The Coast lost many champions in 2020. Here are some of those who died this year.
South Mississippi lost many more people than usual in 2020, though most of their obituaries didn’t say if they died from the coronavirus or another cause.
They were teachers, folks who lived to be 100 and children who died way too young. Some were fishermen and others childcare workers like Nancy Dollar of Vancleave, who was called “Mee Maw” by the many children she cared for and by her own grandchildren.
Their obituaries told of the kind of people they were. Marie Collins of Gulfport was a birthday party hostess at McDonald’s and “poured her heart and soul into making them special. Spencer Bacon “fought cancer like the man of steel until his body set him free from the pain.”
They had interesting jobs. Myrtl Ganzy of Guflport worked at Milton Bradley toy company, the post office, Sears, as a switchboard operator and in the Gulfport school cafeterias. Wilfred Elton Beaugez Jr., in addition to his job as a service manager at Latil Motor Co. for 20 years, was a Sun Herald newspaper carrier for 30 years.
The served their country. Lt. Col. (Ret) Robert Mark Tremmel was in the Marine Corps for 30 years, and a veteran of Iwo Jima in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
They were immigrants, like Seo Tran “who bravely left her homeland and immigrated to a new country with different cultures so that her children may have a better life.” She raised 10 children on the Coast.
They and the others we lost this year contributed in big and small ways to the Coast community where they lived, worked and worshiped, and they will not be forgotten.
Here are some of their names and stories:
January
▪ Cono Caranna II, the longest-serving full-time district attorney in South Mississippi
▪ Gary Hargrove, the longtime Harrison County coroner who worked for years to identify every Hurricane Katrina victim
▪ Arturo Barajas, owner and founder of Mosaic Restaurant in Ocean Springs
▪ Lt. Col. Riley James “Jim” McVeay, of Ocean Springs. He served 26 years in the Army, and at one time was the most decorated soldier in Mississippi and one of the most decorated in the nation.
February
▪ Alex North, Gulfport photographer who captured vivid landscapes of the Coast
March
▪ Eustace “Drew” Allen II, president of Allen Beverages in Gulfport
▪ Paul Allen, MD, who practiced obstetrics and gynecology for over 30 years at Singing River Hospital and delivered thousands of babies
▪ Ronald Blacklidge Jr., Gulfport, described as “a proud Mississippi Coast native who brought much joy and laughter to everyone he knew.”
April
▪ Daniel Oza “D.O.” Conwill III, who practiced oral surgery in Gulfport for 37 years
▪ Captain Thomas Schultz Jr., or Captain Tommy, who captained two shrimping vessels, the Snowdrift and the Reva Rose. His seafood gumbo, jambalaya and coubion were known across the Coast.
▪ Rose Fairley Johnson, who founded North Gulfport Community Land Trust and served as a leader in the Mississippi Chapter of the Sierra Club
▪ Claire Boggs Morrison of Long Beach was 105 years old. She traveled America and Europe and attended glamorous parties at the White House and the embassy in Rome.
May
▪ David Treutel, who led Peoples Federal Savings Bank and Treutel Insurance Agency
▪ George Watson was a World War II veteran, superintendent of Pass Christian Schools, former Southern District Public Service Commissioner, business owner, dedicated volunteer and a hero who saved 300 people in Pass Christian when he moved them to safety during Hurricane Camille.
▪ Khiet Nguyen, also known as Captain Ben, of Ocean Springs. He owned Ben’s Boat Dock and Captain Ben Seafood, and worked seven days a week to build his businesses.
▪ Charles Garrison, a partner at SRGF Architects in Illinois and a member of the Diamondhead Architectural Planning and Zoning Board
▪ Dr. Lewis Alexander Sr., a dentist in Long Beach for 40 years, many of those years with his son, Jeff. He sang with the choir at First United Methodist Church of Long Beach for 50 years and with the Gulf Coast Chorale.
June
▪ Geraldine “Gerry” Fountain Blessey, 98. In 1952, she joined the bookkeeping department of the Peoples Bank of Biloxi, and retired as assistant vice president after 32 years.
▪ Jennifer “Cissy” Sentell Chinn. During her 50 years as a waitress, Cissy made lifelong friends and had a loyal following of customers while working at the Dinner Bell and McElroy’s Harbor House.
▪ Geraldine “Jerrie” Ware, Gulfport, was known as “The Cake Lady” and number one Elvis fan.
▪ June Burke Nicaud, owner and chef for Lloyd’s and Par 3 Restaurants in New Orleans for 40 years. Her recipes continue to live on in her family restaurants on the Coast.
▪ Jack Byars, 97, served in World War II and had a 20-year military career. After retiring from the Air Force, he operated two restaurants in Philadelphia and led agencies in the administrations of two governors.
July
▪ Nona Marie Trochessett, 100, died in Ocean Springs.
▪ Jerry Holtz, Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.) received his anesthesia training at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas and his last duty station was at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. His second career was in anesthesia at Ocean Springs Hospital
▪ Kenneth Tine Jr., former city administrator for Long Beach
▪ Sarah Smith Hewes, painter of local landscapes and seascapes, an illustrator for Gayfers and Hewes Brothers, and mother of Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes
▪ Juanita Stanford Redo. She and her husband John Redo started a Dairy Freeze restaurant in Waveland, and after Hurricane Camille relocated to downtown Gulfport as Lil Bill’s Restaurant.
August
▪ Patrick Peck who owned and operated Pat Peck car dealerships and he received several awards for Top Dealer with Nissan, Honda and Kia.
▪ Captain Charles “Chuck” Bassett, who played bass fiddle on the weekends in a swing dance band in college and led the planning for the move and consolidation of the Navy Oceanography program from the National Capitol Region to Stennis Center in Hancock County, retiring as commanding officer of the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office.
▪ Kenneth Lamey, Biloxi, who received the Civilian and Air Force Commendations Medal for his service from 1954 to 1989.
▪ Curtis Harrison Jr. worked at Harrison Real Estate, the oldest documented real estate business on the Coast, and served on the Biloxi Planning Commission for 25 years.
▪ Kim “Pops” Lee of Biloxi, served in the Air Force for 23 years, helped open the Isle of Capri, the first casino in Mississippi, and was a dealer there and at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino.
▪ Gary Yarberry of Gulfport, former Chief of Chaplain Service at the VA Medical Center in Biloxi
September
▪ Kenneth Gerald McNutt joined the Seabees in 1985 and served 21 years, before he retired in 2007 at the rank of chief.
▪ Joseph “Mr. Joe” Cacibauda was a musician who played with B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Leon Kelner, Joan Rivers, Rich Little, Don Rickles, Regis Philbin, Mel Tormé and The Platters. As band director at Ocean Springs High School, the band received all-superior recognition in 28 of his 31 years.
▪ Walter “Buzzy” Bolton IV of Ocean Springs, who designed Biloxi Yacht Club and other Coast landmarks and started his own architectural firm, Walter T. Bolton Associates.
October
▪ Joicelyn Seymour Mayfield, who began in the restaurant industry at age 15 working at Trilby’s Restaurant. She and her husband, Harold, owned Jocelyn’s Restaurant in Ocean Springs.
▪ James Carson, a Biloxi High graduate who played for the NFL Green Bay Packers
▪ Russell Thompson, a veteran, noted civic leader, lawyer and a pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Lucedale
▪ William “Bill” Bahner of Diamondhead. Among his career accomplishments were installing fire sprinklers at the New Orleans Superdome and Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando. He used his engineering skills to construct elaborate Mardi Gras floats and was known for his eggnog.
▪ Janet French McElroy was instrumental in the restoration of Hattiesburg Saenger Theater and the revitalization of downtown Hattiesburg and Pass Christian.
November
▪ Tommy Moffatt Sr. of Gautier, former state senator from 1996-2012
▪ Edward “Rev Red” Powell of Biloxi, longtime radio personality on the Coast, who was known for appearing in Mardi Gras parades
▪ Walter Gex III of Pass Christian. An attorney specializing in litigation, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to a new position as a federal judge for the Southern District of Mississippi in 1986, a position he held until his death.
▪ Frederick Mannino, a first generation American who was a founding member of Page, Mannino Peresich & McDermott law firm in Biloxi, where he was a member of the Mississippi Bar for more than 50 years.
▪ Raymond Fournier, a musician who wrote a song “Down in Biloxi” and played at local nightclubs, weddings, parties and venues on the Coast.
▪ Kirstie Mallette, 29, of Vancleave, who lived with cancer for 4,183 “long, hard and special” days.
December
▪ Jane Rumpf Dennis of Pass Christian and her husband, Dave, managed Specialty Contractors commercial construction firm. She co-chaired the Build Back the Coast Fund after Hurricane Katrina and was named Mississippi Business Journal’s 2007 Business Woman of the Year.
▪ William Carpenter Jr., 32, of Long Beach, the proud owner of The Long Beach Comic Shop on Jeff Davis Avenue. He was a devoted collector of comics and video games.
▪ John Dockens. A swimming accident at 16 left him paralyzed from the chest down. He worked at Keesler Air Force Base for 25 years and was named Civilian Employee of the Year. He taught himself computers and worked as an IT specialist.
▪ Molly Lee, 16, was a junior at Gulfport High School, where she was an honor student and involved in sports and many activities, and where “she lit up every room she walked into, every field she cheered on, and every course she played on.”
▪ Can and Mai Nguyen, who both left Vietnam at a young age to come to America for better lives. They met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later moved to Pascagoula, where he found his passion in the fishing industry.
▪ Rev. J. T. Byrd, Jr., who was pastor of Eastlawn Baptist Church, Bethany Baptist Church and O’Neal Road Baptist Church
▪ John M. Harral, a civic leader and attorney at Butler Snow LLP in Gulfport known for his volunteer work, particularly with the Gulfport School District, where he also served as school board attorney.
This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 5:50 AM.
