Guynell King Goneke
November 28, 2014
Guynell King Goneke went to her home in Heaven on Monday, November 24, 2014.
She was born on January 25, 1916, to her parents, Gordon and Kate King in Commerce, GA. The family moved to Jay when she was 12 years old. She accepted the Lord at age 16 at Pine Level Baptist Church. She graduated from Jay High School in 1937 and married Robert Mavin “Butch” Goneke the same year. They moved to Pensacola in 1941. She was employed at J.J. Newberry, Aubrey E. Gomillion, CPA, and W.T. Grant. She was an excellent seamstress and a marvelous cook. Her pound cakes, German chocolate cakes and many other dishes were so special. She often sewed and cooked for family and friends. She traveled to 46 states during her lifetime and was a member of Olive Baptist Church and the Steadfast Sunday School class.
Guynell was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Mavin Goneke (in 1971 after 37 years of marriage); brothers, D.C., Wheeler, Parks and Horace King also sister, “Jimmie” Wise.
Survivors include her son, Freddy (Becky) Goneke; daughter, Sylvia (Bill) Menges and grandchildren, Shannon Casey and Shane (Amanda) Goneke; great grandchildren, Austin, Jayde and Gavin Goneke; sister, Francine Gomillion and many nephews and nieces.
Visitation will be held 10:00 a.m. until the funeral service begins at 11:00 a.m. Friday, November 28, 2014, at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel with Dr. Jerry Passmore officiating. Private entombment will be in the Bayview Memorial Park Mausoleum with her husband.
In lieu of flowers it was her desire that memorials be made in her name to Florida Baptist Children’s Home, 1000 Chemstrand Rd., Cantonment, FL 32533.
Annie Mae Pettis
November 28, 2014
Mrs. Annie Mae Pettis, 88, passed away on Wednesday, November 26, 2014, in Atmore.
Mrs. Pettis was a native of Bellville, AL and a resident of Atmore since 1977. Mrs. Pettis was a member of the Fretwell Tabernacle Church. Her husbands, Calvin Pugh and Leroy Pettis; and two sons, John Pugh and Calvin Pugh precede her in death.
Survivors include her two sons, Roy Pettis of Atmore and Leamon Pugh of Deritter, LA; 15 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren and 14 great-great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Saturday, November 29, 2014, at 2 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Sis. Helen Stewart officiating.
Burial will follow at the Oak Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be Saturday, November 29, 2014, from 12:30 p.m. until service time at 2 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be will be Alex Rodriquez, Adam Rodriquez, Kevin Pugh, Kenneth Pugh, Shane Caraway and Tony Tolbert.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Linda D. Russell
November 28, 2014
Linda D. Russell, 63, of Pensacola, passed away on Monday, November 24, 2014. She was a loving and dedicated wife, mother and Nana and will be missed by every one whose life she touched.
Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Rudolph and Mable cooper; her brothers, Raymond Corley and Gary Cooper; her sister, Jean Parker; and her son-in-law, Michael Estrada. Her beloved pets, Prissy and Cali “Baby Girl’ also preceded her in death.
She is survived by her husband of 45 years, John; her daughters, Rebecca Russell Estrada and Kelli Russell (Clay) Greer. She is also survived by her pride and joy, her grandchildren, Brandon Russell, Michael Russell, Shane Parker, Sydney Parker, Rene Aguillar, Autumn Greer, Constance Greer and Killian Greer; her brother, Dennis (Debbie) Cooper and Nancy (Hesham) Ismail. She was a loving aunt to numerous nieces and nephews, most notably Jenifer Mitchel who was a great help to her whenever she was needed.
Her family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 29, 2014, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North. Funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. with Bro. Ed Tisdale officiating.
Burial to follow in Oak Grove Cemetery.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Sheriff’s Investigator Returns Priceless Braille Books To Minister; One Charged With Theft
November 27, 2014
Thanks to the work of an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Investigator, a couple of priceless notebooks have been returned to a blind minister.
About a year ago, a car belonging to the wife of an evangelist in Century was burglarized. The car window was smashed and a number of items were stolen including some electrical items and clothes. The greatest loss of property in the theft, however, were two large notebooks.
ECSO Investigator David Preston learned the notebooks continued braille writings, notes and sermons…a collection amassed over a period of several years. The value of the books to the evangelist was simply beyond estimation.
Preston went to work on the case and located forensic evidence that led positively to 19-year old Taylor Blade Scott, who was already in the Escambia County Jail charged with other burglaries in the Century area. In an effort to located the books, Preston interviewed Scott who told him that he did not remember committing the robbery. He said was staying high on spice and bath salts during that time and cannot remember events during that period. But Scott said he would have put any stolen items in an old house next to where he was living.
The braille binders were located there and are being returned. Scott will be charged with burglary of an automobile and grand theft in this case.
Scott was arrested back in September for several commercial and residential burglaries in the Century area. He remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Photos: Camp Fire Kids Celebrate Thanksgiving With Feast
November 27, 2014
Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center held a Thanksgiving feast this week for children and their parents. The daycare’s children, many dressed as Pilgrims or Native Americans, enjoyed a full Thanksgiving meal following a special Thanksgiving production on stage at the Century Community Center.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured: Children enjoy a Thanksgiving feast at the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center earlier this week. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
BBB Black Friday Tips
November 27, 2014
Black Friday has traditionally been the biggest retail shopping day of the year, although numerous stores will open on Thanksgiving Thursday this year.
Whether in the store or online, the Better Business Bureau serving Northwest Florida offers advice to help you with your holiday shopping:
- Budget your shopping money and stick to it. Avoid impulse buys.
- Look for the details on every sale and understand the specifics.
- Advertising can be tricky; don’t get stuck paying more for an item than you expected.
- Credit card offers from a store will offer a discount on your purchase but may also carry high interest rates.
- Keep all receipts and warranty information for each item purchased.
- Fraudulent charges are easier to fix if you pay with a credit card than a debit card.
- Return policies differ with every store. Make sure you know the conditions for returns and exchanges, including whether restocking fees are charged.
- If you purchase a gift card, look for hidden terms that can decrease its value.
- Don’t leave your wallet, credit card or purse on a counter or in an unattended shopping cart.
- Ask for a store manager if any advertised offer does not match the price listed on an item.
- Yelling at store employees and other customers won’t make the lines shorter. Anticipate crowds and take a friend along to enjoy the day.
- Credit cards provide the most protection if someone steals the credit card number or if you don’t receive an ordered item.
- You, the customer, are responsible for knowing and understanding each online retailer’s return/exchange policy.
- Beware of deals that sound too good to be true, especially extremely low priced on hard-to-get items.
- Ensure you have the most recent updates for spam filters, anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewalls installed.
- Read the site’s privacy policy and understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used.
- Make a file to keep copies of all purchase confirmation web pages and e-mails for future reference and as a record of the purchase.
- Only shop on trustworthy sites; look for the BBB seal and other widely-recognized “trustmarks.”
- Never wire money to pay for a transaction and when on sites like Craigslist, only shop locally.
- Delete phishing emails such as those claiming a problem with an order or account in an attempt to lure the “buyer” into revealing financial information.
- Actively keep an eye on your credit card statements to detect suspicious or fraudulent activity on your accounts.
- You are your best protection! Make sure your online purchase is secure by looking for the “s” (https://) in the URL and the “lock” symbol in the lower-right corner before paying.
Cook Carefully This Thanksgiving to Prevent Kitchen Fires
November 27, 2014
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is alerting consumers that the threat of fires in the kitchen triples on Thanksgiving Day. From 2009 through 2011, there was an average of about 1,300 cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day. This is more than three times the average daily rate from 2009 through 2011 of about 400 cooking fires a day.
“As fire safety experts have said for years, ‘Stand by your pan!’” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “If you are frying, grilling or broiling food, stay in the kitchen. Not following this advice can be a recipe for disaster on Thanksgiving and throughout the year.” When it comes to fires in the home, cooking fires are number one. They accounted for nearly 150,000 fires (more than 40 percent of all annual unintentional residential fires) each year from 2009 through 2011. Unattended cooking is the top cause of cooking fires. Cooking fires also caused the most home fire-related injuries, with an estimated annual average of nearly 27 percent, or 3,450 injuries each year.
Overall, CPSC estimates an average of 362,300 unintentional residential fires, 2,260 deaths, 12,820 injuries and nearly $7 billion in property damage attended by the fire service occurring each year between 2009 and 2011.
To stay safe in the kitchen, avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves near ranges or ovens, watch children closely so they don’t come into contact with cooking food or hot stovetops, turn pan handles toward the back of the stove to prevent kids and others from spilling a pan’s scalding contents onto themselves.
In the event of a fire, call 911. Cover a pan with a lid to smother the flames. Never pour water or flour on a fire. That can make it worse. Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
“Turkey fryer fires can be explosive and result in serious burns,” said Glenn Gaines, Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator for the United States Fire Administration (USFA). “Only use a turkey fryer outside and away from your home. Never use it in a garage or on a porch. Don’t overfill the oil or leave the turkey fryer unattended.”
Since 2003, there have been more than 125 turkey fryer-related fires, burns, explosions, smoke inhalations, or laceration incidents reported to CPSC staff. There were 55 injuries among these incidents, but none were fatal. For the incidents reporting a dollar value for the property loss, the total loss reported was around $6 million. Additional incidents involving turkey fryers may have occurred that were not reported to CPSC.
Consumers should also protect themselves by installing smoke alarms in their homes. “Roughly three out of five home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms,” said Jim Shannon, President of the National Fire Protection Association. “Smoke alarms save lives. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a fire in half.”
Change the batteries in smoke alarms at least once every year and test the alarms every month to make sure they are working.
To provide a better warning of a fire and more escape time, install more than one alarm and interconnect all smoke alarms in the home. Interconnected alarms speak to one another, so if there is a fire in one part of the house, the interconnected alarms sound throughout the house and alert consumers to the fire more quickly.
For the best protection, install alarms on every level of the home, outside sleeping areas and inside each bedroom, and use both ionization and photoelectric alarms. Alarms that are powered by house wiring should have a battery backup.
Smoke alarms provide the warning, but every family should have a fire escape plan as well. Practice the escape plan with everyone in the house so they can get out quickly. The escape plan should include two ways out of each room (as practical) and a family meeting place that is outside where everyone can meet if there is a fire in the home.
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Fill The Mayflower Collects 70,335 Meals For Families
November 27, 2014
Manna Food Pantries has concluded their seventh annual Fill the Mayflower food drive. This year, Fill the Mayflower will help provide food for a day for 23,445 people. The food will be distributed through Manna’s four pantries, the Santa Rosa Backpack4Teens Program and Senior Hunger Program in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
“This year, Manna has provided food to 32,868 people, including nearly 12,000 children,” said DeDe Flounlacker, executive director of Manna. “This drive will provide the equivalent of 70,335 meals for families in need. The Northwest Florida community continues to show an amazing capacity to help those in need.”
The longtime event is the single most important food drive for the hungry in the community.
Manna continues to see high demand for healthy food for the hungry. In just three days before the Thanksgiving holiday,Manna provided food to more than 340 people, including 142 children. The organization is able to assist someone a maximum of four times a year.
Last year, Manna Food Pantries distributed 600,000 pounds of food to the hungry. The non-profit has been serving the community since 1983.
Holiday Closings For Thanksgiving
November 27, 2014
The following will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
- Escambia County Schools (Wed-Fri)
- Santa Rosa County Schools (Wed-Fri)
- Escambia (Fla. & Ala.) and Santa Rosa county offices (Thur-Fri)
- Century, Jay, Milton, Pensacola, Atmore, Flomaton city offices (Thur-Fri)
- Perdido Landfill (Thurs, landfill open Fri)
- Santa Rosa Landfill (Thurs, landfill open Fri)
- U.S. Post Office — retail windows closed, no mail delivery or collection (Thur)
- Florida state offices (Thur-Fri)
- Federal offices (Thur-Fri)
- No bus service from ECAT on Thursday, regular service Friday
- West Florida Public Libraries, including Century Branch (Thur-Fri)
ECUA Garbage:
ECUA’s Thursday residential routes will be collected Friday, and Friday’s routes will be collected on Saturday. Thursday’s commercial routes were picked up on Wednesday; Friday commercial routes will be picked up as usual.
Escambia Deputy Victim Of A Hit And Run Driver
November 27, 2014
An Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy was the victim of a hit and run late Wednesday night on Highway 95A.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Deputy John Saltarelli was in a marked Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Chevrolet Tahoe parked on Highway 95A facing north on the west shoulder about 11:17 p.m. The vehicle’s headlights and running lights were activated while parked.
An unidentified white van traveling south on Highway 95A collided with the right side of the the deputy’s vehicle. The white van left the scene of the collision traveling south and has yet to be located by law enforcement.
Anyone with information on the accident should call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.