Angie Bryant
Angie Bryant, wife of John Bryant of Santa Rosa Beach, died of breast cancer on January 26 after a three-year struggle.
Angie, a nickname that stuck from her military years, had been named Janie Angotti at birth. She was born in 1946 in California to a military family and graduated from Old Town High School in Old Town, Maine, Class of 1965. She also attended high school near Woodbridge, Va., with Emmylou Harris.
After high school she joined the Army with her twin sister, Jerrie, and was stationed in the South. Thereafter she joined the Reserves, married and settled in Wisconsin until her divorce in 1981. The marriage produced two sons.
She moved to the Washington, D.C., area and worked for the federal courts in Baltimore until her job was eliminated by the Reagan administration during his military buildup. She also worked for a major developer in Crystal City, Va.
She met John in Prince George’s County, Md., in 1985 and they became inseparable. married in 1994, they moved to Walton County, residing in Santa Rosa Beach.
When John ran for sheriff in 2000, Angie took care of her father, a retired 35-year Marine in Maine, and attended her 35th reunion. Angie had lost her mother in 1999. Finally, last month right after Christmas, Angie’s father died in Maine. Nonetheless, she enjoyed a best Christmas with her two sons who visited with lots of presents.
Her main hobby was collecting Madam Alexander Dolls, books and traveling. She enjoyed the many trips to Carlisle, Pa., Williamsburg, Harper’s Ferry, Annapolis, Biloxi, New Orleans and especially Charleston.
Angie is survived by her twin sister, Jerrie, of Racine, Wis.; a sister in Astoria, Wash.; and a brother in Maine. She also was close to John’s daughter, Mandy, who just graduated from Virginia Tech.
Preliminary planning is for services at her home, 237 Blue Heron Drive, Santa Rosa Beach, on Feb. 3, followed by internment at Biloxi National Cemetery the following Monday or Tuesday. These plans are tentative, subject to necessary cremation authorizations. Pending information at e-mail johnbryant@digitalexp.com
Ruby Louise Tappan
Ruby Louise Marse Tappan, 79, of DeFuniak Springs, passed away Jan. 23 in Walton County Convalescent Center.
Tappan was born on April 11, 1922, in Freeport. She spent most of her life in Walton County and was the widow of Ralph Chester Tappan, who died in 1979.
Tappan was a homemaker who loved gardening and cooking; two pastimes that complemented what was most important in her life — her family. She delighted in planting and harvesting the produce from her garden, which she used to cook meals for her husband and children. She came from the “old school” where three big meals a day were the norm and were a labor of love.
Tappan was a member of First Baptist Church of DeFuniak Springs.
Survivors include her daughters, Louise Pippin and husband, Dennis, DeAnna Foreman and husband, Jimmy, and Mary Lou Russell, all of DeFuniak Springs; grandsons, Greg Pippin, Ralph Foreman, Jamie Foreman and Paul McCall; greatgrandchildren, Christopher and Joey; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services were scheduled for Jan. 25 at the funeral home with Robert Jaye and the Rev. Jerry Chumley officiating. Burial was to follow in Magnolia Cemetery.
Jerry Evans Funeral Home in DeFuniak Springs handled the arrangements.
Elneita Scott Russell
Scotty Russell of Destin died Jan. 21 at her daughter’s home in Savannah, Ga.
She was a loving daughter, mother and grandmother. She was a Baptist by faith, having professed her faith and acceptance of the Lord our God and Savior.
Her parents and five brothers and sisters predeceased her.
Her daughter and son–in–law, Sharon and Roger Turner of Savannah, and grandson, Jonathan, survive her.
A memorial service and reception is scheduled to be held at 11 a.m., March 21, at Valencia Condominiums Clubhouse at 151 Calhoun Ave. in Destin.
Gertrude Nelson Robinson
Gertrude Nelson Robinson, 92, of Destin, died Monday, Jan. 21, in a Fort Walton Beach hospital. She had been a lifelong resident of Panama City.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter A. Robinson, and daughters, Caswell Posey and Daisy Irene Markel.
She is survived by a daughter, Louise Laird and her husband, Melvin, of Destin; son–in–law, Gerald Markel of Panama City Beach; eight grandchildren, nine great–grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Katie McBride and Catherine Thomas, both of Lynn Haven.
Graveside services were scheduled for Jan. 24 in the Greenwood Cemetery in Panama City with the Rev. Bob King officiating.
Ruby Murray Andrews
Ruby Hazel Murray Andrews, 94, died Jan. 21 at the home of her daughter, Audrey Tilley, in DeFuniak Springs.
“Mrs. Ruby” was born on June 26, 1907, in Walton County, the daughter of the late Charles Elijah Murray Jr. and Lula Ellen Downs Murray. She was a 65-year resident of Ponce de Leon, before relocating to her childhood home of DeFuniak Springs. She was Methodist by faith and a member of First United Methodist Church of DeFuniak Springs.
She was a former member of First United Methodist Church of Ponce de Leon, where she served faithfully for 65 years.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Derrel Gay Andrews; daughters, Sarah Claire Tilley and Barbara Joan Tanner; granddaughter, Anna Marie McVoy; grandson, Thomas Andrews; great-granddaughter, Chere Myers; two brothers and a sister.
Survivors include her sons, Charles Peyton Andrews Sr. of Pensacola and James Derrel Andrews of Ebro; daughters, Dorothy Andrews McVoy of Pensacola and Audrey Andrews Tilley of DeFuniak Springs; 12 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Covenant Hospice in Niceville or to First United Methodist Church of either Ponce de Leon or DeFuniak Springs.
Services were scheduled for Jan. 24 at the funeral home with the Rev. Bob Penton and Chaplain Karl Willoughby officiating. Burial was to follow in the family plot at New Ponce de Leon Cemetery.
Jerry Evans Funeral Home in DeFuniak Springs was in charge of arrangements.
Philip A. Anderson
Philip A. Anderson, 75, of DeFuniak Springs, passed away Saturday, Jan. 19 in Walton County Convalescent Center.
He was born on March 19, 1926, in Paxton, the son of Thomas and Mary McDonald Anderson. He was educated at Bell School House in the Alaqua Community of Walton County and graduated from Walton High School in 1944. He was a veteran of World War II, having served overseas as a paratrooper with the 17th Airborne Division “Thunder From Heaven.”
After his discharge from the Army he attended East Mississippi Junior College in Scooba, Miss., where he was a member of the football team. After graduating from East Mississippi he continued his education, receiving bachelor and master’s degrees from Troy State University.
In 1951 he married Wilma Jean Lassiter of Bruce,. From 1951-68 he taught physical education and coached basketball teams at Paxton High School, winning the state championship in 1955 and again in 1962. In 1962 Coach Anderson was awarded the Pensacola News Journal Coach of the Year.
From 1968-80 he was clerk of the circuit court of Walton County, serving as vice president of the Florida Clerk’s Association and president of the National Clerk’s Association. He was the first Republican elected to public office in Walton County since Reconstruction.
In the early 1980s he served as headmaster at two private schools in Alabama. He returned to Florida in 1985 to teach and coach basketball at Niceville High School. He retired from coaching in 1995 and retired from teaching in 2000.
Anderson was a member of First Presbyterian Church; Thomas McQueen Lodge 341 F&AM of Paxton; Veterans of Foreign Wars; and the Airborne Historical Association.
Among his many accomplishments, one dear to his heart, was coaching and winning the Special Olympics basketball team for the state of Florida, taking them to the regionals in Atlanta.
Anderson is survived by his wife, Jean Anderson of DeFuniak Springs; daughter, Karen Vaughan, and husband, Don, of Chandler, Ariz.; sons, Dr. Curt Anderson and wife, Valerie, of Paxton; Phil Anderson and wife, Faith, of Hopkinsville, Ky.; sister, Phyllis Bohon, and husband, Harry, of DeFuniak Springs.
Seven grandchildren also survive, Donald Anderson Vaughan, Aubrey Louise Anderson, John Curtis Anderson, Laura Ashley Anderson, William Thomas Anderson, Emory Alexander Anderson and Philip Nolen Anderson.
Flowers are accepted or contributions may be made in Anderson’s memory to the North Walton YMCA.
Services were scheduled for Jan. 23 at First Presbyterian Church of Florala.
Jerry Evans Funeral Home in DeFuniak Springs was in charge of arrangements.
Frieda Clara Jones
Frieda Clara Jones, 89, born on May 6, 1912, in New York City, died Jan. 16 at a nursing home in Destin.
She is survived by her sons, Frederick Jones of Niceville and William Jones of Glenellyn, Ill.; brothers, Harry Miller, William Miller, Robert Miller, Jack Miller, Henry “Sonny” Miller of New York, and Fredrick Miller of Panama City.
Frieda is also survived by grandchildren, Catherine Jones of Niceville, Cassandra Beals of Century, Fla., Ernest Jones of Clearwater, Fla., Mark Jones of Loxley, Ala., Frederick Jones of Hastings, Fla., David Jones of New York, Paul Jones and William Jones of Glenview, Ill.
Frieda’s great-grandchildren are Sarah Jones, Joseph Jones and Phillip Jones of Florida, Auston Jones of Alabama, Rory Jones and Erin Jones of New York.
Her husband, Frederick J. Jones of New York, preceded her in 1990.
Frieda enjoyed life and took advantage of the Florida sunshine, having left New York in the 1970s. She worked in the electronics industry as a products inspector in New York and Clearwater. In the early 1980s she moved to Niceville for retirement.
A memorial Mass was scheduled for Jan. 29 at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Niceville. Burial was to follow in Heritage Gardens Cemetery in Niceville.
McLaughlin-Aultman Funeral Home handled the arrangements.
Mary Louise Leake
Mary Louise Robinson Leake, 67, of Destin and formerly of Memphis, died Thursday, Jan. 17, in Atlanta.
Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Jan. 27 at Good News United Methodist Church, where she was a member. The church is at 4747 U.S. 98, across from Bayou Bill’s.
Leake was employed by David Owens of Owens Financial Services.
She leaves two daughters, their husbands and five wonderful grandchildren.
The family requests memorials be sent to the American Cancer Society for research and prevention.
Cremation Society of the South is in charge of arrangements.
Montez V. Charlton
Montez V. Charlton, 77, a resident of Destin for more than 10 years, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 15, in a local hospital.
She was born on Dec. 9, 1924, in Mayfield, Ky.
Monty is survived by her son, Lawrence Daniel Charlton, and wife, Joyce, of Taylor Mills, Ky.; daughter, Susan Hutcheson and husband, Marshall, of Florence, Ky., Patricia Kohrs and David Smith of Florence; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Monty loved her dog “Meg,” the beach and her special friends and neighbors.
A memorial service was scheduled for Jan. 17 at McLaughlin Twin Cities Funeral Home with the Rev. Jack Jones officiating.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to Paw Prints Pet Adoption Center in Niceville.
Arrangements were handled by McLaughlin Twin Cities Funeral Home in Niceville.
Allie Watters Paulk
Allie Watters Paulk, 93, of DeFuniak Springs, died Jan. 13 in DeFuniak Springs.
She was born in Perry County, Ala., on April 17, 1908, and was the daughter of the late Ruben Oaks Watters and Claude Bolling Watters. Moving here from Red Level, Ala., she lived here for the past 50 years. She was an active member of First Baptist Church of DeFuniak Springs and Steadfast Workers Sunday School Class.
Mrs. Paulk was a teacher most of her life and also was a member of the Women’s Club of DeFuniak Springs. She was preceded in death by her husband, O.C. Paulk, and sons, Charles Paulk and Larry Paulk.
She is survived by her daughter, Ann Paulk Sanders of Munford, Ala.; daughters-in-law, Jean Paulk of DeFuniak Springs and Michelle Paulk of Niceville, Fla.; son-in-law, Harry Sanders of Munford; brothers, George Watters of Mario, Ala., and Woodrow Watters of Sprott, Ala.; sisters, Frances Smoot of Montgomery, Ala., Dorothy Smith of Martin, Tenn., and Jean Watters of Sprott; seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Services were scheduled for Jan. 15 at First Baptist Church. Pallbearers were Robert Capps, Don Winiberg, Carlton Rhodes, Bob Jaye, Chuck Williams and Morris Watkins.
Clary-Godwin Funeral Home in DeFuniak Springs was in charge of arrangements.
