Ottis N. Black
February 24, 2016
Ottis N. (Nick) Black, 78 of Molino, died Sunday, February 21, 2016, at Covent Hospice in Pensacola with family by his side. Nick was born February 22, 1937, in McKenzie, AL. He was self employed for many years as a small business owner. He served in the US Army for three years and was an active member of Gideon Ministries for many years.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Foy and Alice Black; brother, Thomas C. Black; and grandson, Russell Black.
Nick is survived by his wife of 51 years, Shirley (Dimple) Perry Black; son, Malcolm (Kelly) Black of Nallen, WV; grandsons, Wyatt and Dustin; brothers, Jimmy (Linda) Black of Enterprise, AL and James A. Black of Bryneville; sisters, Margene (John) McDonald of Fairhope, Ann Perdew of Chancellor, AL and Sharron (Roy) Godwin of Plantersville, AL; along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers were Harold Smith, Dean Hassebrock, Vernon Brown, Charles Barton, James Hughes and Terry St. Cyr.
Honorary pallbearers were Gideon Camp #U01129.
In lieu of flowers, the family request donations to Gideon Ministries or Covenent Hospice.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, February 23, 2016, at Highland Baptist Church in Molino with Reverend Brian Calhoun officiating.
Burial will be in the Church Cemetery.
Reatha Mae Eddins
February 24, 2016
Reatha Mae Eddins, 80, of Molino, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Friday, Februay 19, 2016. She was a loving and devoted mother of seven. She worked as a waitress most of her life until she retired. She lost her first husband and father of her children to early death and remarried later in life until losing him to death.
She is preceded in death by these two husbands, Thomas M. Covington and Jerald L. Eddins; two stepchildren, Steve Eddins and Judy Eddins; and her second grandson, Thomas Sellers.
She is survived by her seven children, Jimmy Tucker (Sonja), Janet Long, Wayne Covington, Karen Bragg (Jimmy), Rita Kritzmire (Robert), Becky Miller (Jimmy) and Regina Hall (Bobby); two stepsons, Jerry Eddins (Kathy) and Richard Eddins (Ann); 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, February 25, 2016, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North at 1 p.m. with Reverend Mike Mashburn officiating.
Interment will follow at Crabtree Church Cemetery.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Donna Emmons Byrd
February 24, 2016
Donna Emmons Byrd, 52 of Excel, passed away Thursday, February 18, 2016, in Birmingham. Donna was born on December 3, 1963, to the late Edward “Red” and Helen Louise Emmons Wall. She was owner and operator of Southern Portable Buildings, where she was a hard worker devoted to providing for her family and others. Donna was a loving wife and mother. She enjoyed fishing, going to the beach and river.
Survivors include her husband, David Byrd of Excel; one son, Robbie (Kristen) Boyette of Atmore; one daughter, Lacey (John Russell) Smith of Uriah; two brothers, Christopher (Donna) Emmons of McCullough and Allen (Stacey) Wall of Uriah; three grandchildren, Micah, Maddox, and baby Smith; along with numerous family and friends.
Funeral services were held Monday, February 22, 2016, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Mike Grindle officiating.
Interment was in McCullough Cemetery.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
Laura H. Stacey
February 24, 2016
Laura H. Stacey, 71 of Atmore, passed away Monday, February 15, 2016, at her residence. She was a secretary for Swift Lumber Company for over 20 years. She was born in Atmore on June 28, 1944, to the late Chester and Mabel Martin Helton. She was a member of Brooks Memorial Baptist Church.
She is survived by one son, Stephen Stacey of Gulf Shores; two daughters, Stephanie (Dale) McGhee of Walnut Hill and Shannon (Justin Vibbert) Stacey of New York, NY; two brothers, Don (Linda) Helton and Chet (Kaye) Helton all of Atmore; three sisters, Patricia Smith, Virginia (Earnie) Milbredt, and Mona Woods; five grandchildren, Ashlynn, Andrew, Megan, Aundrea and Cooper; and one great-grandchild, Tracy.
Services were held Wednesday, February 17, 2016, from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Robert Heard officiating.
Interment was in Serenity Gardens.
Active pallbearers were Kevin Woods, Larry Smith, Alex Smith, Chad Helton, Brett Helton, and Gary Hare.
Honorary pallbearers were The Willing Workers Sunday School Class.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
Jessie Mae Smith
February 24, 2016
Jessie Mae Smith, 82, of Atmore, passed away Friday, February 19, 2016, in Mobile. She was a homemaker. She was born in Lottie, on September 30, 1933, to the late William Oscar and Myrtle Coker Agerton Brown. She attended Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and also enjoyed attending Huxford Senior Center.
She is preceded in death by her first husband, Buck Smith; daughter, Beth Ray; granddaughter, Lori Simmons; great-grandchildren, Zoey Simmons and A.J. Smith; two brothers, Tommy and Gene Brown; and two sisters, Estelle Parker and Ethel McKinley.
Survivors include her husband, J.D. Ashcraft of Atmore; three sons, Pete (Sue) Martin, Alvin “Pete” (Mary) Smith of Atmore and Jacky (Cathy) Smith of Flomaton; three daughters, Dorothy Parker of Stockton, Jessie (James) Spence of Atmore and Darlene (David) Black of Frisco City; three brothers, Elbert (Brenda) Brown of Flomaton, Albert (Linda) Brown of Union, MS, and Fred Brown of Jay; three sisters, Thelma (Nolan) Watkins of Mississippi, Pearl (Jimmy) Johnson of Flomaton and Carol Jackson of Milton; 14 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren, family and friends.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, February 25, 2016, at the Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home with Bro. Rob Arrant officiating.
Interment will be in Huxford Baptist Church Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Kevin Spence, Brian Spence, Heith Smith, Nick Robinson, Bobby Wooten and Jody Gilcrest.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
David Lance Hunley, Jr.
February 24, 2016
David Lance Hunley Jr., 51, of Gulf Breeze, passed away on February 21, 2016, after a 10 month battle with cancer. He was born on December 31, 1964, in Jacksonville, FL, to Diana Jean (Dutra) Hunley and David Lance Hunley Sr. He was oldest of five children.
He is preceded in death by his mother, Diana Jean (Dutra) Faulk.
Left to cherish his memory are his children, Brittany and Joshua Hunley, and their mother, Darlene Hunley of Pensacola; brothers, Darren (Kathy) Hunley of Crestview and Daniel (Gina) Hunley of Pensacola; sisters, Dana (Randy) Mason, and Deborah Hunley-Houser of Gulf Breeze; and a father to him, Rick (Ashyea) Gibson of Pensacola.
David also leaves his love, Liza Scott of Gulf Breeze to remember the everlasting love that they shared together, along with her daughters, Shannon and Hannah Scott. He leaves many nephews, nieces, family and friends to remember the good times.
Visitation will be held Friday, February 26, 2016, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North beginning at 1 p.m. with the memorial service following at 2 p.m.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Live Weather Updates Twitter And Facebook
February 23, 2016
We will have live weather updates as needed and specific to the North Escambia area tonight on Facebook and Twitter.
https://www.facebook.com/northescambia (“Like” the page and turn on notifications for updates on your phone/computer)
https://twitter.com/northescambia (“Follow” us for updates)
We will also post live storm damage updates to the pages above, if any.
All After School Activities Canceled; Schools To Dismiss At Regular Time
February 23, 2016
CLICK HERE FOR AN UPDATE TO THIS STORY.
All after Escambia County (FL) school extra-curricular activities (indoor and outdoor) have been canceled for tonight. All George Stone Technical School classes have also been canceled and will close at 5 p.m. School dismissal will occur today at the regular time.
Escambia Academy in Atmore will dismiss early at 1:30 p.m.
Today’s Storm Closures, Important Info, Shelter
February 23, 2016
Here is the latest information from NorthEscambia.com on closures and other important information on tonight’s anticipated severe weather:
Storm Information as Forecasted by the National Weather Service
- There is a significant risk of severe weather for our area until midnight.
- Tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail are all likely.
- Strong, long tracked tornadoes are possible.
- Winds will be gusty (30-40 mph) outside of thunderstorms.
- High surf along the coast (5-8 ft. surf heights through Wednesday).
Escambia County Board of County Commissioners:
- All Escambia County Board of County Commissioner offices will close at 3 p.m.
- All BOCC related evening meetings are cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date.
- Local state of emergency is enacted until Monday, Feb. 29.
- Public works crews and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office are on standby to respond as needed.
The following offices will close at 3 p.m. today:
- All offices of the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller
- All Escambia County Property Appraiser offices
- All Escambia County Supervisor of Elections offices
- All Tax Collector offices will be closing today at 3 p.m.
- All West Florida Public Library locations (bookmobile included)
- The MC Blanchard Judicial Center and Juvenile Justice Center
- City Hall and all City of Pensacola administrative offices
Escambia County School District:
- All after school extra-curricular activities (indoor and outdoor) have been canceled
- All George Stone Technical Center classes are canceled and will close at 5 p.m.
- Dismissal for all elementary, middle, and high schools will occur at the regular times
Other Closures
- All offices of the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller
- All Escambia County Property Appraiser offices
- All Escambia County Supervisor of Elections offices
- All Tax Collector offices
- All West Florida Public Library locations (bookmobile included)
- The MC Blanchard Judicial Center and Juvenile Justice Center
- City Hall and all City of Pensacola administrative offices
- All Pensacola State College classes, events, campus activities, online classes, evening classes and the PSC Board of Trustees meeting were cancelled as of 4 p.m.
- All UWF classes, events, campus activities and online courses were cancelled as of 4 p.m.
- ECUA offices closed at 4 p.m. They will reopen at normal business hours tomorrow morning. Customer service will be open at 8 a.m.
- Fort Pickens is closed until further notice.
Shelters
- At 5 p.m. the American Red Cross is opening an evacuation shelter at the old Century Middle School located at 440 East Hecker Road in Century for residents who do not feel safe in their homes. Shelters are opened to ensure your safety. Please remember shelters can be crowded and uncomfortable.
- The Salvation Army Headquarters (1310 North S Street) is available as a shelter as necessary.
- If you go to a public evacuation shelter, you will need to take the following items:
- Personal identification and any important papers.
- A change of clothing, rain gear and sturdy shoes.
- Toiletries and personal items.
- Blankets or sleeping bags.
- Games or toys for children; books for adults.
- Special items for infants or elderly family members.
- Any special dietary needs and nonperishable foods for snacks.
- Battery operated radio, flashlights and plenty of spare batteries.
- Prescription medications or any over-the-counter medications you normally take.
- Those with special needs must come with their own caregiver.
ECAT Service
- ECAT and Community Transportation will continue to offer service unless the weather intensifies to a point that it is no longer considered safe. Announcements regarding service will be made when available.
Power Outages
- Please do not call 9-1-1 to report power outages. Power outages should be reported to Gulf Power at 1-800-GU-Power (1-800-487-6937) or Escambia River Cooperative, Inc. at 1-877-688-3732.
- An outage map is available at www.MyGulfPower.com
- Never touch a fallen power line and assume all wires on the ground are electrically charged.
Alert Escambia
- In times of an emergency, like severe weather, the Escambia County Division of Emergency Management can notify participating residents via text message, email or phone call. When signing up for Alert Escambia, residents can choose their preferred method of notification
- Sign up here.
Century’s Leaders: Thank God, And We’ll Be Back Better Than Before
February 23, 2016
The Town of Century is resilient and will rise again following the destruction of an EF-3 tornado….that was the message relayed during a Century Town Council meeting Monday night.
“Oh God we thank you for sparing the lives of those that have been spared in this catastrophe that we have gone through. We just want to say thank you,” said Councilman Gary Riley has he opened the meeting in prayer.
“I was out there watching it as it went over my house,” Riley said. “(I) thanked God that he sent it over, but at the same time, as the mayor was saying, let us keep praying for the ones that were hit.”
Mayor Freddie McCall, his voice often cracking with emotion, continued during the meeting to offer praise to God for sparing lives during the tornado and offering thanks to the multitudes of people that have lent in helping hand or donated to Century’s hardest hit. Over five dozen homes in the town limits were heavily damaged or destroyed as the tornado swept through town.
“People have brought food, brought clothing, from every direction and it’s still coming. And I just want to thank everybody for what they’ve done in that way,” McCall said. “We are going to stay together, and we are going to come through this. We are going to be better than we were before.”
“I just can’t think everybody enough for what they are doing for this little town,” an emotional McCall said.
“It’s bad what happened to our town,” Council President Ben Boutwell said, “but it could also be a gift from God….Just be there for each other, and be good neighbors.”