Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Col. James Clark Dieffenderfer (“Jimmie Dee”), a long-time visitor to Boca Grande and the father of local resident Ann Fletcher, took his final flight on 16 September 2022. A decorated World War II hero and a man of extraordinary character, he leaves behind a loving and extended family, along with countless friends. He died peacefully […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages.
A BOCA BEACON TIMELINE FIVE YEARS AGO Dr. Raymond James joined the Boca Grande Health Clinic staff. TEN YEARS AGO The Mote Marine Laboratory branch on the island was about to open and Cannon and Kyle Jones spoke to the Beacon about the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. It occurred at the elementary school they […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: The Gasparilla Island Maritime Museum and Whidden’s Marina would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season. A special thank you to Sandy Melvin and Boca Grande Charities for their generous donation from the recent G.I.F.T. Tournament for assistance in cleaning up hurricane debris as we are working […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO The Pink Pony got that really cool machine that presses pennies into different designs. TEN YEARS AGO Ed Seale passed away, a true Southern gentleman who helped shape Gasparilla Island with his real estate company. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO A company that was looking into purchasing the old Mercabo facility wanted to put […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Opinion.
This has been a strange year. So was the year before it … and the year before it … and so on. It’s been a non-stop parade of “unprecedented” situations we’ve been experiencing, all the while trying to continue on with what we recall our “normal” lives to have been. That memory is slipping further […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
The actions of one local man erratically driving drunk last Friday, Dec. 9, could have had a much worse outcome than it did. According to witnesses, that day at approximately 7:30 a.m. Timmie Carroll Spain, 49, of Port Charlotte was northbound on Gasparilla Road and allegedly ran several people off the road in the Lee […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
There are many people who love Boca Grande. There are a lucky few who are from Boca Grande. But there are some people who are Boca Grande. Dennis Oller was one of those people. His love of the island began when he moved here at the age of 9, in 1966, and it continued until […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
No one in Boca Grande could have missed the presence of Gaston TDR on the Island the last two months. Their double-container knuckle loaders are hard to miss. They have been up and down the Island picking up storm debris and helping residents get back to some sense of normal. The “TDR” in Gaston’s name […]
Written by Boca Grande Health Clinic on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
Get ready, because Santa is coming to Boca Grande – and he is bringing along COVID-19 and his cousins flu and RSV for Christmas dinner! As you all have probably read, RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is spreading across the U.S., as is influenza. And like Cousin Eddie in the movie “Christmas Vacation,” COVID-19 just will […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
If you want to kick a man when he’s down, wait for a hurricane to hit, then take his giant fish. This actually happened, but not to a man as much as to a marina. Boca Grande Marina, to be specific. They had a 16-foot, marlin on the side of the building for years. The […]