- December 23, 2024
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Longboat Key remembers the friends and family we lost from April through September.
William (Bill) Joseph Beckmeyer died July 3 at age 94. In Detroit, he met his wife of 54 years, Elizabeth Anne (Betty) Beckmeyer, they married and returned to Fort Thomas, Kentucky, where Bill started his pediatric practice. He devoted his career to caring for children for over 40 years. Upon his retirement, he moved to Longboat Key and spent 20 years vacationing there with his children and lifelong friends. After Betty’s death, he remained on Longboat and married Marie Watts. For the last nine years, they have built a life together, enjoying each other’s companionship and similar passions, which were tennis, golf and travel.
JoAnne Hatch Galbraith Bruch died June 5. Her warmth and affection touched the lives of many, spanning from her childhood home in Nutley, New Jersey, to where she raised her family in Devon, Pennsylvania, to Longboat Key, where she reveled in countless summers and a decade of golden years alongside her husband of 50 years Herbert. She attended the University of Pennsylvania to get her masters in English and became a high school English teacher. A connoisseur of literature, her avid reading traversed a myriad of genres, culminating in the publication of her own book, which chronicled the remarkable life of Aunt Dr. Hilde Bruch, renowned for her pioneering work on anorexia. She is survived by her brother Thomas, her sister Martha, her five children and seven grandchildren.
Elizabeth (Betty) Ann Curry died June 7 at age 84. A dedicated mother and homemaker, she joined the University of Florida in 1990 as an education administrator after her children were grown. She retired in 2000 and relocated to Longboat Key with her husband. She was a devoted volunteer at the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium for 20 years, contributing her time and passion to marine conservation. She was also an active member of St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church. She is survived by her children, sisters, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Jeffrey Michael Deane died April 4 at age 77. He was a partner with Friedman, Billings, and Ramsey, Inc. in Washington, D.C, retiring in 2011. Following his retirement, he lived part-time in his dream home in Sarasota. His passion for golf, tennis and the stock market will never be forgotten, as well as his love of the Washington Commanders and a good martini. Jeff is survived by his wife, Laurie; children; grandchildren; and sister.
Linda Lombardo Gidel died April 16 at age 73. She gave her time and energy towards volunteering at local community and beautification projects and serving in various leadership roles on community association and nonprofit boards, such as the University Park Women’s Club, Longboat Key Garden Club and the Gidel Family Foundation, where she also served as president since 1997. Her passion for gardening made her a familiar face at botanical gardens and parks, where she loved to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with others – her certification as a Master Gardner from the University of Florida being one of her proudest achievements. She is survived by her husband Robert, children, brother, nieces, nephews and lifelong friends.
Shirley Marie Manning died June 23 at age 88. In 1959, she began her 40-year career at Rand McNally. She was hired in a clerical position but quickly worked her way up to management in several departments. She enjoyed 41 happy years with her husband John. Together, they enjoyed playing golf, traveling, fine dining, summer and Christmas reunions and fishing trips to Wisconsin. She is survived by her three children Theresa, Kathi and James; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; great-great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
Lynn Noel Nieting died July 13 at age 84. Lynn was deeply committed to her faith, actively participating in both St. Armands Key Lutheran Church in Sarasota and Immanuel Lutheran in Valparaiso, Indiana. She was a long-time resident of St. John, Indiana, where she was a dedicated congregant of Grace Lutheran in Dyer. Her giving spirit was evident through her hobbies, which included sewing for family and her church, quilting for church charities and playing bridge. She is survived by her husband Joel, children, grandchildren and brother.
William Michael O’Neil III died May 19 at age 88. He served his country as a member of the United States Army, stationed in Hawaii. Following his service, Bill earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami and a law degree from the University of Akron. Bill had a distinguished legal career in Florida, practicing in Miami and later in Tallahassee. He was also a member of the Texas Bar. In 1997, Bill retired to Longboat Key, where he enjoyed tennis and kayaking. He continued to serve the community by providing hundreds of hours of pro bono legal service through Legal Aid of Manasota. He is survived by his four children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Harold Ronson died July 15 at age 98. He is survived by two daughters, Norma and Joanne, his two grandchildren, Lauren and Jonathan, and his great-grandchild, Jackson.
“I had the pleasure and honor of knowing my father for 67 years,” said his daughter, Norma Ronson Koppel. “He was a proud Jew, and he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He taught me to make every moment count and to never take life too seriously.”
In 1926 in Brooklyn, Ronson was born into a family that struggled to make ends meet. As a teen during World War II, Ronson was inspired by his two older brothers’ service in the armed forces. At the age of 17, Ronson forged his father’s signature on a consent form to join the U.S. Navy.
From 1944 to 1946, Ronson served at Iwo Jima and in the Philippines.
After returning home, Ronson was the first to attend college in his family at Philadelphia Textile Institute at Philadelphia College, now Thomas Jefferson University, graduating in 1951 with a degree in chemistry.
He became a plant chemist for W. Lowenthal, a synthetic fiber company in Cohoes, New York. In 1962, Ronson bought the company with a group of stockholders and later bought out his partners and became the sole owner in the 1970s.
In 1976, Ronson and his late wife, Kay, became snowbirds on Longboat Key. The Ronsons loved the Sarasota Opera, for which Ronson served on the board for nearly 20 years, and he played tennis almost religiously at the Longboat Key Club until he was 94 with three hip replacements.
His friend Hein Rusen described Ronson as always cheerful.
“He viewed the world as the glass always being half full,” said Rusen. “He was a real people person and loved his wife, family and friends dearly. He was a very generous person and a very caring person.”
Ronson supported many causes, including donating a $2 million endowment at the Senior Friendship Centers with Rusen, $2 million to his alma mater to create The Kay and Harold Ronson Health and Applied Science Center and $500,000 to Temple Beth Israel, which is the biggest contribution in its history. On Feb. 25, the 45th annual Temple Beth Israel gala honored Ronson for his many contributions throughout the years.
The atrium at the Sarasota Opera is named for the Ronsons, as is an endowment for nursing education at Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation, in honor of Kay and her profession.
“I like to be somebody," said Ronson in his memoir. "I like people to know me. I like to leave a mark. What better feeling is there than to help somebody?”
William (Bill) Sandy died April 23 at age 94. He led a fully authentic life as a writer, business executive, entrepreneur, small-town mayor and philanthropist. In 1953, he landed a writer job at the Jam Handy Company, the Detroit-based innovative sales training organization. Bill’s astute observations and relationship skills caught founder Jam Handy’s attention and Bill became the account executive for Chevrolet and other GM clients, serving as a speechwriter, coach and informal advisor to automotive industry leaders. When Handy retired, he supported Bill’s desire to start his own company, the Bill Sandy Company, later named Sandy Corporation. Along the way, Bill served as mayor of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, attended Harvard Business School and served on governing/advisory boards at the Cranbrook Institute of Science, Asolo Repertory Theater, Harvard Business School, Oakland University and the University of Michigan’s Institute for the Humanities. Bill published two books, "Solving the Productivity Paradox" and "Learning from Upheaval." He is survived by his wife Marjorie, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Harvey I. Steinberg died July 23. He led Beacon Construction Company for many decades, transforming the skyline of Boston and other cities. He served as a trustee of the MIT Museum, Fay School and USS Constitution Museum, where he lent his leadership, construction and management expertise.
Barry Walden Walsh died May 5. One of four children of St. Armand’s Circle Shoe Store owner, she grew up in “Old Sarasota” in the 1950s and 60s, as the Ringling Brothers dominated and developed the Key. With her husband’s career as a federal prosecutor taking the family to various parts of Florida through the late 60s, she defied the norms of the time and finished her master's degree in biology from the University of Miami while a young mother to toddlers. As her husband’s career moved her family to Washington D.C. in the late 70s, she worked for the Society of American Foresters and then the Center for Environmental Quality as an environmental writer and editor. Upon their retirement, she returned to Longboat Key in the mid-1990s. Her dual loves of nature and writing were put to use in her published “History of Florida Forests” and as she worked for Selby Botanical Gardens. She also kept her writing local as a guest columnist for the Longboat Observer, covering local history and real estate happenings on the island. She is survived by her siblings and children.
