With heavy hearts and deep sadness we announce the passing of Thomas “Tom” Joseph Donaghy Sr. of Flagler Beach, Florida, who left us peacefully in his sleep on November 20, 2024. He lived a long eventful life filled with 95 years of experiences and was a loving Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather and proud Veteran of the United States Army. A Mass will be held Thursday, December 5, at 10 AM at Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church.
obituaries
Lana Chastity Evensen, May 4, 2003 – February 5, 2022 Obituary
Lana Chastity Evensen, born May 4th, 2003, passed away on February 5, 2022 in Andrews, NC.
Noel Jon Ouellette, Obituary
Noel Jon Ouellette, age 81, was peacefully called home to the Lord at Hospice of Ormond Beach on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.
William Oscar Dotson II, Obituary
William Oscar Dotson II, a resident for the past 30 years coming from Akron OH passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 26, 2022 at the Stuart F. Meyer Hospice House with his loving family near him.
Eleanor Shinnick, 1928-2021
On Thursday, July 8, 2021, Eleanor Shinnick, loving wife, and mother of Joseph Shinnick, Ellen Pugner, and Elaine Studnicki passed away at age 92.
Edward Charles Stiles, 1957-2021
Edward Charles “Chuck” Stiles, 64, of Gainesville / Palm Coast, Florida, passed away on July 1, 2021, at his home in Palm Coast.
Alexia (Lexi) Kaasandra Hunt, 1994-2021
Born on March 20, 1994 in Colorado before relocating to Florida in 2017, Lexi came to Palm Coast with a thirst for adventure and a love for the wild places, both inside and out. Adored wife, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend left this world unexpectedly on April 22, 2021.
Bridget “Bridie” Walsh, 1934-2021
Mrs. Walsh passed away on April 1, 2021, at her home surrounded by her loving and caring family. She was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on September 17, 1934, a daughter of the late Thomas and Catherine Baxter Dewar.
Thomas Aquinas O’Dea Sr., 1935-2021
Thomas Aquinas O’Dea Sr. passed on to be with God on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, at Morristown Medical Center.
Stanley C. Drescher, 1931-2020
Stanley C. Drescher, 88, Flagler Beach’s One and Only Poet Laureate passed away on Friday, August 14, 2020
Patricia Dana Cafaro, 1932-2020
Patricia (“Pat”) Dana Cafaro, 88, of Palm Coast, FL passed away on the 23rd of September, 2020. Patricia was born on January 9th, 1932 to parents Henry and Anna VanHouten in Newark, NJ.
Ruth Kae Hellerman, April 17, 1941 – May 17, 2020
Ruth Kae Sandidge Hellerman, April 17, 1941- May 17, 2020, an obituary.
Rocco Joseph Grassi, Obituary
Rocco J. Grassi passed away Friday afternoon at his home in Crozet, Virginia. He was 91.
Gregory Charles Jelm, May 11, 1960 – June 4, 2020
Gregory Charles Jelm passed away peacefully from cancer at his home, in the company of his loved ones.
Anna May Kalin (Huntley) July 4, 1954 – January 22, 2020
Anna May Kalin was an amazing, loving, and caring woman. She was currently an Infant Teacher at Sunshine Academy in Flagler Beach. She loved all of her babies, their families, and her co workers.
AdventHealth’s Dr. Martin Alan Kubiet, 1963-2019
Dr. Martin Kubiet, beloved husband, father, son, and brother, and known to friends as “Marty,” passed away on October 31, 2019, at the age of 56. An obituary.
Sid Nowell, Pioneering Lawyer, Mediator and Past President of Flagler County Bar, Dies at 69
Sid Nowell (1950-2019) broke barriers for local black attorneys, served as a Bunnell city attorney for eight years, as the NAACP’s attorney and former Sheriff Manfre’s attorney, coaching, serving on boards and presiding over the Flagler County Bar Association along the way.
Cecil C. Sowell, 1931-2019
Cecil C. Sowell, 87, of Flagler Beach, died February 17, 2019 at the Stuart F. Meyer Hospice House. A veteran of Korea and Vietnam, he was a builder, a deacon and a family man.
Lieselotte Martha Beilke, 1933-2018
Lieselotte Martha Beilke died at Palm Coast’s Windsor. She was married to Max Beilke in 1959 until Max’s death on September 11, 2001 in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon.
Patricia P. Sullivan, Former Chairwoman of Flagler Republican Party, Dies at 78
Patricia P. Sullivan, a former chairwoman of the Flagler County Republican Party married 52 years to Flagler County Commissioner Dave Sullivan, died Thursday at home following a long illness.
The Death of WNZF’s Ron Charles, Friend and Colleague, at 56
Ron ‘Charles’ Gitschier, 56, built Flagler County’s first radio station WNZF as its chief engineer for the past 10 years, was its news director and a man of rare integrity and humility.
Martin Tucker, Rancher and Bulwark of Pioneering West Flagler Family, Dies at 70
Leslie Martin Tucker Jr., father of School Board Chairman Trevor Tucker, cousin of Bunnell Commissioner Elbert Tucker, rancher and owner of Sun Country Pest Control, died Wednesday.
Judge Kim C. Hammond, Legend From Seminole Gridiron to Flagler Courtroom, Dies at 72
Judge Kim C. Hammond was appointed to the bench by Gov. Bob Graham in 1979 and spent his entire judicial in Flagler County, where the county courthouse now bears his name.
1938-2017
James E. Gardner, ITT President
And Palm Coast Founder, Is Laid to Rest
James E. Gardner, who died May 5 at age 78, led ITT as it built Palm Coast between 1978 and 1990, and served on or led innumerable civic and business organizations.
David Dalecki, True Floridian and Gentle Soul, 1969-2017
Dave Dalecki’s quiet, gentle soul will be remembered by everyone he ever met and beyond for his deep involvement in his community and elsewhere. He is survived by (among others) his wife of 23 years, Cindy, his sons Dalton and Tyler.
Remembering John Hankinson Jr., Towering Force in Environmental Protection in Flagler and Elsewhere
John Hankinson Jr., a long-time resident of Summer Haven just north of Marineland, had been an EPA Regional administrator and had headed a post-Deepwater Horizon spill task force. He was a frequent performer in the local musical scene as Johnny Matanzas.
Stephen Schoembs, 43, Celebrated Chef and Flagler Native, Found Dead at Walmart Parking Lot
Stephen Schoembs had been reported missing the day before. The cause of death has not been determined. He was the executive chef at Hammock Dunes Club after a stint abroad.
Jane Anne Staly, Civil Rights Champion in Central and Northeast Florida, Dies at 95
Jane Anne McNerney Staly, 95, of Maitland, the mother of Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and an influential civil rights and social services activist for over half a century in Central and Northeast Florida, died peacefully on January 19 in Maitland.
Maxine Kronick, Fierce Doyenne of Local Arts and Children’s Theater, Dies On Approach of 80
Maxine Kronick, actress, special events coordinator and arts champion, had co-founder Theaterrific in the late 1980s in Palm Coast, a theater program for poorer children, and remained involved in local theater at Buddy Taylor Middle School and elsewhere.
Al Jones, Former County Commissioner
and Breakfast Club Impresario, Dies at 87
Al Jones was one of the most influential non-elected politicians and GOP officials in Flagler County for 25 years as his monthly breakfast became the essential stopping point for most of those hoping to be—or to remain—politicians.
John Timoney, 1948-2016
A Good Cop
John Timoney, who served as the top cop in Philadelphia and Miami, where he radically reduced police shootings, was a good cop. No small thing in America, in 2016.
Sophie Zabas, 1942-2016: Commissioner George Hanns Mourns His Inspiration
Sophie Zabas, who died Friday of cancer at age 74, was Commissioner George Hanns’s companion of 23 years. Visitations are Friday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Craig-Flagler Palms Funeral Home.
For Commissioner Frank Meeker, a Tribute From the Hearts of a Decade’s Colleagues
For an hour Monday morning, Meeker’s closest colleagues remembered the man death surprised at 61 on July 22, themselves not yet over the shock of having lost him after seen him in that seat just 16 days before his death.
Missing Frank Meeker
Some elected officials leave a much bigger void than others when they die in office. Flagler County Commissioner Frank Meeker’s loss an interrupted legacy that was just hitting its stride.
Frank Meeker, County Commission Workhorse and Tenacious Optimist, Is Dead at 61
Meeker had been in and out of the hospital battling cancer the last few weeks, and was in the hospital this week as his condition worsened. He was moved to hospice overnight and died around 6 a.m.
Linda Solomon, Dervish Painter of Joy and Ex-Flagler Artist of the Year, Dies at 74
Solomon continued dancing and painting dancers, as well as musicians, mystical landscapes and more, throughout much of her years-long battle with ovarian cancer, which took her life on March 7.
Bob Abbott, Ex-Flagler County Commissioner Who Straddled Downturn Years, Is Dead at 70
Bob Abbott had defeated long-time commissioner Hershel King to serve one term on the Flagler County Commission, from 2006 to 2010. He’d made the Flagler Beach pier his second home before his illness set in.
Bill Lewis, Ex-Palm Coast Council Member And Arts Advocate, Is Dead at 84
Bill Lewis made his mark Council as an advocate for a well-tended city, and as one of only three black council members to serve in the city’s 15-year history.
A Year Later, a Memorial to Deputy Delarosby Flickers Steps From Where He Took His Life
A few dozen people gathered at Heroes Park Tuesday evening to mark the one-year anniversary of Deputy Joe Delarosby’s suicide there, recalling memories, saying prayers and singing Amazing Grace.
Rick Look, Long-Time Flagler Sheriff’s Chief Deputy and Cop’s Cop, Dies at 65
Rick Look had been chief deputy for over seven years until three years ago under Sheriff Don Fleming, had two Purple Hearts and 42 years in law enforcement until his last four years’ battle with illness.
Leonard Nimoy Is Dead at 83
Leonard Nimoy will forever be remembered for his “Live long, and prosper” line, which he seems to have borrowed from Voltaire in a pre-interstellar day.
Lily Sara, Humanitarian and Founder of
La Voix de La Femme Libanaise, 1929-2014
Lily Sara, one of Lebanon’s leading humanitarians and founder of La Voix de La Femme Libanaise–the Voice of the Lebanese Woman–died in Beirut on Dec. 10, 2014. Testimonies and eulogies were offered on Dec. 13.
The Gifted Chemistry of Mentorship: Remembering FPC’s Sylvia Brady
Sylvia Brady, the long-time and popular chemistry teacher at Flagler Palm Coast High School and 1984 Teacher of the Year, died on Friday, age 73. Inna Hardison, former editor of Palm Coast Lifestyles Magazine and current co-owner of Ha Media in Palm Coast, wrote the following profile of Brady in 2009, when Brady was on the verge of retirement.
John Seay, Maverick Flagler Property Appraiser for a Quarter Century, Is Dead at 76
John W. Seay’s tenure as Flagler property appraiser was highlighted by his victory over ITT in a four-year lawsuit ITT had started, only to end with the company agreeing to pay the equivalent of $4.7 million, in today’s dollars, in back taxes.
Lillian Gobitas Klose, Who Defied Mandatory Pledge of Allegiance, Is Dead at 90
Lillian Gobitas Klose was 12 when she was expelled from school for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Eight years later, in the midst of World War II, the U.S. Supreme Court vindicated her decision.
Marylou Baiata, 1951-2014
At Nature Scapes, a New Generation Nurtures a Legacy
For 30 years Marylou Baiata, who died July 25, was the lush radiance behind Nature Scapes, the garden center in Bunnell, which her son will take over as it also becomes the home of the reincarnation of JJ Graham’s Hollingsworth Gallery as the Salvo Neoteric Art Project.
Joe Cunnane, 4-Time Candidate in Palm Coast Races and Rolls-Royce Fan, Is Dead at 80
Joe Cunnane, the esoteric, irascible Palm Coast wit best known for his Rolls Royce, his Ahab-like obsession with Mayor Jon Netts and for running in almost every city election either for mayor or for a council seat, died Wednesday, May 14 at his home in Palm Coast after a long and recurrent battle with cancer, his wife Alice announced in an email to friends and family.
Former Gov. Reubin Askew, Towering Force Behind Modern Florida, Is Dead at 85
Reubin Askew, who died on March 13, led efforts to institute a corporate income tax, while reducing consumer taxes. He also spearheaded approval of what became known as the “Sunshine Amendment,” which opened government records and required public officials to disclose information about their financial affairs.
Pamela Zill, Healer, Advocate and Ardent Community Voice in Flagler Beach, 1963-2014
Pamela Zill, 50, of Flagler Beach, died on January 13, 2014. The former hostess of her own TV talk show, she was active in the area Chamber of Commerce and was a fixture at Flagler Beach City Commission meetings.
Monique Haddad Branon
Beirut 1938 – Palm Coast 2013
Monique Haddad-Branon, née Safa, who died peacefully on the evening of Sunday 17 November 2013 in Palm Coast, had been a fixture in Lebanon’s media of the 1960s, 70s and 80s as a television and radio and newspaper reporter and columnist before evolving into a novelist and poet in her American years.