Evie D White “Me-Maw” Dove
January 14, 2013
Mrs. Evie D. White “Me-Maw” Dove, 92, passed away on Sunday, January 13, 2013, in Davisville.
Mrs. Dove was a native of Perdido and a resident of Davisville for the past 70 years. Mrs. Dove was an active member of the Pine Barren Baptist Church for 60 years. She loved the Lord with all heart and spent her life sharing His love with others.
Her husband, Dewitt Dove, precedes her in death.
Survivors include her son, Ronald (Judy) Dove of Davisville; two brothers, Curtis White of Georgia and Fred White of Brewton; three grandchildren, Ronald (Kelly) Dove, Jr. of Flomaton, Patrick (Laurie) Dove of Davisville and Chris (Jennifer) Dove of Davisville; eight great-grandchildren, Shelbi Dove, Tyler Dove, Raegen Dove, Allyson Bullard, Ryan Dove, Jacob Dove, Makayla Dove and Kaden Dove; and three great-great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Wednesday, January 16, 2013, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. Mike Harper officiating.
Burial will follow at Pine Barren Cemetery.
Visitation will be Tuesday, January 15, 2013, from 6 until 9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Ronald Dove, Jr., Tyler Dove, Patrick Dove, Chris Dove, Shelbi Dove, Scott Francis and Eli Himes.
Honorary pallbearers will be Raymond Norris, Fernie Faircloth, Calvin Davis, Ralph Darby, Butch Fillingim, Mickey Peterson, Jack Beck and R.C. Rice.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Lawrence Alfred (Buck) Gohagan Sr.
January 14, 2013
Lawrence Alfred (Buck) Gohagan Sr., born March 17, 1934, died from complications of COPD on January 13, 2012.
Buck is a Navy veteran who participated in atomic bomb testing at the Bikini Islands. Under Gov. John Patterson, Buck was one of the first water safety patrolmen for the State of Alabama Department of Conservation. His passion for flight began at Atmore Flying Service; he later became the owner/operator of AAA Flying.
He was an avid fisherman, until his health prevented him from going. He loved the Forever Wild lands; a tribute from his son Eric – “To all the men and women who fish and have kids, take them fishing. Teach them respect for others and teach them to have the morals of the old times. The world lost another great fisherman. I knew him my whole life. I look back and wish that I would have learned more of the hot spots he knew. But we will continue to tell all the great stories he told us to our children. Take in all the fresh air and fill your lungs up every day with Heaven’s air and catch a big one up there for us!”
He was preceded in death by son, Michael Alfred Gohagan and an infant son, by his parents Argene and Della Mae Parker Gohagan, brother William Harold Gohagan.
Buck is survived by his wife of 44 years, Regina Bailey Gohagan; daughter Belinda Kay (Joe Frank) Wooten, Lawrence Gohagan Jr. Larry (Kambi) Gohagan, Charles Eric (Teresa) Gohagan, Emily Marie (Jeff) DeRidder, Kristen Elizabeth (Michael) Branch; grandchildren, Chad Wooten, Brad Wooten, Shane McGhee, Kyla Gilman, Carlee Gohagan, Cayla Gohagan, Christina Gohagan, Kenzie Gohagan, Haley Hadley, Codey Hadley, Micheal Fox, Nikki DeRidder, Samantha DeRidder, Amy Branch, Bailey Bass, Sarah Branch, and Jaxson Branch; great-grandchildren Casey Lane Wooten, Cade Wooten, Daylon Wooten, Raylee Wooten, Brandy Wooten, Kelton Wooten, Brooke McGhee, and Trey McGhee; sisters, Dorothy Jean (Joe) Bolton and Sibyl (Farrell) Brown; numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews; and best friend and neighbor Gary Helton.
Active pallbearers will be Chad Wooten, Trey McGhee, Andrew Bell, Codey Hadley, Micheal Fox and Bailey Bass.
Honorary pallbearer will be Casey Lane Wooten.
Visitation will be from 2:00 until 3:00 p.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home.
Graveside services will be at 3:30 pm on January 15, 2013, at McCullough Cemetery with Bro. Byrd Mapoles and Elder Marion Johnson officiating. Military flag honors provided by Veterans of Foreign Wars. Special music provided by Buck’s friends Wayne and Cornelia Presley.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Gideon Bible ministry or to the family.
Frances Montez Quimby
January 14, 2013
Frances Montez Quimby, 94 of Perdido, passed away Saturday, January 12, 2013, in Atmore. She was owner of Jack and Jill Nursery. She was born on September 25, 1918, to the late Ira and Parlee Williamson Oswald in Excel. She was a member of Brooks Memorial Baptist Church.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Owen Quimby; grandson, Kenneth Ryan Quimby; sister, Qudia Higdon; and two brothers, I.W. “Dub” Oswald and Hayward Oswald.
Survivors include two sons, Johnny M. (Marie) Quimby of Perdido and Kenneth R. (Sheila) Quimby of Foley; devoted brother-in-law, Joseph Higdon of Berneuda, Ala; grandchildren, Daniel Bryan Quimby, Christopher O. (Lee) Quimby, James Scott (Susan) Enriquez, Heather (Ian) Campbell, Matthew (Lonni) Quimby, Kelly (Tommy) Thomas; great-granddaughter, Jessica Sliwinski; and 14 nieces and nephews.
Services will be Tuesday, January 15, 2013, at 11 a.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Mike Grindle and Rev. Scott Brooks officiating. Interment will follow in Enon Baptist Church Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Chris Quimby, Matt Quimby, Richard Phillips, Mike Frickey, Carl Poche, Peter LaRose.
Family will receive friends Tuesday, January 15, 2013, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 9:30 a.m. until service time.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Inc is in charge of all arrangements.
No Serious Injuries In Highway 29, Kingsfield Road Crash
January 13, 2013
There were no serious injures reported in a Sunday afternoon wreck at the intersection of Highway 29 and Kingsfield Road. The accident was reported about 12:48 p.m. Submitted cell phone photos by Kari Doyle for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flu Outbreak Continues Locally; Officials Still Urge Vaccinations
January 13, 2013
Local health officials say a flu outbreak arrived early in Escambia County this year and has lasted longer than a typical flu season.
The first signs of the flu outbreak appeared in late October and the number of cases kept climbing throughout November, December and into January.
For the October 28 through January 5, Sacred Heart Hospital ran lab tests on 1,923 people who had flu-like symptoms. Of those, 546 tested positive for influenza. Since the beginning of December, the Sacred Heart Urgent Care Center in Pensacola has seen 186 people with flu-like symptoms.
The Florida Department of Health in continuing to encourage residents to get the flu vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control says at this point in the flu season, the vaccine may be harder to find that it was back in the fall. Residents may, the CDC said, need to contact more than one provider such as pharmacies or doctors in order to find available vaccine.
“It is not too late to get vaccinated against the flu, and we encourage anyone age six months and older to get a flu shot,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John
Armstrong. “Influenza A is the most common flu type in Florida this season and is countered by the vaccine.”
The flu vaccine this season is overall 62 percent effective, according to CDC data released Friday. That means patients that were vaccinated were about 60 percent less likely to get the flu that required a visit to the doctor.
The Florida Department of Health recommends said residents should watch for symptoms of the flu, such as headache, fever, a severe cough, runny nose or body aches. Contact your primary care physician or a local hospital immediately if symptoms appear. This is particularly important for people at high risk for serious complications from flu.For those with the flu, antiviral medication may shorten both the duration and severity of illness.
State health officials urge the following preventive steps for the flu:
- Get vaccinated EVERY YEAR because as the flu types change, the vaccine changes.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, because germs spread this way.
- Avoid close contact with sick people.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- If you are sick with flu–like illness, contact your primary care physician to determine whether you need antiviral medication. Stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone (except to get medical care or for other necessities).
Pictured top: A graphical representation of flu activity in the United States. Pictured inset: A patient receives a nasal flu mist flu vaccine. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Power Cut In Walnut Hill As Part Of Major System Upgrade
January 13, 2013
A portion of Walnut Hill was without power about an hour Saturday morning during a planned outage as the Escambia River Electric Cooperative power delivery system was upgraded.
Escambia River Electric Cooperative and it power supplier, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, is in the late stages of construction a new Oak Grove Graham electric substation on Highway 99A near North Highway 99. The new facility will have a total power capacity of 20 MVA (megavolt ampere), over twice the capacity of the aging Oak Grove Substation with a total capacity of 9.375 MVA.
The new substation and new distribution lines were installed to upgrade the EREC system and meet the needs of the Genesis Rail Services Walnut Hill Station. At the facility the largest of its kind in the U.S., crude oil is transferred from the oils fields of North Dakota to Walnut Hill by train and offloaded.
The area without power Saturday morning included Arthur Brown Road, Pine Forest Road, Pineville Road, County Road 99A and connecting streets and roads.
Pictured top: Electric linemen work on County Road 99A at Highway 97, adjacent to Ernest Ward Middle School, during a planned power outage Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia’s Stafford, Other Election Bosses To Ask For More Early Voting
January 13, 2013
Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford and state’s local elections supervisors set to testify Monday before a Senate committee about what went wrong with Florida’s 2012 elections. They are set to ask lawmakers to allow them to increase early voting after the snafus that produced long lines at polling places in November, according to a summary of their legislative package.
Stafford is past president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, which said it would request that the Legislature give county supervisors the option to allow up to 14 days of early voting.
Lawmakers reduced the number of early voting days to eight as part of a controversial elections bill approved in 2011; under the supervisors’ proposal, counties would still have to offer at least eight days of early voting.
The legislative package, released Thursday, also includes a proposal that would require lawmakers to limit the summaries of all potential constitutional amendments to 75 words. Currently, amendments sent to the ballot by the Legislature don’t have to follow that limit, which applies to citizen initiatives. Supporters of the limit say reading lengthy ballot summaries can slow down voters.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Fire Destroys Shooting House
January 13, 2013
Firefighters from the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to a reported brush fire late Saturday night to find that a Walnut Hill shooting house had been destroyed by fire.
A passerby reported seeing a brush fire several yards off Highway 97 south of Howell Road. When firefighters arrived, the shooting house was already a total loss and a small brush fire had been sparked by the blaze. The fire was quickly extinguished.
There was no word on the cause of the fire.
Rainy Days
January 13, 2013
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Showers. Low around 58. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
- Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. East wind around 5 mph.
- Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 51. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Tuesday Night: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 48. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. North wind around 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. North wind around 10 mph.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40.
- Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 62.
One Arrested In Shooting, Two Still Wanted For Questioning
January 13, 2013
One suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting that left one person dead and two people wounded Thursday night on Escambia County’s Belair Road.
Freddie Dayshen Fountain III, 23, was charged with two counts of attempted homicide, a weapons offense of firing missiles into a dwelling, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $190,000.
About 10:10 p.m. on January 10, deputies responded to a shots fired disturbance in the 700 block of Belair Road in the Montclair area. Deputies found Aquarius Devaughn dead, and both Durall Sumler and Shawn Jordan suffering from gunshot wounds. Sumler and Jordan remain in Baptist Hospital.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators released a list of seven people, including Fountain, believed to have information on the crime. Four of the people were questioned and released.
Investigators are still looking for Travaris J. Stallworth and Kwamane Q. Silas for questioning. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.