Florida Today from Cocoa, Florida • Page 15

FLORIDA TODAY, Monday, August 13, 2001 3B Slow political year hurts possum auction Obituaries Death notices are published of charge. There is a charge for full obituaries and memorials. Call 242-3587 for information. I For an archive of obituaries, go to www.flatoday.net/obits/ search.htm DEATH NOTICES CONNOR Virginia S. Connor, 77, of Merritt Island, died Saturday, Aug.

11, 2001. Arrangements by, WylieBaxley Funeral Home in Merritt Island. FAIRBANKS Jack D. Fairbanks, 83, of Melbourne, died Sunday, Aug. 12, 2001.

Arrangments by Florida Memorial Funeral Home in Rockledge. REINERT Albert Reinert, 82, of Satellite Beach, died Saturday, Aug. 11, 2001. Arrangements by South Brevard Funeral Home in Melbourne. SALPIETRO Mary Theresa Salpietro, 84, of Melbourne, died Saturday, Aug.

11. Arrangements by Florida Memorial Funeral Home in Rockledge. SAND Robert W. Sand, 73, of Melbourne, died Saturday, Aug. 11.

Arrangements by South Brevard Funeral Home in Melbourne. STANBRO Janet Ellen Stanbro, 60, of Rockledge, died Saturday Aug. 11. Arrangements by BeckmanWilliamson Funeral Home in Rockledge. IN MEMORIAM In Loving Memory Of DIANE G.

CANNA VERDE December 29, 1933 August 13, 2000 You were taken away to be with our Lord much too soon. And your absence has left a terrible void on this earth. You were one of God's special creations whose smile could melt a frozen heart. The memories of your beautiful smile and giving heart will be embedded in our minds forever. We love and miss you so very much.

The Cannaverde Family IN MEMORIAM In Loving Memory Of PETE BOWMAN August 13, 1931 May 31, 1999 Happy Seventieth Birthday. Never Forgotten. IN MEMORIAM In Loving Memory Of CARL PORTER Born August 16, 1922 Passed August 13, 2000 One year ago, you went away, but in our hearts you will always stay. No one is ever really gone, as long as the memories lingers on. We miss you and love you.

Your wife, Helen, family and friends JACK D. FAIRBANKS MELBOURNE Jack D. Fairbanks, 83, passed away on Sunday, August 12, 2001 at Holmes Regional Hospital. Mr. Fairbanks worked at Rockwell as an Electrical Engineer.

He was born in New Jersey. He is survived by his wife, Louise Fairbanks of Melbourne; and daughter, Nancy Suptra of Edgewater, Fla. He was predeceased by his son, Jack Fairbanks, Jr. Calling hours are Tuesday from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Florida Memorial Funeral Home and services are Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.

at Florida Memorial Funeral Home. Burial will be held at Florida Memorial Gardens. Florida Memorial Gardens is entrusted with arrangements. VIRGINIA CONNOR MERRITT ISLAND Virginia S. Connor, 77, a homemaker, died Saturday, August 11, 2001 at Wuesthoff Hospital.

Mrs. Connor was born in Ft. Collins, Colorado and came to Brevard County in 1969 from Springfield, Virginia. She was a member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church, two time President of The Central Brevard Chapter of AAUW, a member of the Tri Delta Sorority, and a graduate of Colorado State University.

Virginia is survived by her husband of 50 years, James J. Connor son, Mark Connor; daughter, Susan O'Brien; son, Michael Conner; brother, Calven P. Conrey; and 8 grandchildren. Services will be held Wednesday, August 15 at 11:00 a.m. at St.

Luke's Episcopal Church in Merritt Island. Burial will be at St. Luke's Cemetery, Merritt Island. Donations may be made to St. Luke's Memorial Fund, P.O.

Box 541025, Merritt Island, Fla 32954. Wylie-Baxley Funeral Home, Merritt Island is entrusted with arrangements. ALBERT C. REINERT SATELLITE BEACH Albert C. Reinert, 82, of Satellite Beach, died Saturday, Argus: 11, 2001 at Mariner Health of Atlantic Shores Nursing Home, Melbourne, Fla.

Mr. Reinert was born in Long Island, New York. He was a retired Colonel with the United States Army after serving thirty years. He served in World War 11 and the Korean War. He was also a Class of '42 West Point Graduate, a Mason and a member of the Scottish Rite.

He is survived by 2 sons Robert (Margaret) Reinert and Albert (Lisa) Reinert; and 2 granddaughters April and Jill. He was predeceased by his wife Vera. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to South Brevard Funeral Home. MARY THERESA SALPIETRO MELBOURNE Mary Theresa Salpietro, 84, passed away on Saturday, August 11, 2001 at Beverly Health Care.

Mary was born in New York, NY and came to Brevard County in July of 1984 from Rockland County NY. She was a Roman Catholic. Mary is survived by her daughters Joy Occhiuto of New Rochelle, NY and Rochelle Sciarrino of Indialantic, Fla; son, Vincent Salpietro of Highland Mills, NY; brother, Peter Regalo of New York; 3 sisters Christina Staropoli of New York, Mildred Lacapra of Melbourne Beach, and Gai Raggo of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla; and 6 grandchildren. Calling hours will be on Monday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

at Florida Memorial Funeral Home. Mass services will be held Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. at Holy Name Of Jesus Church and the burial will be at Florida Memorial Gardens. Florida Memorial Gardens is entrusted with arrangements. Get complete TV listings every day in PEOPLE.

FLORIDA TODAY www.floridatoday.com Associated Press WAUSAU "Who'll give me $50 for this possum?" said auctioneer Dalton Carter at the 32nd Annual Wausau Fun Day and Possum Festival. The mayor of Chipley, Tommy McDonald, ended up giving $100. "It's for a good cause," said McDonald, adding that he would give the possum back so that it could be auctioned again to the crowd gathered at the Possum Palace. "I already have one under my house, so I don't need another one," he said. Carter started the World Famous Possum Auction in 1970.

He said it was a good way to raise community spirits and raise a little money for charity. "I thought if they have a cow- having a possum auction wasn't such a bad idea," said Carter, 69. Politicians evidently have felt the same. Prior auction participants include Govs. Jeb Bush, Bob Martinez and Lawton Chiles, and Secretary of State Katherine Harris.

Politicians also give the possums back for re-auctioning, but sometimes not before they bask in a little glory. Harris proudly held up her possum at the 1998 auction just long enough to have her picture taken. She was in full campaign mode at the time. Election years tend to make the possums more popular among politicians. "Gov.

Martinez gave $700 for a possum," said Carter, wearing his embroidered possum shirt. "Something about an election year drives up the value of possums." of politicians at this year's auction earlier this month may have pushed Carter to polish up his possum salesmanship skills. As he held a baby possum up for auction, he said, "Take this little fellow and learn how to smile. You see he has a grin on his face, but that's really a smile." Wausau resident Frank Corso, 61, bought the little fellow for $25 and said he'd assume the role of its agent. "I'm going to feed him and grow him up for next year's possum auction," Corso said, and added that he'd name his toothy showman Possum Jack, or P.J.

for short. Ben West, a 14-year-old Wausau resident, stood watch over the caged possums awaiting auction. He said he caught the animals for his grandfather, Possum Festival Chairman Joe Tharp. you give them," said West. "But we feed them mostly sardines." West said he personally preferred hamburger to possum meat.

Wausau Community Development official Monica Corso said money from the auction will help pay for scholarships as well as next year's festival in this small town about 36 miles north of Panama City. "The population in this town is about 313," said Corso. "But the festival brings out a lot more people than that." Gate attendants estimated this year's crowd at around 3,000 people. Possum Queen Bigun' Possum, a.k.a. Junnie Flowers, said she was at the first possum auction in 1970, and though she likes the auction, it still can't compete with the crowning of the Possum King and Queen.

chip tossing contest in Texas, then The fact that there weren't a lot "They'll eat just about anything Royalty can be hard to please. Cult leader set for release from prison Cult, From 6B He met Yahweh, visited the group's communal Temple of Love in a converted warehouse now occupied by an auto body shop and talked to former followers, the key to solving some of the killings. "I couldn't say with any degree of certainty whether he would be a danger or not," King said. But he doesn't want Yahweh back in charge again because he "strongly promoted racism, he hated whites, and this is something he was teaching to the kids." The group denies it is racist and points to its nonblack members. Its Web site concentrates on a Bible-based religious message, rails against Yahweh's conviction and accuses the U.S.

government of waging a war of words against the group. Yahweh's name is printed in the Hebrew alphabet throughout the site. But King cites Yahweh's teachings that he found and consumed during the murder investigations. "I found him to be fascinating. I had some of his tapes that we collected from the Carlton Carey homicide," King said, calling YahShark victim comes home Shark, From 6B Jessie was freed when his arm came off in the shark's mouth.

A bystander carried him to shore while Flosenzier dragged the shark onto the beach. A ranger and volunteer firefighter later removed the arm from the fish's gullet. It was reattached at Baptist Hospital where Jessie was initially flown by helicopter across Pensacola Bay from the barrier island beach. Jessie was transferred to Sacred Heart's pediatric intensive care unit two days after the attack when his kidneys failed due to extensive blood loss, which also caused the coma. His kidneys have since improved and he no longer needs dialysis.

Doctors say Jessie also has been making neurological progress, but that recovery could take up to a year. Although his arm is healing well, it could be a year to 18 months before doctors know how much muscle use and sensation Jessie will regain. Doctors have said familiar surroundings might help his recovery. Fashions, fads and fascinating folks every day in PEOPLE. www.floridatoday.com For home delivery, call 631-2780-N.

Brevard, 259-5000-Cent. So. Brevard, TODAY 562-1771-Indian River Co. weh as spellbinding as Billy Graham. "I can understand the draw to him.

He's an excellent teacher. I just wished he was a positive influence instead of turning out as negative as he did." The scope of the slaughter and the mutilations stood out even in a city jaundiced in the 1980s by commonplace machine-gun killings in cocaine turf wars. Yahweh was accused of dispatching his closest followers in 1986 to kill "white devils" and return with a physical souvenir as proof. Both ears were chopped off the body of a man killed in his car because the first was dropped and lost. A criminal defense attorney who was at the courthouse on the day of Yahweh's hearing said without a second thought that he should never be let out of prison.

Yahweh was charged in three murders but two cases were dropped after a state jury delivered a quick acquittal in the third. Former NFL player and Yahweh follower Robert Rozier, the key witness who admitted carrying out several of the killings, is dismissed on the Yahweh Web site as "Lying Bob." May, one of Yahweh's attorneys, charges the government has lumped "a group of very decent, very sincere followers" in with a cadre of convicted racketeers, whom Yahweh agrees not to associate with. "The case is not a prosecution of a religion," May said. "There is absolutely no evidence presented that Yahweh represents any risk to the community." FREE DINNER Informational Seminar! THURSDAY, AUGUST 16th AT 6:00 PM A 6485 S. US Hwy.

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