Tallahassee Democrat from Tallahassee, Florida • Page 20

6BTallahassee Democrat Saturday, December 15, 2001 Florida Obituaries WH.Tl,l.HlSS":PKMO:RT.fO were TOafiDner ml epecftedl fiDuos wiiniteir All's quiet in El Nino's absence "It has much less to do with climate than number of people living here. We don't get that steady precipitation in the winter like in the Northeast and Midwest If you add a population that doubles, you can get into some problems." said 71.16 inches fell over the city from January through Wednesday, almost 20 inches more than its normal 54.8 inches. Orlando also had a higher amount of rainfall than normal, with 54.88 inches recorded. That city's average is 46.97 inches. Tallahassee had an average year of rain, with 62.83 inches measured in the state capital.

Normal amounts of rain also fell in Fort Myers: 52.6 inches. Tampa recorded 39 inches, more than three inches below normal, while a total of 48.63 inches was recorded in Jacksonville, just more than an inch below normal. The underground aquifer in those areas remains below normal, despite the end of the drought. Twice-a-week lawn watering restrictions remain in place for the 16 Central and North Florida counties of the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Southwest Florida eased its watering ban from one to two days per week except in the Tampa Bay area. Water shortages have plagued drought-stricken portions of the state the past two years. Barry Goldsmith, a National Weather Service meteorologist, in Tampa, said the blame shouldn't fall solely on the dry climate but also the number of people living in Florida. "You have to consider population buildup and how many people are using water," he said. "It has much less to do with climate than number of people living here.

We don't get that steady precipitation in the winter like in the Northeast and Midwest. If you add a population that doubles, you can get into some Barry Goldsmith meteorologist By Jaime Hernandez THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MIAMI Above-normal rainfall in 2001 helped alleviate Florida's three-year drought, but warm, dry weather is expected for early 2002, forecasters said Friday. Meteorologists blamed the dry condition mostly on the lack of El Nino, a weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean that pushes the jet stream over Florida and usually brings more storms to the state. The weather pattern isn't expected back until July. "For the past three years, it's been abnormally quiet when it comes to severe weather," said Jim Lushine, the warning coordination specialist at the National Weather Service in Miami.

"We don't expect to have severe weather in the winter and spring." However, a warmer winter doesn't mean the state will be immune to a freeze, Lushine said. Earlier this year, cold weather gripped the state, destroying crops and creating dry conditions that helped spark wildfires around Florida. Lushine said a big reason for the dry three years is La Nina, a weather phenomenon that produces the opposite effect from El Nino. He said the drought in Florida is over because of the increased rainfall. Miami has enjoyed the most rain it's had in six years.

Lushine problems." Water use is forecast to increase 30 percent from 7.2 billion gallons per day in 1995 to 9.3 billion in 2020 as more people move to the Sunshine State, already home to nearly 16 million residents. Local Obituaries George Edward Bishop George Edward Bishop, 73, of Tallahassee died if Wednesday. The memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Monday at First Presby-t i a Church. She is survived by three sons, Jim Pullen and Bob Pullen of Tallahassee and Jack Pullen of Gautier, a daughter, Carol Ann Pullen of Fort Lauderdale; 12 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

Georgia Lee Sutton Georgia Lee Sutton, 85, of Malone died Thursday in Marianna. The service will be at 10 a.m. CST (11 a.m. EST) Monday at Hickory Grove Cemetery near Bascom. Family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m.

CST (8 to 10 p.m. EST) Sunday at Lord Funeral Home in Marianna (850-482-8843). A lifelong resident of Jackson County, she was a member of Malone Free Will Baptist Church. She is survived by a son, Fred Wayne Sutton of Bascom; a daughter, Carolyn Lee Davis of Arkansas; a sister, Johnnie Mae Shores of Malone; and four grandchildren. Early L.

Wilson Jr. Early L. Wilson 78, of Bruce died Thursday. The service will be at 10 a.m. today at Clary-Godwin Funeral Home in DeFuniak Springs (850-892-2511), with burial at Red Bay Cemetery.

A native of Walton County, he was a Navy veteran. He retired from the Florida Department of Transportation and served as chairman of deacons at Ebro Baptist Church. He is survived by his wife, Pauline Wilson of Bruce; a son, Dennis Wilson of Tallahassee; a daughter, Sharon Mitchell of Panama City; two sisters, Katie Rushing of Ponce de Leon and Lulie Rushing of DeFuniak Springs; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Charles Fitzgerald McKiever, Lt. US Marine Corps (retired), died in Tallahassee, FL, on December 11, 2001.

He was 84 years of age. Born in Sumter, SC, he was the youngest child of the late John W. and Lillie Reardon McKiever of Sumter. Colonel McKiever was a graduate of the University of Maryland and received a Master's Degree from East Carolina University. He was Night Superintendent of Emergency Hospital in Washington, DC, from 1935 to 1940 when he enlisted in the Marines.

After 22 years in the Marine Corps, he retired in 1962 and then served on the faculty of East Carolina University from 1962 to 1971. He was married to the late Louise Barnette McKiever of Washington, DC. He is survived by nis son, Charles F. McKiever, of West Palm Beach, his daughter, Peggy McKiever Browning of Tallahassee, and five grandchildren, Kristen, Carolyn and John Michael McKiever of West Palm Beach, and Kate and Kelly Browning of Tallahassee. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, December 18th, at St.

Anne's Catholic Church, Sumter, SC. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers donations may be made for the historic preservation of St. Lawrence Cemetery (St. Lawrence Cemetery Association, 3270 Butterworth Circle, Sumter, SC 29154). BEVIS FUNERAL HOME 2710 North Monroe Street Tallahasse, FL 32303 850-385-2193 www.bevisfuneral.com of Tallahassee died Thursday.

The service will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Tallahassee. Family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home Timberlane Road Chapel (877-8191). Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 241 John Knox Road, Suite 100, Tallahassee, FL 32303.

A native of Ralston, he had lived in Tallahassee since 1974. A Marine Corps veteran, he retired from N.C.R. after 40 years of service. A past president of the Rotary Club, he was a member of Springtime Tallahassee and Good Shepherd Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Ann Paris of Tallahassee; a son, Francis Paris Jr.

of Tampa; five daughters, Deborah Wright, Lisa Chason, Den-ise Fackender and Sandra Bellflower of Tallahassee and Michele Walker of Fort Lauderdale; two brothers, Charles Paris of William-sport, and James Paris of Dover, a sister, Helen Harbold of Harris-burg, and 17 grandchildren. Annie V. Pullen Annie V. Pullen, 94, of Tallahassee died Thursday. The service will be at 2 p.m.

Monday at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home Timberlane Road Chapel (877-8191), with burial at Roselawn Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Tallahassee, FL 32308, or to Gideon Memorial Bible, P.O. Box 1245 Tallahassee, FL 32302.

A native of Thomasville, she was a longtime resident of Tallahassee. She retired as a secretary at W.T. Edwards-Sunland Hospital. She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star, Tallahassee Chapter 119 and a member of First Baptist Church in Tallahassee for more than 50 years. a daughter, Elizabeth Tharpe of West Palm Beach; two sisters, Dorothy Phillips of Calvary and Alma King of Fort Myers; five grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

Carolynn J. Girtman Carolynn J. Girtman, 80, of Bartow died Dec. 14 in Auburndale. The service will be at 11 a.m.

Friday at McLeod Memorial Presbyterian Church in Bartow, with burial at Wildwood Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Whidden-McLean Funeral Home in Bartow (863-533-8123). Memorial contributions may be made to the Polk County Retired Educators' Association Unit 1 Scholarship Fund, 1410 Ellison Lane, Lakeland, FL 33801. A native of Fort Meade, she had lived in Bartow for 58 years.

A retired teacher in the Polk County School System, she also was employed as an executive secretary and consultant in the vocational division of the Florida Department of Education in Tallahassee. She is survived by two sons, Ben Girtman of Tallahassee and William Lloyd Girtman of Lakeland, and six grandchildren. Catharine Gordon Gretsch Catharine Gordon "Kitty" Gretsch, 33, of Tallahassee died Wednesday. The memorial service will be at 4 p.m. today at First Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Bird-song Nature Center, 2106 Meridian Road, 31792. A native of Tallahassee and a former resident of North Carolina, she lived most of her life in Tallahassee. She was a member of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. She is survived by her mother, Catharine V. Gretsch of Tallahassee; her father, David Luther Gretsch Sr.

of Blountstown, a brother, David Luther Gretsch Jr. of Killeen, Texas; and two sisters, Martha Cook Gretsch of New York City and Miriam Gretsch-Killoran of Columbia, Md. (Strong Jones Funeral Home, 224-2139.) Betty G. Harper Betty G. Harper, 71, of Perry died Thursday.

The service will be at 2 p.m. today at Beggs Funeral Home in Perry (850-838-2929), with burial at Fellowship Cemetery in Madison County. A native of Aiken, S.C., and a former resident of Belvedere, S.C., she moved to Perry recently. She was a member of Gloverville First Baptist Church. She is survived by a son, Gary Sheffield of Perry; a daughter, Gloria Sheffield of Perry; two sisters, Olive Kirkland of Augusta, and Mae Parker of South Carolina; and four grandchildren.

Mollie M. Matthews Mollie M. Matthews, 92, of Dade City died Wednesday. The service will be at 3 p.m. today at Abbey Funeral Home in Tallahassee (562-1518).

Family will receive friends at the funeral home from 2 p.m. until the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Lighthouse Children's Home. A native of Statesboro, she moved from Tallahassee to Dade City in 1981. She was a sales manager at Sears when she retired.

She was a member of the Eastern Star and Temple Baptist Church in Tallahassee. She is survived by a son, David A. Matthews Jr. of Hollywood; three daughters, Betty Sasser of Panama City, Dorothy Case of Dade City and Tinka McK-enzie of Tallahassee; a sister, Dora Wilson of Tallahassee; nine grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandchild. (Hodges Family Funeral Home in Dade City, 352-567-0000.) Virginia Padgett Virginia "Jane" Padgett, 52, of Perry died Thursday.

The service will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Woodlawn Cemetery in Perry. Family will receive friends from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Beggs Funeral Home Perry Chapel (850-838-2929). A lifelong resident of Perry, she was a Protestant.

She is survived by a stepson, Ted Padgett of Perry; a brother, Mitchell Connell of Live Oak; and several nephews and nieces. Francis B. Paris Sr. Francis B. Paris 72, Family will BishP receive friends at the church after the service.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church Organ Fund, 110 N. Adams Tallahassee, FL 32301, or to ComForT Program, 2639 N. Monroe Suite 145 Tallahassee, FL 32303. A native of St. Louis and a former resident of Jefferson City, he had lived in Tallahassee since 1957.

He retired from the Tallahassee Police Department in 1990 after 30 years and served with the Leon County Sheriffs Department until 2000. He was a volunteer for the ComForT program and a member of First Presbyterian Church. He is survived by his wife, Martha Hodgens Bishop of Tallahassee; three sons, George Alan Bishop of Tallahassee, Charles Edward Bishop of Blairsville, and Phillip Lee Bishop of Virginia Beach, two daughters, Catherine Hodgens Bishop and Lucy Taylor Bishop of Tallahassee; and five grandchildren. (Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Homes, 877-8191.) Jesse G. Brady Jesse G.

Brady, 79, of Tallahassee died Thursday in Palm Beach County. The service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Calvary United Methodist Church in Calvary, with burial at Vickers Cemetery in Concord. Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Bevis Funeral Home in Tallahassee (385-2193).

A native of Concord, he was a longtime resident of the Tallahassee and Havana area. He was an Army veteran of World War II, a retired farmer and a furniture refinisher. He was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Cairo, chapter and Calvary United Methodist Church. He is survived by two sons, David Hal Brady of Monroe, and Larry Eugene Brady of Orlando; Culley's QMeadow (Wood Funeral Homes and Memorial Park Founded 1903 "Our Family Serving Your Family" 1737 Riggins Road 877-8191 700 Timberlane Road 893-4177 79 ememoer. 15 Mjm.

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