Hans Rode
JUNE 19, 1913 -- JUNE 3, 2004
DAYTONA BEACH SHORES -- Hans Johann Rode, 90, of South Atlantic Avenue, who retired as a banquet manager for the New York Hilton Hotel, died Thursday at home.
Mr. Rode, an Army veteran of World War II, was born in Dusseldorf, Germany, and came here in 1976 from New York City. He also was a veteran of the Army Reserves. He was a member of the Harmony Masonic Lodge and the German American Club.
Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Mary. Alavon Direct Cremation, South Daytona, is in charge.
Dorothy Sachs
SEPT. 13, 1921 -- MAY 31, 2004
DAYTONA BEACH -- Dorothy R. Sachs, 82, of South Peninsula Drive, a musician who played the violin and viola, died Monday at The Arbors, Ormond Beach.
Mrs. Sachs was born in Reading, Ohio, and moved here in 1984 from Cincinnati. She was a graduate of Cincinnati College of Music and the University of Cincinnati. Mrs. Sachs was a member of the Cincinnati Women's Club, the Matinee Musicale and the Women's Clef Music Club, all of Cincinnati.
Survivors include her husband of 57 years, Benjamin; a son, David, Manhattan, Kan.; and three grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association National Office, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, FL 60601. Daytona Funeral Home, Daytona Beach, is in charge.
Annie Strozier
APRIL 27, 1938 -- JUNE 2, 2004
ORANGE CITY -- Annie N. Strozier, 66, of North Hamilton Avenue, who retired after 20 years of service as an assembler for Deltran, DeLand, died Wednesday at Florida Hospital-DeLand.
Mrs. Strozier moved here in 1939 from Geneva, her birthplace. She enjoyed spending time with her sister, Irene.
Survivors include two sons, Max, Ormond Beach; and Gilbert, Orange City; two daughters, Mary Sanders, DeLand, and Viola Harvell, Orange City; six brothers, Edward Raulerson, Deltona, Roy Raulerson, Sanford, Johnny Raulerson, Georgia, Jack Raulerson, Gibsonton, and Allen and Sammy Raulerson, both of Lake Kathryn; five sisters, Irene Simons, Orange City, Kathryn Cramer, Eustis, Elizabeth Morgan, Kentucky, Ellen Horney, Tampa, and Jessica McCall, Mount Dora; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia - Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129. Carpenter-Curry, DeLand, is in charge.
Robert Curtis, 53, dies
Disc jockey and record collector Robert "Kurt" Curtis had a surprise for rock star Gregg Allman when they met many years ago. Curtis told Allman he had discovered the rocker's first recording, made in a tiny Ormond Beach studio while Gregg and his brother, Duane, were growing up in the Daytona Beach area.
"Gregg didn't believe it, " Curtis told The Daytona Beach News-Journal in 1991. "So he asked me the title. When I told him, his eyes got the size of a saucer."
Curtis, a former Daytona Beach resident died from a heart attack in his hometown, St. Petersburg, on Sept. 15 -- the day his book, more than 20 years in the making, was going to press. He was 53.
Also a historian of the pop music of his native Florida, Curtis turned his passion for music into a chronicle he titled "Florida's Famous and Forgotten: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Florida Rock, Soul and Dance Music, Vol. 1."
The book "was the one dream he wanted, so I'm going to make sure that happens, " said his son, Ryan Curtis, of Ormond Beach.
As a disc jockey in Daytona Beach area nightclubs in the 1970s and '80s, Curtis became known as "KOTO" -- "King of the Oldies" -- for his penchant for playing the pop hits of the 1950s and '60s. His record-spinning career took him to stints at clubs in Miami, Philadelphia and Houston. He was a DJ at the Green Iguana in Tampa at the time of his death.
During his career he met many music personalities, including Dick Clark, Bo Diddley, Chubby Checker and radio DJ Wolfman Jack. Meanwhile, his collection of vintage vinyl single records ("45s") grew to more than 200, 000 in recent years, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
His encyclopedia includes entries on both well-known and obscure artists, including such Daytona Beach-area bands as the Allman Brothers and the Nightcrawlers, and his late friend, DeLand sax player Noble "Thin Man" Watts.
Additional survivors include his mother, Vivian Mauk, St. Petersburg; two brothers "Bud" and Bill, both of Gainesville; and a sister, Linda Curtis, St. Petersburg. Memorial donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association, Gift of Remembrance Headquarters, 1101 N. Lake Destiny Road, Suite 415, Maitland, FL 32751-7105. Memorial Park Funeral Home, St. Petersburg, is in charge.
rick.deyampert@news-jrnl.com
Leroy Beers
SEPT. 30, 1935 -- SEPT. 19, 2004
DEBARY -- Leroy W. Beers, 68, of Caddy Drive, a computer scientist who retired after 30 years with Unisys Corp., died Sunday at Florida Hospital Fish Memorial, Orange City.
Mr. Beers, an Air Force veteran of the Korean War, was born in Philadelphia, and moved here from Michigan in 1995. He was a member of Wekiva Presbyterian Church, Longwood. He graduated from Drexel University and Carnegie-Melon College. Mr. Beers enjoyed boating and golf.
Survivors include his wife, Patricia; four daughters, Kelly Guswiler and Kimberly Beers, both of Michigan, Kerry Beers-Gromboch, Virginia and Kristy Fagerstein, Germany; a stepson, Michael Bresnahan, Texas; a stepdaughter, Valerie Bynum, Florida; a sister, Gini Axten, New Jersey; and seven grandchildren. Lankford, Orange City, is in charge.
Edward Chopskie
AUG. 2, 1907 -- SEPT. 17, 2004
ORANGE CITY -- Edward A. Chopskie, 97, of Biscayne Drive, a retired sales and production supervisor with a chemical company, died Friday at Alliance Community Center for Health Care, DeLand.
Mr. Chopskie was born in New York City and moved here in 1968 from Alta Vista, Va. He was a member of St. Peter Catholic Church, DeLand, Orange City Lions Club where they named a wing of the club after him, DeBary Chapter 64 AARP and was a lifetime member of the Men's Lithuanian Society. Mr. Chopskie, an avid cribbage player, also helped start the Volunteer Fire Department in Orange City.
Survivors include three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the Alliance Community Center for Health Care, 130 W. Armstrong Ave., DeLand, FL 32720. Baldauff, Orange City, is in charge.
Walter Devine
JULY 14, 1925 -- SEPT. 19, 2004
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Walter Devine, 79, of Jersey City, a Palm Coast resident from 1995 to 2002, died Sunday at Harbor View Nursing Home, Jersey City.
Mr. Devine, a Navy veteran of World War II, who survived a Nazi air attack that sank the destroyer he was on, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He retired in 1994 as a mechanic for the City of Hoboken, N.J. He was a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and the National Association of Destroyer Veterans (Tin Can Sailors).
Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Frances; a son, Mark, Milford, Pa.; a daughter, Nora Devine, Middletown, N.J.; a sister, Eilean Wheeler, Las Vegas; and three grandchildren. Lawton-Turso Funeral Home, Hoboken, is in charge.
Alice Ficco
JAN. 1, 1907 -- SEPT. 20, 2004
DAYTONA BEACH -- Alice J. Ficco, 97, of North Clyde Morris Boulevard, who retired as a financial clerk for the federal government, died Monday at a local care facility.
Mrs. Ficco was born in Kingwood, W.Va., and came here in the early 1970s from Washington, D.C. She was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.
Survivors include a son, Charles Jr., Arlington, Va.; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church Building Fund, 201 University Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32118. Gainous, Daytona Beach, is in charge.
Zeagler Foster
NOV. 3, 1917 -- SEPT. 20, 2004
DAYTONA BEACH -- Zeagler Foster, 86, of North Clyde Morris Boulevard, a native of Barnesville, Ga., died Monday at Florida Hospital-Ormond Memorial.
Mr. Foster, a brick mason, moved here in 1953 from Tallahassee. He was a member of Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. He enjoyed fishing, gardening and hunting.
Survivors include a daughter, Louise Alexander, Oklahoma City; two brothers, Randy and Steve, both of Barnesville; 14 grandchildren including Jessica Davis, Daytona Beach, who provided for his care; and several great-grandchildren. Gainous is in charge.
Edith Friede
MAY 16, 1903 -- SEPT. 20, 2004
ORMOND BEACH -- Edith Friede, 101, of Rivocean Drive, a native of Germany, died Monday at Coquina Center.
Mrs. Friede, a homemaker, moved here in 1988 from New York City. She was a member of Temple Beth-El and enjoyed playing bridge.
Survivors include two daughters, Ellen Speier, Ormond Beach, and Sue Speier, Durham, N.C.; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia - Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129; or to Temple Beth-El, 579 N. Nova Road, Ormond Beach, FL 32174. Volusia Memorial, Ormond Beach, is in charge.
Alice Hatton
MARCH 20, 1940 -- SEPT. 17, 2004
ORMOND BEACH -- Alice "Jo" Hatton, 64, of Riverview Drive, a resident since 1965, died Friday at home.
Mrs. Hatton, a homemaker, was born in Covington, Ky., and moved here from Jacksonville. She was a member of Tomoka Christian Church and enjoyed walking, reading and cooking.
Survivors include her husband of 49 years, Conley; a son, Bryan, Ormond Beach; two daughters, Cindy Hatton, Holly Hill, and Lisa Ajluni, Birmingham, Ala.; and two grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia - Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129. Tri-County Cremation, Longwood, is in charge.
Robert Jenkinson Jr.
SEPT. 22, 1926 -- SEPT. 20, 2004
DELTONA -- Robert B. Jenkinson Jr., 77, of Melshire Avenue, a civil engineer who retired from a chemical company, died Monday at Florida Hospital Fish Memorial, Orange City.
Mr. Jenkinson, an Army paratrooper who served in World War II, was born in Greenville, Ohio, and came here in 1994 from Myrtle Beach, S.C. He attended West Virginia and Marshall universities and was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church, Enterprise, and Shriners and the Masonic Lodge, both of West Virginia. Mr. Jenkinson enjoyed golf.
Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Marian; a daughter, JoBeth Coia, Harrisburg, N.C.; a brother, George Jenkinson, Meadow Bridge, W.Va.; and two sisters, Jane Hamrick, Meadow Bridge, and Joann Elmore, Bellpoint, W.Va.; and two grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to All Saints Episcopal Church Building Fund, 155 Clark St., Enterprise, FL 32725. Baldauff, Orange City, is in charge.
