbor.

Mr. Biondi belongs to the Knights of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

Both like to golf and dance, enjoy card games with friends, and love music, especially jazz.

Don and Shirley Ingham, both natives of Burlington, Vt., were married there on Oct. 31, 1947. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary Oct. 28 at a luncheon with family and friends. The event took place at South Beach IV Condo's Clubroom on Sand Key in Clearwater.

Mr. Ingham is a veteran of World War II, having served with the 5th Ranger Battalion. He and Mrs. Ingham owned and operated the Johnson Diner in Johnson, Vt., for almost two decades before retiring to Zephyrhills. They made the move to Palm Harbor in 2004 along with their two cats, "Scamper" and "Mitten."

The couple has three sons who all reside in Florida, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Holly Winsman will be inducted into the Alpha Phi Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at Valencia Community College, Orlando, in late November.

In order to qualify for inclusion in the prestigious honor society, Ms. Winsman, a 25-year resident of Clearwater, ranked in the top 20 percent of her class and maintained a high academic standing during her enrollment.

Ms. Winsman is majoring in nursing.

[Last modified November 21, 2007, 21:20:04]