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Letter to the editor

'Gracious Southern lady' of Tarpon dies

Louise Sikes, 83, a lover of history, worked at the family Coca-Cola plant until recently.

By ELENA LESLEY, Times Staff Writer
Published January 22, 2008

TARPON SPRINGS - Louise Sikes never threw anything away.

Christmas cards, old gifts, antique Coca-Cola trinkets - she kept them meticulously filed in her immaculate Tarpon Springs home.

"She was a great historian," former Mayor Anita Protos said of Ms. Sikes, whose family ran the last independent Coca-Cola distributor in Floridauntil recently. "She kept things from her past, interesting things."

Relatives sorted through those treasured mementos Monday, four days after Ms. Sikes' death. She was 83.

They recalled memories of the "gracious Southern lady," as Protos described her, who was both a tenacious businesswoman and a sentimental storyteller.

"She had everything since from when she was a kid," said John Aide, a cousin. "She documented everything."

Ms. Sikes, or "Weezie," as loved ones called her, was born into a prominent Tarpon Springs family. Her relatives bought a local Coca-Cola bottling enterprise in 1916, and members of the family continued to run the operation until just a few years ago, Aide said.

Ms. Sikes graduated from Tarpon Springs High School in 1942, and from Florida State University in 1946.

"She loved to talk about the Old Florida," Protos said, "and her days at FSU."

After college, Ms. Sikes moved to Atlanta to work as chief buyer for Rich's Department Store.

But her mother, Alma Sikes, wanted her closer to home, Aide said. So after about six years, Ms. Sikes moved to St. Petersburg to work as a buyer for Rutland's Department Store.

In the early 1970s, she returned to Tarpon Springs and became office manager of her family's Coca-Cola business. She was a smart and organized manager, Aide said, and she continued to work at the plant until she suffered a stroke about six years ago.

In her later years, Ms. Sikes loved to read - she collected books - and was a member of both Tarpon Springs Friends of the Library and the Rotary Club. She'd often sit on her porch, smoking, equally ready to recount a piece of history or chat about current events.

"She was a joy to be around," Protos said. "I'll miss her. I'll miss her stories."

Elena Lesley can be reached at elesley@sptimes.com or 727 445-4167.

[Last modified January 21, 2008, 21:11:48]