Leon1963

Joseph Jerome Kairis, 82, died Saturday, April 2, 2005. The service will be at 2 p.m. EDT Sunday at Beggs Funeral Home Apalachee Parkway Chapel (850-942-2929), with full military honors. Memorial contributions may be made to a favorite charity. A native of Worcester, Mass., and former resident of Alaska, Mr. Kairis had lived in Tallahassee since 1954. He retired as a physics teacher for Leon High School and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Worcester. He was also a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge in Tallahassee; a 32nd-Degree Mason with Quinsigamond Lodge in Worcester, which was his home lodge; a member of Phi Delta Kappa; a member of the FMCA; and a member of American Legion Post No. 13. He also retired as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Air Force. He was an avid motor- home enthusiast and a professional photographer. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Ruth Kairis; two sisters-in-law, Hope Johnson of Waltham, Mass., and Elizabeth Thulin of Monroeville, Pa.; two nephews, Donald and Charles Thulin; three nieces, Donna Johnson, Gail Browne and Carla Garrison; five great-nieces; six great-nephews; and three great-great-nieces.

Wilda Larson Clowers Lundrigan

(Our English teacher)

Wilda Larson Clowers Lundrigan, 79, who retired after 41 years as an English teacher at Leon High School, died Thursday, September 25, 2008 in Tallahassee. Service arrangements will be announced later by Bevis Funeral Home.

Published in the Tallahassee Democrat on 9/26/2008.

CLICK HERE TO READ AN ARTICLE ABOUT HER LIFE

Home Directory 50th Reunion Memorabilia In Memoriam

Marjorie C. Dillingham Ph.D.

(Our Spanish teacher)

INVERNESS - Marjorie C. Dillingham Ph.D., 87, died Thursday, May 22, 2003. She is survived by her husband of 10 years, Mr. Henry F. "Jack" Blake of Tallahassee. Inurnment will be at Oak Hill Cemetery in Palatka. Hooper Funeral Homes & Crematory in Inverness (352-726-2271) is handling arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1700, Chicago, IL, 60601-7633. Born Aug. 20, 1915, in Bicknell, Ind., she moved to Inverness from Tallahassee in 2002. Dr. Dillingham was a Spanish teacher who once taught at Duke University and Florida State University, the same universities where she earned her master's and doctorate. By 1971 she had lived, studied and taught in every Spanish-speaking country in the world. She was a member of Alpha Omega Pi in Tallahassee and a past president of Florida Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. She was a Methodist. Other survivors include a son, Dr. Robert C. Dillingham (and wife Marilyn) of Winchester, Va.; a daughter, Dr. Sharon D. Martin (and husband Dr. Randy) of Inverness; a sister, Mrs. Doris Price of Austin, Texas; six grandchildren, William Martin, Elizabeth Martin, Joseph Martin, Lenora Toms, Robbie Dillingham and Analisa Dillingham; and two great-grandchildren, Irie Toms and Bette Toms. She was preceded in death on Nov. 11, 1981, by her husband, Dr. William P. Dillingham.

Published in the Tallahassee Democrat on 5/30/2003.

Gene Calvin Cox

(Famous Leon High Football Coach)

Gene Calvin Cox, 74, passed away, Monday, March 30, 2009, in Tallahassee. A native of Lake City and former resident of Live Oak, he has resided in Tallahassee since 1963. Gene was a football coach, a veteran of the Army National Guard and a member of East Hill Baptist Church. He is survived by his wife, Patsy Cox; three sons, David Cox of Pensacola, Alan Cox (and wife Laurie) of Tallahassee and Gary Cox (and wife Janet) of Chattanooga Tenn.; one daughter, Cynthia Lyons of St. Augustine Fla.; two sisters, Mary Alice Stanley and Edna Elian both of Jacksonville; five grandchildren, Austin and Allison Cox of Pensacola, Lee Cox of Tallahassee and Kyle and Ashleigh Cox of Chattanooga Tenn. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Memory of Gene Cox to Fellowship of Christian Athletes, 2221 Old Bainbridge Road, Tallahassee, FL 32303 or East Hill Baptist Church, 912 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee FL 32308. Memorial contributions may also be made to Leon Football Hall of Fame, % Gene Cox Scholarship Fund, Regions Bank, 2000 Capital Circle NE, Talalhassee, FL 32308.

Published in the Tallahassee Democrat on 4/1/2009.

CLICK HERE FOR Tallahassee Democrat OBITUARY

See also Wikipedia entry

Marian W. Mayo

(Girls' Physical Education Teacher)

Marian W. Mayo, 86 of Tallahassee passed away, Monday, January 18, 2010 at Big Bend Hospice. She was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 60 years, William D. (Bill) Mayo. Visitation will be held 5 to 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, January 20th at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home, Riggins Road Chapel (850-877- 8191). Funeral Services will be 11 a.m. EST Thursday, January 21 at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church with interment to follow at MeadowWood Memorial Park. Mrs. Mayo was born in Eau Gallie, Florida and grew up in St. Augustine where she was an accomplished dancer. She left St. Augustine to attend Florida State College for Women. Mrs. Mayo taught Physical Education at Leon High School until her retirement in 1962. She is a member of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church. Survivors include a son, David (Jane) Mayo of Chaires, Fl; a daughter, Lynda (Gary ) Gray of Tallahassee; one brother, James Welch of Honolulu, Hawaii; three grandchildren, Brooke, Tanner and Brennan Gray of Tallahassee. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Children's Home Society of Florida.

Published in Tallahassee Democrat on January 20, 2010

Elva White Grow Clark

(LIbrarian)

Elva White Grow Clark, 94, died in Tallahassee Saturday, Jan. 3, 2004, after a brief illness. She was born Elva Geneva White on Dec. 3, 1909 in Pearson, Ga., to James Owen White, Sr., and Lila Corbitt White. Her near-death from the flu of 1918 made her into someone who was hardly sick another day in her long and active life. She attended Norman Park Junior College, began teaching high school in Atkinson County, Ga. at age 17, then graduated from Tift College. She began a long career of teaching high school at Colquitt, Ga., where she married William Alton Grow, Sr., in 1931. She earned a Master's Degree in Education from FSU.

In 1955, she and her family moved to Tallahassee, Fla., where she taught English and history at Leon High School. After earning a second Master's Degree from FSU, in Library Science, she became librarian at Leon High, and later at Tallahassee Community College. In the years before retirement, she traveled throughout Florida as a consultant for improving school libraries.

Survivors include stepdaughter Sherrie Grow Flynn of Atlanta, sons William A. Grow Jr. and Gerald Owen Grow of Tallahassee, sisters Eula Kirkland of Rome, Ga., Edwina Corbett and Evadelle White of Pearson, Ga., 12 grandchildren,16 great-grandchildren, and many cousins. She was preceded in death by her son John David Grow of Atlanta.

A memorial website is posted at www.longleaf.net/elva/.

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Claude "Coach" Stoutamire

Claude "Coach" Stoutamire, born in 1924 and member of a 4th generation Leon County pioneer family, died October 7, 2013. He graduated from Leon High School in 1943 where he was a standout in basketball and track, holding the state records for many years in the high jump. Following high school came three years of military service in the Army during WWII. His service to his country was one of his proudest accomplishments.

After college, he coached one year in Louisiana and then returned home to Tallahassee to teach and coach at Leon High School. He is best known as the beloved head basketball coach from 1951-1973 where in the first five years he produced two conference championships. He was also a fearless drivers education teacher and loveably tormented P.E. teacher. more ...

Published in Tallahassee Democrat on Oct. 13, 2013

Harold Everett Chapman Jr.

(Our Choral Director)

Harold Everett Chapman Jr., 88, who retired as choral director for Leon High School, died Thursday, April 17, 2003. Born July 31, 1914, in Indianapolis, he spent his early years in Evanston, Ill. He attended the University of Illinois and graduated from Northwestern University's School of Music in Evanston. His post-graduate studies in music education were taken at Northwestern and Florida State University. He taught for four years in Crystal Lake, Ill., where he supervised all music in the elementary school and taught all instrumental and vocal music in the junior high school. World War II brought him and his wife, Ruth Brindley Chapman, to Florida. After the war they came to Tallahassee, where he was choral director at Leon High from 1946 to 1967. more ...

Published in Tallahassee Democrat on Apr. 18, 2003