Leighann Kennedy
MAY 10, 1987 -- JUNE 14, 2004
ORMOND BEACH -- Leighann Larson Kennedy, 17, of Main Trail, a senior at Seabreeze High School, died Monday from injuries suffered in an automobile accident on North Tymber Creek Road.
Miss Kennedy, a Daytona Beach native, was a cheerleader, played on the school's softball team and played violin in the orchestra. A gymnastics instructor at the Ormond Beach Recreation Center, she enjoyed the beach, boating, shopping, snow skiing, roller blading and four wheeling.
Survivors include her parents, Chuck and Carala, a brother, Taylor, and a sister, Jacquelyn, all of Ormond Beach; her paternal grandmother, Shirley Pearce, St. Augustine; her maternal grandfather, Larry Larson, Bradenton; her maternal grandmother, Deanna Falls, Ormond Beach; and her maternal great-grandmother, Margaret Gooden, Foley, Ala. Memorial donations may be made to Friends of RecreationGymnastics, 675 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach, FL 32176. Haigh-Black is in charge.
William Meli
MAY 31, 1911 -- JUNE 15, 2004
ORMOND BEACH -- William J. Meli, 93, of Bay Pointe Drive, a retired real estate sales manager, died Tuesday at Indigo Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Daytona Beach.
An Army Air Forces veteran of World War II, Mr. Meli was born in New York City. He moved to this area in 1988 from Armonk, N.Y. Mr. Meli was a member of St. Brendan Catholic Church and enjoyed golf.
Survivors include his wife of 32 years, Margaret. Daytona Funeral Home, Daytona Beach, is in charge.
Narcisa Morgan
NOV. 1, 1912 -- JUNE 14, 2004
FROSTPROOF -- Narcisa Morgan, 91, of Frostproof, the mother of Mary Anderson of DeLeon Springs, died Monday at Life Care Center of Winter Haven.
Mrs. Morgan, a homemaker, was born in Brownsville, Texas.
Additional survivors include a son, Vernon Jr., Frostproof; a brother, J.M. Cuellar, Tampa; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Marion Nelson Funeral Home, Frostproof, is in charge.
Ruth Schuldt
OCT. 4, 1917 -- JUNE 16, 2004
ORMOND BEACH -- Ruth C. Schuldt, 86, of Clyde Morris Boulevard, a retired church secretary, died Wednesday at Florida Hospital-Ormond Memorial.
Ms. Schuldt was born in Schuyler, Neb., and moved to this area in 2000 from Sioux City, Iowa. She enjoyed reading.
Survivors include a brother, John, Anthem, Ariz., and a sister, Gertrude Paxson, Ormond Beach. Woodward, Holly Hill, is in charge.
Susan Shook
SEPT. 20, 1958 -- JUNE 13, 2004
MIMS -- Susan Ann Shook, 45, of Mims, the mother of New Smyrna Beach residents Lisa and Angelia Shook, died Sunday at home.
A native of Texas, Mrs. Shook was a former manager at the Friendly's Restaurant in New Smyrna Beach.
Additional survivors include a son, Johnny, Titusville; two stepsons, Billy, Lake Mary, and Jamie, West Palm Beach; her parents, Bob and Christina Stapelton, Corpus Christi, Texas; two brothers, Sonny and Ernie, and two sisters, Mary and Brenda, all of Texas; and two grandchildren. Ormond Funeral Home, Ormond Beach, is in charge.
Doug Smith
OCT. 20, 1946 -- JUNE 15, 2004
EDGEWATER -- Doug Smith, 57, of South Ridgewood Avenue, a carpenter, died Tuesday at Bert Fish Medical Center, New Smyrna Beach.
Mr. Smith, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, serving with the 173rd Airborne, was a native and lifelong resident. He graduated from New Smyrna Beach High School. He was a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows, Harry Marsh Lodge No. 45; American Legion Post No. 285; and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 3191, Eau Gallie.
Survivors include two sons, Brandon, Edgewater, and Russell, Sebastian; a daughter, Syna Prasse, New Smyrna Beach; two brothers, George, Edgewater, and Paul "Sonny, " Charleston, S.C.; a sister, Linda Jones, Oak Hill; and two grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to IOOF Harry Marsh Lodge No. 45, 2317 S. Ridgewood Ave., Edgewater, FL 32141. Baldwin Brothers, New Smyrna Beach, is in charge.
Julia Cople, 85 dies
With a love for music, former Deltona resident Julia L. Cople went to school to perfect her skill of playing the Hawaiian steel guitar when she was in her late teens.
Cople, a homemaker, died Wednesday at home. She was 85.
Born in Anniston, Ala., Cople moved with her family to Hagerstown, Md.
She attended the Aloha School of Music and earned a certificate to play the steel guitar, said her daughter Teresa Atkisson of Kissimmee. Cople and her sisters, Jimmie, who played the violin, and Ula, who played the piano, performed for radio stations in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
In 1974, Julia moved to Deltona, and in 1987 moved to Kissimmee to be with her daughter, after her husband, Joseph, died, Atkisson said.
Atkisson recalls her mother picking up the steel guitar when she was very young. She recalls the guitar being one of her mother's passions, though she stopped playing to raise a family.
Even though Atkisson and her sisters didn't get to hear her mother play the guitar much, she remembers her mother being a generous person.
"We always said that if we look up the word 'feeding' in the dictionary, her picture would be there. She constantly was trying to feed everyone, " Atkisson said.
Cople was a member of the Daughters of the Confederacy and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary. She also enjoyed cooking.
Additional survivors include two daughters, Jo-Ann Wilks, Daytona Beach, and Margaret Maddox, Kissimmee; a sister, Jimmie Fusco, Marietta, Ga.; six grandchildren; and 40 great-grandchildren. Baldauff, Orange City, is in charge.
Linda Blue
NOV. 13, 1945 -- JUNE 17, 2004
FLAGLER BEACH -- Linda Joy Blue, 58, of South Daytona Avenue, a retired major with the Metro Miami-Dade Police Department, died Thursday at Florida Hospital-Ormond Beach.
Mrs. Blue, a native of Miami, was a frequent visitor to the area since 1981 and moved her permanently in 2000. She was a member of Memory Makers Quilting Guild of Flagler County, Beachside Quilters, FlaglerPalm Coast Yacht Club and the Flagler Beach Yacht Club. She also served as a past lieutenant governor of Kiwanis International Florida District 17 and former president of Kiwanis Club of Miami. She enjoyed sewing, fishing and gardening.
Survivors include her husband of 36 years, Walter; a son, Brandon, Flagler Beach; her father, William Reynolds, Grove City; her mother, Elizabeth Mullis, Inverness; and a sister Diane Williams, Miami. Memorial donations may be made to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, co Komen Foundation, P.O. Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265. Woodward, Ormond Beach, is in charge.
Donald Creager
MAY 1, 1927 -- DEC. 3, 2004
ORMOND BEACH -- Donald R. Creager, 77, of Ivanhoe Drive, a firefighter for 20 years in Michigan City, Ind., before his retirement, died Friday at Florida Hospital-Ormond Memorial.
Mr. Creager, a merchant mariner during the Korean War, moved to this area in 1988 from his native Michigan City. He was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and Moose Lodge 1263. Mr. Creager also was a driver for the Daytona-Orlando Transit Service (DOTS) and Daytona Auto Auction. He enjoyed golf and cruises.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Huguette; two daughters, Charmaine Imperato and Dona Forrester, both of Michigan City; and two grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the American Lung Association of Florida, P.O. Box 549, Daytona Beach, FL 32115. Lohman-Ormond is in charge.
June Metz
JUNE 15, 1924 -- DEC. 3, 2004
DELTONA -- June M. Metz, 80, of Stallings Avenue, a native of New York, died Friday at Florida Hospital Fish Memorial, Orange City.
Mrs. Metz, a homemaker, moved here from Apopka in 1994.
Survivors include a son, Gary Shank, Bradenton; a daughter, Carroll Hosley, Largo; and a stepson, John Metz, Deltona. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 237 E. Marks St., Orlando, FL 32803. Loomis Family Funeral Home, Apopka, is in charge.
Lawrence Miller Jr.
NOV. 23, 1931 -- DEC. 4, 2004
ORMOND BEACH -- Lawrence H. Miller Jr., of Wellington Station Boulevard, a retired salesman for Prudential Insurance in Williamsport, Pa., died Saturday at Florida Hospital-Ormond Memorial.
Mr. Miller moved here in 1998 from his native Williamsport. He was a member of Christ Presbyterian Church and formerly played on a fast-pitch softball league.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Nancy; four sons, Fred, Austria, Michael, Krumsville, Pa., Tim, Williamsport, and Todd, Baltimore; a sister, Shirley Vandegrift, Williamsport; and four grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia - Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129. Alavon Direct Cremation, South Daytona, is in charge.
Rosaria Perrella
JUNE 20, 1922 -- DEC. 4, 2004
ORLANDO -- Rosaria M. Perrella, 82, of Orlando, a former DeLand resident, died Saturday at Quality Health Care, Winter Garden.
Mrs. Perrella was born in New Brighton, N.Y., and moved to DeLand in 2002 from Staten Island, N.Y. She relocated to Orlando in September from DeLand. She was a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, Staten Island. A retired teacher with the New York Education Department, Mrs. Perrella also was a member of the Catholic Teachers Association.
Survivors include her husband of 48 years, Carmine; a son, John, Strongsville, Ohio; two daughters, Elizabeth Ruchlin, Orlando, and Anne Marie Wiley, Boca Raton; a brother, Frank Spinelli, Staten Island; and eight grandchildren. Lankford, DeLand, is in charge.
