Profiles
Profile: Samantha Stone
October 11, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Dr. Samantha Stone’s goal is to help people understand that a stronger body means healthier days ahead. Samantha is a fitness instructor in Boca Grande, as well as some other venues in…
Profile: Tom Tirpak
October 4, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Tom Tirpak has been in the restaurant business since he was 16 years old. He grew up in Philadelphia, Pa. and attended high school in New Jersey. After he graduated, he earned an assoc…
Profile: Stephanie Shirback
September 27, 2019
There’s a friendly new first grade teacher at The Island School this year, and her classroom is colorful and full with resources. Stephanie Shirback has replaced former TIS teacher Tammy Tieu. Stepha…
Profile: Evan Merritt
September 20, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Evan Merritt has been coming to Little Gasparilla Island since he was a baby. His parents would come here on the weekends and for several weeks each summer. “We used to rent places in…
Profile: Dencina Ihlanberg
September 13, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Dencina Ihlanberg is an amazingly strong woman – emotionally, physically and spiritually. Over a few short years she was forced to deal with a great amount of tragedy. In 2003 she lost…
Profile: Renee Maines
September 6, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Renee Maines trusts her faith when it comes to making decisions about her next move in life. She has been a teller at Englewood Bank on the island since April, and she’s currently trai…
Profile: Steve Rinaldi
August 30, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN
Steve Rinaldi remembers when there was a campground at the north end of Gasparilla Island. As a kid, he would visit Boca Grande with his family every few weeks. He also recalls when th…
Profile: Lisa Sims
August 23, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Lisa Sims, manager at Gasparilla Adventures, has been associated with Boca Grande since 2008. The first time she came to the island was to help with the wedding of Sarah Blakely (found…
Profile: Mike Bower
August 16, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN If you’ve visited Hudson’s Grocery recently, you might have noticed a new face helping to run the store. Sporting a bright pink T-shirt, Mike Bower has been working hard at the store…
Profile: Mary Mazyck
August 8, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Mary Mazyck spent almost four years in Ecuador serving with the Peace Corps before returning to her hometown of Tallahassee, where she spent a year riding horses for a living. “I wante…