Honoring Lee Clyne
Lee Clyne, 92, passed away Monday, November 19, 2018. Lee was born, on a farm, in Belview, Minnesota, July 27, 1926, the middle of three children. From her birth to her death she always provided a sunny disposition and helping hand to those around her.
After graduating from high school, she attended the Augsburg College, achieving a degree in Education and then earning her Masters from Western Michigan University. Lee pursued opportunities in education, first in North Dakota, then Quincy, MI and finally in Coldwater, MI. She taught 4th grade for 29 years, loving every minute. Her favorite causes were the prevention of child abuse and selecting talented high school students for scholarships. After retirement, Lee split her time between Coldwater and Key West, FL, where she made many friends.
Lee loved to go out for dinner and a margarita. She was an avid reader, enjoyed crossword puzzles, playing bingo, attending movies, plays and concerts. Lee touched many lives and will always be remembered as a bright, shining, ray of light. We miss her.
Honoring Jason Shields
Jason Yarrow Shields passed away on Wednesday, May 27th.
A Gainesville, 4th generation Floridian - born on the Solstice - water child, you always knew where he was, hearing him joyously laughing at any moment, or seen climbing the giant live oaks, swaying and singing in the branches, or swimming in the Florida springs and rivers, and Atlantic Ocean. His love for being on the water was a constant.
He attended the Dayspring Waldorf School, Gainesville, FL, before moving to the Green Meadow Waldorf School, Chestnut Ridge, NY, Class of 1994, where he was athletic, excelling in baseball, basketball, and soccer, played the trombone, and performed in school theater productions. He was always fun and a joy to be with, a sensitive and soulful, caring person, and his presence will continue on in the lives of those many hearts he touched.
He lived and worked in Key West, managing the Java Lounge, and also became an accomplished and skilled film projectionist, at the Tropic Cinema, knowledgeable in cinema and film history. His great heart continues to circulate love in the world.
Honoring Frankie Gutierrez
Honoring Robin Giles
Robin Giles ~ my soul sistah. She tried to teach me 'style'
Honoring Betty R Johnson
Mom was a beloved part of my life and everyone who knew her. She was raised in a Military family during World War II and lived in many parts of the world growing up. She married her High School sweetheart in 1956 and they spent 62 years together. She passed on December 10th at the age of 81 and she will be missed more than she knows. I love you Mom.
Honoring Robert Smith
Robert Joseph Smith (8/17/87 - 10/31/16)
Rob was taken from us much too early in a tragic accident in October 2016. He was born in Walnut Creek, CA in 1987 and was a true sports fan. He played both soccer and baseball (pitcher, catcher & shortstop) and started skiing at an early age and loved to snowboard as well. Rob always enjoyed getting out of town and going on vacation - camping, swimming, boating, canoeing and kayaking – he loved to spend time with friends and family. Rob was a good young man, a wonderful friend and a great brother. Rest In Peace, dearest Rob.
Honoring Big Pine Bob
Honoring Jennifer Washburn
Sister. You were the fattest, happiest baby I ever saw. I treasured watching you grow up to be a smart, funny adult. We shared many good times together being with family, hearing music, eating and drinking and telling stories. Your chronic illnesses took you way too early. I miss you every day.
Honoring Louie Cruz
Louie Cruz passed from this life on August 9th, 2018. He was a beloved husband, father, grand-father, and great-grandfather. Born on 11 September 1935, nine days after his father was swept out to sea in the Great Hurricane of 1935, he grew up in Key West. After a stint in the United States Air Force, and another 17 years in Hialeah, Florida, he and his wife, the former Mary Harris, (also a Conch) brought their four children back to their beloved Island home. They made their home on Peacon Lane. And so it was there, on the Lane, that Louie was born, lived, and died, a true rarity in today’s world.
In later years, he learned to Scuba dive and he, along with sisters and brothers in law, spent their time chasing the “viz” in the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas. In their 60 year long marriage, he and Mary also traveled to Japan and Europe, as well as marveling at the wonders of the great American West.
A 1954 graduate of Key West High School and a 1974 graduate of Florida International University, he spent many years in Law Enforcement. He also learned to appreciate the beauty of his surroundings. An accomplished photographer, he has left us with an amazing collection of images that reflect that beauty.
This photo was taken in St. Mark’s Square, in Venice on our last international trip in 2014. This image reflects the joy of someone who has realized his dream of seeing the world!
Honoring Joe Cummings
Rolland "Joe" Cummings aka Joe Daddy
June 27th 1942 to Sept 11th 2018
What a man , what a life ! Thank you to this beautiful soul who became by father not because he had to but because he chose to . The years with him will never be enough. An angel walked among us for so many years , giving love and providing laughter , an avid cook , gardner, teller of tales with a smile that would light up the room . He chose to take his life this year and I will never understand why. Maybe it's not for me to understand but I will never forget who he was to us all and will be grateful for the years we had. I hope you have found peace Joe Daddy , with love for you always ...Chrissy Diane , the baconhead of you
Honoring Thomas P Randolph
Thomas P Randolph of Manitowoc WI
07/17/1950-07/17/2018
For he was a jolly good fellow!
Honoring David Petersen
David Petersen: Accomplished Arbitrator, Leader in his Profession, Beloved Friend, Dad, and Grandpa, and Lover of Moose.
In spite of being a Steelers fan he was a pretty good guy.
Honoring Efrain Rivera
Honoring Walter Lepperd
Walter William Lepperd Jr., 81, passed away on June 12, 2018 in Miami VA Hospital.
Beloved husband of Fiona (Molloy) Lepperd, father of Christopher, Susan, Matthew, and Andrew Lepperd, and stepfather of Christopher Crespo. Grandfather of Caitlin, Zachary, Jared, Hannah, and Scarlett Vandervelde, and Dakota, Liam, Paige, and Carson Lepperd. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Phyllis A. Baker, and grandson Ethan.
Born in Amboy, Illinois, Walter graduated from Dixon Illinois High School in 1954. He was a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy, and served as an Engineman during the Korean War. He was a longtime employee of General Motors in Lordstown, Ohio, and Miller Brewing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he lived in the village of Egal, Wisconsin.
He wintered for 10 years in the Florida Keys before moving permanently to Key West with Fiona and Sammi, their Jack Russell Terrier, in 2012, where he managed El Mar RV Resort in Stock Island and assisted Fiona in her ongoing musical career. Walter was always a welcome presence at Fiona’s concerts, making everyone feel warm and at home while he proudly relished in her performance, allowing the love their relationship to be brought to the evening, always adding to the evening’s enchantment. Walter will always be with us in the beauty of Fiona’s music.
Honoring Trumpet Bob
This Photo was taken during the Crooks Second Line by Ralph De Palma
Trumpet Bob was a KW Legend. He passed away on August 7, 2018. He loved leading the New Orleans Style Street Funerals with his tuxedo, top hat and trumpet. Bob played on the patio of the Cafe Tropical in front of the Mel Fisher's Museum for over fifteen years. He played in many places all over Key West.
He loved to sit in with the Love Lane Gang. He first arrived in KW in 1952 while still in the Navy. Trumpet Bob was a world traveler and loved everyone. He had many friends here in Key West and will be missed by everyone who knew and loved him. Bob loved to play in musical groups with Richard Crooks and was a good friend to Richard. Bob also loved to get children involved in music and it will be an honor to be included in the January 30th, 2022 Crooks Second Line March.
Honoring David Wolkowski
David Wolkowsky, a real estate developer, arts patron and unflagging supporter of a classy Key West, died in September at age 99. Known as “Mr. Key West,” Wolkowsky once owned the Pier House Resort, socialized with Tennessee Williams and was an important contributor – of art and funding – to the Key West Art & Historical Society.
David Wolkowski is one of our Community Honorees for the 2019 second line. If you would like to donate in his honor, please click the link below and choose “Sponsor a Placard”
Honoring Wayne Hammond
Early in the morning of September 14, 2018, Key West lost Wayne Hammond, one of its most enduring and iconic musicians. Wayne Hammond was one half of the very popular music and comedy duo, Pete & Wayne, who were a fixture at Sloppy Joe’s Bar for over 22 years. He also filled our ears and souls with music as a member of a number of other Key West bands including Wayne’s Addiction, Stray Dogs, The Jeff Clark Five Minus Two as well as countless other bands with which he would occasionally play. Over the years he faced the stages of Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Hog’s Breath Saloon, Green Parrot, Smokin’ Tuna, Virgilio’s and Key West Theater, just to name a few.
Wayne’s music career began in Cleveland, Ohio, where he played in that area’s most popular reggae band. He then performed with a band from New York City that came to Key West to play a two week stand at Hog’s Breath, starting on his birthday in 1994. He loved it here so much he never left, making Key West his home for the rest of his life!
Wayne Hammond was arguably the Keys’ best bass player, displaying what other local musicians considered virtuosic talent. He had the ability to master many genres, including funk, reggae, blues, R&B and rock. He also had great “pipes” as a singer displaying a huge range and the ability to cover many styles. But, it was his stage presence, personality and comedic ability that set him apart from so many performers.
Wayne literally entertained hundreds of thousands of people in Key West and throughout the country performing with the Pete & Wayne Show. For more than two decades, tourists and locals alike laughed the nights away at Pete & Wayne’s hilarious show, which featured comedic stories and songs they wrote about Key West life and their experiences during their annual summer tours throughout the country. Think of song titles like “Gater Heads and Wind Chimes,” “Homosexual Chinese Monkey Hunter,” “Lookin’ to Breed in Boca,” and you get the idea. Many of their song titles are not fit to print here, but would bring a smile to your face!
There are only a few entertainers one can watch perform over and over again, still enjoying it each time with the same enthusiasm, never tiring of their art. Wayne was one of those people.
But, aside from his stage persona, he touched his many friends with his generosity, empathy and good will. He was quick to help others. A friend once told him he wanted to play the banjo. The next day, Wayne showed up with a banjo as a gift. That’s the kind of guy he was.
Wayne loved to stay up late cooking with his wife Tina at their house on Grinnell Street. Friends were accustomed to receiving hilarious texts from him in the middle of the night. And, he was always proud of his Ohio roots and eager to wear the colors of his favorite Cleveland sport teams, sharing in their occasional thrill of victory and too often agony of defeat.
Those who knew Wayne, know he was one of the most wonderfully unusual human beings they ever met. It’s quite difficult to describe Wayne Hammond because you can't compare him to anyone else. He was authentic, creative and unique in almost every aspect of his being. He was quite literally one of a kind. The world, and particularly Key West, is emptier without Wayne Hammond.
Wayne’s wife Tina has created the “Wayne Hammond Scholarship Fund” to benefit Bahama Village Music Program and enable BVMP to continue Wayne’s legacy through free music lessons and provide scholarships for two high school students to attend the Berklee School of Music’s summer performance program.
Honoring Yvan Agbo
YVAN AGBO
July 6, 1967-Aug. 15, 2018
Yvan Agbo, one of Key West’s greatest musicians, passed away on Aug. 15, 2018, suddenly and too soon.
Yvan, a French national, was born in Dakar, Senegal and began playing guitar at 4.
He left behind his music to comfort all those that loved him, as he transcends to a higher place.
Yvan is survived by his family, friends and the thousands of people that he entertained around the world.
His beautiful spirit will be missed greatly by all those that were blessed to have known him …
“Fly on my sweet angel.”
Yvan Agbo is one of our Community Honorees for the 2019 second line. If you would like to donate in his honor, please click the link below and choose “Sponsor a Placard”
Honoring Jon McIntosh
Jon Charles McIntosh, 70, died after a short illness in Key West on March 12, 2018. Born Aug. 8, 1947, he was the son of the late John and Lucile McIntosh of Massachusetts. Jon “Tosh” McIntosh earned a fine arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design and became an accomplished designer, illustrator and visual artist for his own company, McIntosh Ink, and co-owned the Lucky Street Gallery.
His work included two syndicated comic strips, book illustrations, projects for NASA and board games. As a member of the Society of Illustrators, he won the Silver Funny Bone Award and many Merit Awards in annual shows.
Tosh was an active member of the community, from designing original logos for numerous local businesses and election campaigns, to charity work with Anne McKee Artists Fund, Bahama Village Music Program, AIDS Help, VNA, Womankind and Wesley House. He was The Citizen newspaper’s political cartoonist for over a decade, designed three Fantasy Fest posters and was the winner of the 2015 South Florida Consortium Grant.
Tosh’s great passion — painting — allowed him to share the intensity, mystery and beauty of the sea, as well as scenes inspired by his travels to the Caribbean, Cuba and Europe.
He found great humor in the world and so much joy in his relationships with family, friends and the Key West community. He leaves a son, Forgan McIntosh, and wife, Jessa, of Dover, Massachusetts, with grandchildren Sayer, Harper and Forrest; and stepdaughter Hays and husband, Jan Blinckmann, of Key West, Florida with grandchildren Hugo and Max.
Jon McIntosh is one of our Community Honorees for the 2019 second line. If you would like to donate in his honor, please click the link below and choose “Sponsor a Placard”