Perry Gray, Jr.
February 15, 2024
Perry Gray, Jr., resident of Cantonment, Florida passed away on February 8, 2024 at the age of 68.
He was born in Pensacola, Florida on December 29, 1956 to the late Perry Gray, Sr. and Mabel Nell Gray.
Perry served as a Wire Specialist with the United States Army from 1976-1979 and a High Voltage Supervisor for the Navy Public Works – Norfolk, Virginia from 1992-2001 retiring as a Master Electrician.
He had a passion for fishing, hunting, and boating.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
Perry is survived by his wife of 37 years, Elise McGuire-Gray; son, Kendrick Johnson; step-son, Darrel McGuire; sisters, Mary Cynthia Gray Butler and Carolyn Gray Conner; brother, Clement E. (Junita) Gray; sisters-in-law, Dorothy Harris, Carol Tinsley, Kay Tinsley and Betty Tinsley; and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Funeral service will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, February 23, 2024 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Pastor Donald Mixon officiating. Burial will follow in Barrancas National Cemetery, NAS Pensacola, Florida.
The family will receive friends at 10:30 a.m. until time of service.
Pallbearers will be Billy Ray Paige, Jr., Darius Paige, Anthony Baker, Alexander Baker, Tajee Murphy and Jerry Conner.
Anthony Holly, Ira McQueen, Lumon McCreary, Sr. and Rudy Rodrigues will act as Honorary Bearers.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North, 1000 South Highway 29, Cantonment, is entrusted with arrangements.
Joshua Brian Ellis
February 15, 2024
Joshua Brian Ellis, age 39, of Flomaton, AL passed away on February 10, 2024. He was born on November 7, 1984 to Eddie Pipkins Ellis and Nancy Capers Ellis. He was a Pipefitter Helper with J & L Industrial. He is preceded in death by his father.
He is survived by his mother, Nancy Capers Ellis; his brother, Ace (Brandi) Ellis of Atmore, AL; his sisters, Kristy (Kristopher) Marshall of Oak Grove, FL and Carrie Ellis (Tommy Lewis) of Bratt, FL; nine nieces and nephews along with two great nieces.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow in Dry Springs Cemetery in Enon, FL.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, February 20, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. until service time at 11:00 a.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home in Atmore, AL.
Patricia Holman
February 15, 2024
Patricia Holman, 95, of Pensacola, Florida passed away February 11, 2024. She was born in Decatur, Mississippi on December 15, 1928 to Patti Snow Felton and Simeon Witt Box. She was married to Baker Gluck Holman for 29 years. Patricia worked in elementary education at Navy Point Elementary, N. B. Cook Elementary, and L. D. McArthur Elementary. She was a member of Hillcrest Baptist Church. She has a passion for teaching, art, reading, gardening, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Patricia was preceded in death by her husband, Baker Gluck Holman; her mother, Patti Snow Felton Box; father, Simeon Whit Box; brother, William Arthur Box; and sister, Betty Deen.
She is survived by her sons, Ricky Holman (Dianne), Kent Holman; daughter, Dina Rush; grandchildren, Lori Levine (Andrew), Kristy Ries, Jessica Shelby (Jesse), Katie Richter, Michael Tucker, Abigail Dodgen (Brittney); great-grandchildren, Charlotte and Ira Levine, Daniel and Jude Ries, Dante Thomas, Amelia and Isaac Shelby, Kaden Cargile, Georgia Kate, Lincoln James Richter, Judsyn and Alizabeth Dodgen; and her beloved and adored furbaby, Taffy.
She also leaves behind to cherish her memory, Tim and Amy Deen and their children and grandchildren, Patti and Glenn Delaney, Leigh Francis and daughter, Brooke; Susan and Eddie Keith and their children and grandchildren, Julia Box, Jim and Collenn Box, Mike and Cheryl Box, and Cathy and Steve Arriola.
Pat’s family would like to express their love and appreciation to longtime friends and caregivers, Susan Stewart, Yuronica Brown, Jane and Mick Breault, and Clare Jackson and her late husband, Sam.
We are thankful our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ saved Pat and provided her with an eternal home. We will see her again!
Funeral services for Patricia Holman will be held Monday, February 19, 2024 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North. The family will receive friends for visitation from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.
Funeral services will begin at 11:30 a.m. with Pastor Chris Kelley officiating.
Patricia will be laid to rest at Barrancas National Cemetery.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North, 1000 South Highway 29, Cantonment, is entrusted with arrangements.
Atmore Man Killed In Traffic Crash
February 14, 2024
A traffic crash north of Atmore claimed the life of a local man Monday morning.
Wednesday morning, Alabama state troopers said 87-year old Ellis K. Lee was fatally injured when the 2019 Chevrolet Suburban he was driving was struck by the 2014 Kenworth tractor-trailer driven by Patrick M. Bankester, 56, of Bay Minette. Ellis was pronounced deceased at the scene. The crash occurred on Jack Springs Road near I-65,about three miles north of Atmore at about 10:50 a.m. Monday.
The investigation is continuing.
FDOT To Install Traffic Signal At Nine Mile Road, Ashland Avenue Intersection
February 14, 2024
The Florida Department of Transportation will install a traffic signal at the intersection of Nine Mile Road and Ashland Avenue, Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry announced during a town hall meeting this week.
Barry said Escambia County will be responsible for the cost to construct a new left turn lane on Ashland Avenue.
“That’s what we have to do to get a light there; we certainly need one,” Barry said. “That’s the closest they (FDOT) are going to allow a light to Pine Forest on Nine Mile. We’ll take what we can get. It’s a good thing.”
A timeline for completion is not yet available as FDOT works to get the parts required for the signal installation.
Pictured: Looking south from Ashland Avenue across the intersection of Nine Mile Road. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Cool, Near 40 Tonight
February 14, 2024
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 65. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Showers likely, mainly after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 49. South wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday: Showers likely, mainly before 7am. Cloudy, with a high near 57. North wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. North wind around 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 31. North wind around 5 mph.
Washington’s Birthday: Sunny, with a high near 63.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 39.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 68.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 71.
Barry Discusses Development And Concurrency During Town Hall
February 14, 2024
During a town hall meeting this week, Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said it may be time for the commission to talk more about concurrency in development.
Concurrency is the principle that public facilities and services necessary to support a proposed development should be available, or be made available, concurrent with the impacts of the development.
“Where are these students going to go, and Where are the roads going to come from,” Barrineau Park resident Bonnie Exner (pictured left) asked.
‘I don’t know where the kids are going to go to school,” Barry responded. “I know there’s a conversation with the school board district right now about parceling out a portion of OLF-8 for a K-8 school. There’s conversations about a new school in the north Cantonment- Quintette area.”
He said concurrency was removed out of the Escambia County Comprehensive Plan when it was no longer required by the state, around 1993.
“It is something that the board has discussed a little bit in the last year. It may be the time to begin having a little more of that conversation about some concurrency. It’s something that potentially adds cost to development; the majority of folks in my opinion that are doing development are trying to put a good product on the ground.”
For more town hall pictures, click or tap here.
Other residents that attended the District 5 town hall at the Langley Bell 4-H Center in Cantonment expressed concerns about traffic, code enforcement and drainage issues.
NorthEscambia.ocm photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Gets Life In Prison For Attempted Murder
February 14, 2024
An 18-year old Escambia County man has been sentenced to life in prison for shooting a woman in the head last year.
Ryan Earl Seals was sentenced to life in prison by Circuit Judge Coleman Lee Robinson following his conviction for attempted second degree murder by an Escambia County Jury during a two-day trial.
On the afternoon of April 7, 2023, Seals and two others fired handguns at a home on Potomac Drive in Mayfair. After the initial volley, the suspects drove around the block and returned to the residence. Seals fired an additional five times before driving away. During the hail of gunfire, a 28 year-old woman was shot in the head. Despite suffering a grievous and permanent injury, she survived, prosecutors said.
Later that day, the suspect vehicle was located passing through Attucks Court. Seals was driving and led the police on a high-speed chase. After Seals crashed the vehicle, he fled on foot. During the foot chase, Seals was visibly armed with a firearm which was recovered. Forensic testing confirmed this was the firearm used to shoot the five rounds in the Mayfair gunfire incident.
The jury also convicted Seals of Shooting from a vehicle, fleeing to elude law enforcement at high speed with lights and siren activated, and resisting an officer without violence. Judge Robinson sentenced him to serve concurrent terms of incarceration for those counts.
Cantonment Church Offering ‘Ashes To Go’ At A Hardware Store For Ash Wednesday
February 14, 2024
Need to do Ash Wednesday in a hurry? Several churches are offering outdoor ashes to help people start Lent today, even without leaving their cars.
St. Monica’s Episcopal Church Rev Deacon Rachel Iversen says they will be on the porch of Ace Hardware on Highway 29 Cantonment from 9 am until 11 am., offering ashes to observe Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.
“This is for people on their way to work – it’s a window of opportunity,” Iversen said. “People can pull up, we’ll have a guided meditation, a prayer on a bulletin. They can read the prayer, prepare mentally and spiritually. If they want to pray, we’ll pray with them.”
The drive-through concept welcomes people who have never observed Ash Wednesday before. They don’t have to be churchgoers, Iversen said. “There’s no stipulation – wherever you are in your spiritual journey,” she said. “If they’re curious, they can experience the ashes. It’s a spiritual experience. If people want a time of prayer, repentance and reflecting on their own mortality, we want to let them know that the call to turn and focus on God is present anywhere.”
We make a shape of the cross with ashes on the forehead and say what the ancients said, ‘Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.’ It’s a wonderful reminder of our mortality but the grace of it all too.”
Iversen said they will hand out sheets with answers to frequently asked questions about Ash Wednesday, such as “Do I have to wear the ashes all day?” “Only if you want to,” Iversen said. The ashes are worn as a sign of penitence.
“The church is called to take the church out to the streets.
“We are going to dress like clergy so people know we are fulfilling that role,” Iversen said. “If I were out there in blue jeans people wouldn’t know we were ministers.”
Ash Wednesday marks the start of the 40-day penitential period of Lent, leading up to the celebration of Easter on March 31.
There will also be an indoor Ash Wednesday service at 6 p.m. at St. Monica’s Episcopal church at 699 Highway 95A.
55-Gallon ‘Unknown’ Drums Removed From Century Water Well Site And Destroyed
February 14, 2024
According to a filing Tuesdaywith the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), four “unknown substance” 55-gallong drums have been identified, removed from a Century water well site, and destroyed.
In a January 30 warning letter, FDEP cited a possible violation after finding four 55-gallon drums on-site at the town’s Well #1 on Blackmon Street that had been there for at least four years with ” unknown substance” inside.
An account manager for the Layne Christensen Company, said in an email Tuesday to the town and FDEP that samples appeared to be the “same vegetable grade oil that was bailed from Well #1 when it was changed to water lubrication.” The barrels were removed and disposed of properly.
FDEP identified 34 other potential violations of Florida statutes and codes. Other findings included improper safety equipment, insufficient chlorine in the water, an emergency plan dated 2012, and that laboratory and other data was being falsified. A daily log sheet was pre-filled by the town’s operator with sampling results before the sampling analysis was conducted, FDEP said. The town has hired an attorney to respond to the remainder of the FDEP warning letter.