South MS lost heroes, champions and children in 2022. Here are their stories.
South Mississippi lost many heroes this year, those who gave their lives and those who made the lives of the people they encountered a little brighter every day.
The Coast said good-bye to Sgt. Steven Robin and Officer Braden Estorffe with the Bay St. Louis Police, who died in the line of duty.
It wasn’t the only double funeral. Chloe Taylor and Baleigh Bowlin, both 16, of Hurley died together in a car accident and had a joint funeral as the community and their school mourned.
We mourned the passing of Andre White, yet another child who died from the rare DIPG. This rare disease has claimed far too many of our children.
There were other heroes, long-time business owners, women who accomplished great things, victims still of COVID-19 and every-day people who were teachers, ministers and soldiers, who meant everything to their family and friends.
Here are stories of some of them as we pay tribute to all who died in 2022 in South Mississippi:
January
Granville Shaw Crane, Jr., 95 of Gulfport, was one of 316 members of the USS Indianapolis that was torpedoed after delivering the components of the atomic bomb to the Island of Tinian during World War II. He survived five days in the water after the sinking. He and his shipmates recently were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was a pastor for over 60 years and he and his wife moved to Gulfpor tafter retirement to work at Temple Baptist Church as an assistant pastor with son Stephen.
Gregary Davis, 67, was minister and musician for Keesler Gospel Services, a humorist and a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
Mark Duffy, 75, of Diamondhead, served 20 years with New Orleans Police Department. He created the Blessing of the Cruisers, a Cruisin’ The Coast event.
Capt. Raymond Harbrecht of Fairhope, Alabama, was a 24-year Navy veteran. He worked at Litton Industries as director of waterfront operations at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula and over 15 years was directly involved with the construction and delivery of 31 ships.
Andrea Yeager, was a former editor at the Sun Herald and long-time columnist.
February
Gwen Hand Gollott, 93, was born the same year as the Saenger Theatre opened in Biloxi in 1928, and she is the reason it was saved and is being restored again. She was a committed volunteer and fundraiser for many organizations on the Coast.
Col. Donald Reynolds, 95, of D’Iberville, was an Air Force Reservist. He had 34 years of military service, with 25 years in the fields of photojournalism, editing and public affairs management. He authored and/or filmed articles and advertising illustrations that appeared in magazines Life, Country Gentlemen, Ebony, Saturday Evening Post, Time and TV Guide.
Lt. Col. Dick Wilson, 91, a U.S. Air Force pilot, flew 368 missions in Vietnam and worked in Area 51 as a test pilot. He was very active in the Coast business community after his retirement.
Michael Janus, a former state representative and D’Iberville city manager,
Rev. Joyce Cook of Saucier, served the Assemblies of God Fellowship for more than 50 years as a co-pastor with her husband, Rev. Harrell Cook. She was an accomplished pianist and sang with several gospel groups, including the Concord Trio and the Calvary Echos.
Arlin Cook, 89, of D’Iberville, retired from the Civil Service after 35 year. He served in the U.S. Army Airborne as a U.S. Paratrooper. He attended nearly every meeting of D’Iberville City Council.
Carmelita Scott served on the Coast Chamber and Biloxi Chamber boards and volunteered at many Coast events.
Jerry Lee, 88, the longtime owner of Jerry Lee grocery stores in Jackson County.
March
Dr. H.F. Campbell, 98, of Gulfport. He had a medical practice at Wiggins Clinic and Stone County Hospital, helped build and establish Pine Burr country Club and helped establish and open the First National Bank.
Marie Covich Frentz was raised at The Point in Biloxi, the daughter of Croatian immigrants. At age 65, she enrolled at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, studied art and fell in love with pottery, thanks to her teacher, Mary Ott Davidson. She became an accomplished potter and artist and was known as “The Nun Lady” because of her popular miniature pottery nuns. She also was inducted into the Mississippi Bowling Hall of Fame and become the first woman in Mississippi to bowl a 700 three-game series.
April
Dr. Terry L. Amburgey, PhD. A professor at Mississippi State University College of Forest Resources, his career in wood protection spanned 50 years, and his research helped increase the lifespan of railway crossties from 8-15 years to more than 25 years.
May
Coleen “Dolly” Regina Sullivan, 73, worked as a Walmart greeter in the D’Iberville since the store opened, and was known as the “Sock Lady” for her elaborate display of funny socks.
Gilbert Mason Jr., a civil rights leader and doctor who participated in the Biloxi Wade-Ins with his father, Dr. Gilbert Mason Sr., at a time when African Americans were banned from the beaches. He was a doctor to the poor and then made it his mission to keep his father’s legacy alive in South Mississippi.
Larry Manuel Sr., former Biloxi port commission director, who led the design and construction of Point Cadet Marina and helped get Isle of Capri casino to Biloxi
June
Christopher Columbus Moore, served in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years. He made Biloxi his home and sang the National Anthem and other patriotic songs at many Coast events.
George Harris Lipscomb Jr., 90, did title work for Magnolia Title to help with the development of Stennis Space Center. He was an attorney for over 50 years and served as Judge for Bay St Louis for 25 years.
July
George Allen Cantrell, 85, was a 22-year Air Force veteran. His second career was as a captain for vessels for the Gulf Coast Research Laboratories.
Joan Caplan owned a health food cafe in California, then became an attorney. She and her husband traveled a lot, and moved to Gulfport in 2013 after a shipwreck off the Coast. She was active in League of Women Voters.
August
Christopher Bruni, 22, of Gulfport, excelled in sports, in college and in his short life. He was an Eagle Scout and played piano, violin, and guitar.
Donald “Keith” Burton Jr. was long-time journalist at The Sun Herald and WLOX and covered the Sherry murders in Biloxi.
Teddy Harder was a former D’Iberville Councilman and Harrison County school board member for 20 years each and a youth coach for 30 years.
Rene James Illich, 89, was the owner of a barber shop in Long Beach for more than 50 years.
September
Victor Mavar Sr., 96, owner of a seafood processing factory in Biloxi, state Republican leader and philanthropist
Jeanne Carmel Orr, former Harrison County chancery clerk
Anthony “Tony” Trapani, restaurant owner in Bay St. Louis
Gerald James Creel, a lifelong resident of Back Bay Biloxi who served in the Army, National Guard and as a civilian firefighter at the Seabee base in Gulfport
Chris Hebert, 54, an entrepreneur who owned and operated several successful businesses
October
Patrick Peterson, former Sun Herald reporter who was embedded during the Iraq War and sent reports back to the Coast. He also was a boat captain and musician and both his boat and his band were named “ConspiraSea.”
Chloe Taylor and Baleigh Bowlin, both 16-year-old residents of Hurley, died in a car crash after their school’s homecoming.
November
Archa Jordan, 105, of Ocean Springs, worked as a clerk at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi and as a bookkeeper at Small Business Administration in Washington, D.C.
Sue Barrett Waller of Gulfport died on her 84th birthday. She was the Romper Room host for a Florida PBS show in 1972, played piano and organ in her church services that were held secretively while living in Saudi Arabia from 1975-1977. She was the office administrator for NOAA at Stennis Space Center in 1980. She founded Landmark Contracting in 1985, was a national officer for Women Construction Owners and Executives and was named as a Top 10 business in Mississippi.
Theda Lake, 101, of Gulfport, was a lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast, with two short absences to visit France and Germany.
December
Dr. Clyde E. “Bud” Spraberry Jr., dentist in Orange Grove for 49 years
Andre White, 12, of Gulfport, dies of DIPG, a very rare and incurable brain cancer that doctors say only affects 300-400 children a year, yet he is at least the fifth child in South Mississippi to die from the disease since 2010.
William Carlie Hill Jr., worked for the postal service for 30 years and worked alongside his father, Rev. William Carlie Hill, for many years in their ministry to serve the deaf community.
Nick Cumberland, 45, worked for Coca-Cola and Casino Magic Bay St. Louis, as a journalist and food writer for Sun Herald and plastic technician at GE Plastics in Bay St. Louis. He struggled with the effects of ALS/Lou Gherig Disease in the last several years. He completed his college degree, using talk assist technology and pure grit, on Dec. 5, which was 26 years after he started college and days before he died.
Sgt. Steven Robin and Officer Braden Estorffe, Bay St. Louis Police officers, who died during a shootout while making a welfare call.
This story was originally published December 26, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
