Marolyn Seay Lancaster
May 7, 2016
Marolyn Seay Lancaster, age 75, of Pensacola, went to be with the Lord on Monday, May 2, 2016.
She was born a few minutes before her twin on January 20, 1941, in Rosinton, AL, and attended school in Stapleton, AL and Baldwin County High School in Bay Minette.
She met the love of her life, Zearl Lancaster, at a Christian youth gathering, a Singsperation, in Robertsdale and was married to him for the next 58 amazing years.
When we think of our mother, wife, sister and friend we think of lover of God, mother, wife, friend, graceful, wise, compassionate, musician, encourager, minister, good neighbor, counselor, wife of elected official, bridal shop owner, wedding coordinator, caterer, U.S. Deputy Marshal, transporter of fugitives for the U. S. Government, marksman (sharp-shooter), comforter, inspirer, edifier, cook, hospitable, gracious, kind, longsuffering, gentle, merciful, peacemaker, exuberant laughter, humorous, joyful, intuitive and so many things that words cannot describe nor ink to pen. She’ll truly be missed.
Marolyn was preceded in death by her parents, D.D. Sawyer, John Wesley Seay, Sallie Mosely-Sawyer-Bain; and brother, Gerald Seay.
She is survived by her husband, Zearl Lancaster; daughters, Daphne Richbourg, Cindy Granger (Kevin); and son, Greg Lancaster (Donna), seven grandchildren, ten (+3) great-grandchildren; twin sister, Carolyn Seay Hudson; and brothers, James Seay and Wendell Seay.
Family visitation will be Monday, May 9, 2016, from 4:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. with open visitation from 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Funeral services will follow at 6:30 p.m. at Family-Funeral Home, 7253 Plantation Road in Pensacola.
Jannette Kendrick Sells
May 7, 2016
Mrs. Jannette Kendrick Sells, 65, passed away on Saturday, May 7, 2016, in Atmore.
Mrs. Sells was a native and lifelong resident of Atmore. Mrs. Sells was a loving wife, mother, and friend. She loved to fish, and loved to be outdoors.
She was a member of the Poarch Community Church. She is preceded in death by her parents, John and Lila Kendrick; and one brother, Robert Lee Kendrick.
She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Toney Gene Sells of Atmore; one son, Tony Eugene Sells and wife, Catelyn of Atmore; one daughter, Daphane Sells Hamilton of Atmore; five brothers, John Carlton Kendrick of Bay Minette, Charles Kendrick of Georgiana, AL, Calvin Kendrick of Atmore, Melton Kendrick of Atmore, and David Kendrick of Robertsdale; five sisters, Faye Owens of Silver Hill, AL, Mary Pizzotti of Fairhope, Ann Nelson of Daphne, Billie Ann Edwards of Atmore and Carol Melvin of Atmore; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, May 10, 2016, at 2 p.m. at Poarch Community Church with Rev. Trevor Daughtery, and Rev. Johnny Stabler officiating.
Visitation will be Monday, May 9, 2016, from 6 p.m. until service time Tuesday, May 10, 2016, at Poarch Community Church.
Pallbearers will be Ben Andrews, Kevin Andrews, Clinton Philyaw, Charles Gregson, James Phillips, and Shawn Rolin.
Honorary pallbearers will be Cody Hall, Brian Davidson, Bryan Couch, Jamie Mondaca and Paul Morris.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes in charge of all arrangements.
Margaret Gail Fillingim Chavers
May 7, 2016
Mrs. Margaret Gail Fillingim Chavers, 59, passed away on Wednesday, May 4, 2016, in Jay.
Mrs. Chavers was a native of Bluff Springs and a resident of McDavid for the past forty years. Mrs. Chavers was a very special Nana Gail to many. Mrs. Chavers was a Sunday school teacher. She was an employee of Masland Carpets for 27 years, a friend to everyone, and an animal lover.
She is preceded in death by her husband, “Seabo” Chavers Sr.; father, Thomas F. Fillingim Sr.; brother, Neal and wife, Sonya Fillingim; and one step-son, Van Chavers.
She is survived in death by her mother, Louise Fillingim Dockers of McDavid; one son, Seaborn Chavers, Jr. and his wife Debbie, of TN; one special son, Alvin Paul, of Atmore; two daughters, Belinda and husband Morris Norman, of Bridge City, TX, Forest Chavers Barber and husband Wayne, of Port Neches, TX’; two brothers, Thomas F. Fillingim, Jr. and his wife Faye, of McDavid, John R. and wife Patsy Fillingim of Jay; one sister, Susan and husband Leslie Barnes, of McDavid; and many very special nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Saturday, May 7, 2016, at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Burial was in Christian Home Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Michael Fillingim, Michael Petersen, Aaron Fillingim, Blake Barns, Billy Ray Criswell, and Dustin Rector.
Honorary pallbearers were Raymond Peoples, Don Grant, Joe Lister, Bobby Waller, Reggie Burkett, Robert Newton, Alvin Paul, and Gail Dearest friend (Son).
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Santa Rosa Fireman Arrested For Financial Theft
May 6, 2016
A former Pace fireman has been arrested on multiple felony charges for allegedly stealing from his department.
Lee Pitts, 53, was arrested after a lengthy investigation conducted by the State Attorney’s Office into questionable business activities at the Pace Fire and Rescue Department. At the time of the charged offenses, Pitts was the department’s financial officer.
Pitt was charged with one count of organized fraud of property valued at less than $20,000, two counts of grand theft of property valued at $300 or more but less than $5,000 and 43 misdemeanor counts of petit theft from his former employer, the Pace Fire and Rescue Department.
If convicted, Pitts faces up to 15 years in state prison.
Pitts was accused of making non-department purchases on his Pace Fire and Rescue Department credit card, including 41 purchases of video games from Google ranging from 99 cents to $99.99, with the majority of the purchases being $99.99. Pitts told investigators that that one of his children must have used the PFRD credit card stored in his phone to make the Google purchases.
Prosecutors said there were additional questionable charges, including $250.85 to Greyhound, $636.48 to Ocean 6 for meat while his son was a salesman for the company, $72.01 to Tilly’s in Cordova Mall, and $366.14 to Sam’s Club for a Serta air bed.
Pitts was also accused of paying himself for 539.25 hours of paid time off, in excess of the 80 hours allowed per year for $5,288.30 of unauthorized compensation.
Former Cafeteria Manager Sentenced For Stealing Student Lunch Money
May 6, 2016
A former elementary school cafeteria manager has been sentenced to probation after being charged with stealing lunch money from student accounts at Molino Park and Jim Allen elementary schools.
Jennifer Leigh McKendrick, 42, was arrested for felony official misconduct and grand theft. She pleaded no contest to the charges against her. Judge Jennie Kinsey withheld adjudication in sentencing McKendrick to three years supervised probation. She will also be required to make restitution and pay $518 in court costs.
Officials said she was improperly refunding money from student lunch accounts and pocketed the cash.
McKendrick was first hired by the Escambia County School District in late 1997. In August 2013, she was promoted to food service manager at Molino Park Elementary School and was given the additional duty of supervising food service operations at Jim Allen Elementary in August 2014. Part of her duties included issuing refunds from student meal accounts.
In May 2015, a Molino Park parent found that his children’s online lunch accounts has an incorrect zero balance. When he called the cafeteria to question the balance, he was told the money was refunded in March 2015. The victim told investigators that he never requested and never received a refund. He was contacted three different times by McKendrick who offered to meet him off campus and refund the money, according to authorities.
McKendrick admitted that she removed money from the food service cashier kiosk at both Molino Park and Jim Allen elementary schools without completing the appropriate paperwork, according to an arrest warrant. She contacted a school district investigator and volunteered to reimburse the school district for any funds determined to be missing.
She resigned from her position on June 2, 2015.
A total of $2,787.75 of was wrongly removed from the school district’s food service funds, according to an internal audit.
Another Perfect Weather Day
May 6, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 76. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 51. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 81. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 57. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 81. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.
Let Us Pray: Services Held For National Day Of Prayer
May 6, 2016
Atmore marked the National Day of Prayer Thursday with several events, drawing the faithful and pastors from Alabama and Florida. A prayer walk was held at Atmore City Hall, followed by prayer at the Veterans Memorial. A community prayer service and Bible reading was held Thursday afternoon in the Cornell Torrence Gym at Escambia County High School.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Obama Grants Early Release For Three Locals
May 6, 2016
Thursday, President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentenced of 58 people, including three from Escambia County:
Christopher Gulley – Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 12, 1996).
Larry Lewis – Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $1,000 fine (October 20, 1999); amended to 324 months’ imprisonment (June 18, 2006); amended to 262 months’ imprisonment (July 2, 2015)
David Anthony Trotter – Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 15, 1993)
Gulley and Trotter will be released on September 2, while Lewis is set for release on May 5, 2017.
Florida Driver’s License System Down This Weekend
May 6, 2016
Drivers might want to act quickly if their licenses are set to expire in the next few days.
Floridians will not be able to renew their licenses this weekend, as the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles moves computer hardware from one government building in Tallahassee to another. The system will be affected from 8 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Monday.
Services will be unavailable for people who visit local tax collectors for renewals, as well as for people trying to get new IDs online.
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Beth Frady said the computer system should only be down for the weekend.
“Anyone whose credentials, registrations, ID cards, driver’s licenses … anything that expires from the department, it could impact them,” Frady said. “So, not everyone necessarily, but if you are set to expire, it will absolutely impact you.”
The move of the computer hardware comes as the state relocates about 1,500 employees from an office complex where the equipment has been housed. The relocation is due to allegations that poor environmental conditions in the complex have led to health problems for some workers.
“Monday morning, we are expected to be fully operational,” Frady said. “We are going to have teams working throughout the weekend to make sure all the testing and everything goes as planned.”
New Century Correctional Institution Officer Recruits Graduate
May 6, 2016
Several new Century Correctional Institution recruits recently graduated from Basic Recruit Class. The new correctional officers are (front, L-R) Amanda Day, Justin Simpson, Harmony Thomas, Claudero Riley and John Patrick. Also pictured are (back, L-R) Warden Bryant, Major Marshall, Major DeLapp and Officer deGraaf. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.