Business leader, Mixon Insurance founder dies May 4
Jimmy W. “Jim” Mixon died May 4.
He was born Nov. 24, 1937, in Augusta, Georgia, to Wade and Marie Mixon.
Mr. Mixon, along wife Patricia, founded Mixon Insurance in 1972, and together with son Mark have operated the business in Holmes Beach.
He was a former member of Rotary, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow, past president and district governor’s representative. He was a former member of the Holmes Beach Code Enforcement Board and president of Island Co-Listing organization before MLS served Anna Maria Island. He also was a former member of the Hernando Desoto Historical Society, where he served as a crewe member for many years. He was one of the older members of Key Royale Club in Holmes Beach and the Newport Golf and Country Club in Newport, Vermont. He won the golf championship many times at both clubs and remained active until his death.
He was a member of Saints Peter and Paul of the Apostles Church in Bradenton.
Services were to be private. Memorial donations may be made to Catholic Charities, 1000 Pine Brook Road, Venice FL 34285, or a charity of choice.
Survivors include wife Trish, son Mark of Holmes Beach, daughter Kim Eresten and husband Alex of Munith, Michigan; sons Wade and wife Frieda of Augusta; Brian and wife Sandra of Savannah, Georgia; stepson Robert Ostroski of Bradenton; granddaughter Melissa and husband Jason Chambers of Palmetto; granddaughter and grandson Brooke and Tristan of Augusta; grandson Chase of Savannah; great grandchildren Landry and Harper Chambers of Palmetto and Hayden of Augusta; and sister Emily Pentacost of Gadsden, Alabama.
Michael R. Barton
Michael R. Barton, 73, of Holmes Beach, died April 13.
A celebration of life will be held May 15 at the Anchor Inn, 3007 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.
Survivors include wife Debra; Sister Sharon and husband Roberto Munoz-Flores, and nieces and nephews.
Ryan Michael Carlson
Ryan Michael Carlson, formerly of Mishawaka, Indiana, and Anna Maria Island, died March 4. He was born Feb. 16, 1985.
He was a devoted father to son Canaan and enjoyed spending his days off as “daddy day care.”
From a young age, he loved cooking and would stand on a chair in his grandmother’s kitchen, learning all he could, under the watchful eye of his grandfather. Starting from the age of 14, he was working in a kitchen, and he never left. His jobs took him to Colorado, Texas, Florida and most recently Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he met his fiancé, Anna.
When he wasn’t in the kitchen, he loved being on the golf course or the beach. He loved his time on Cape Cod and Anna Maria Island boat days.
He was a diehard Tampa Bay sports fan and loathed the New England Patriots. He loved playing sports, especially basketball, and won a Gus Macker tournament when he was 15.
A celebration of life will be held 1-4 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Feast, 5406 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, with refreshments and food to be served. All are welcome.
A service was held in Mishawaka. Memorial donations may be made to the Canaan J. Carlson Trustee Account, c/o TD Bank, 249 Worcester Court, Falmouth MA 02540.
He is survived by son Canaan James; fiancé Anna Sabella of Oak Buff, Massachusetts; mother Kathy Talbot of Homes Beach; father Ted III of South Bend, Indiana; brother Ted IV and wife Maggie and their son Ted V of Homes Beach; sister Krystin of Homes Beach; sisters Rachael and Jillian both of Fort Wayne, Indiana; grandmother Joyce Freed Mishawaka; grandfather Ted II and wife Donna Lee of Boca Raton; dear friend JD White; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Irma Garcia Elizarde
Irma Garcia Elizarde, 89, of Anna Maria, died May 6.
She graduated from Hillsborough High School in Tampa and retired from the Miami-Dade County School Board.
Visitation will be held 1-1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 12, at Manasota Funeral Home 1221 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton. Burial will follow at 2:30pm at Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Road 72, Sarasota. Arrangements were by Manasota Memorial Park and Funeral Home, Bradenton.
She is survived by son Joseph and wife Linda; daughter Valerie and husband Julio Rosas; grandchildren Vincent and wife Jenn, Steven and wife Maggie and Anthony Rosas and wife Crystal; great-grandchildren Jasmine, Joanna, Luke, Kyle, Drew, Jackson and Joseph; and nephew Kenny Suarez and wife Chris.
Edward ‘Ed’ A. Kerr
Edward “Ed” A. Kerr, 76, died April 14.
He was born in 1939 in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Paul and Allie Kerr. He attended Young High in Knoxville, as well as the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. His childhood in Knoxville solidified his lifetime love of the Tennessee Volunteers football team.
He worked many different jobs after college and was promoted from a “goldfish salesman and parakeet catcher” at the Sears store in Kingsport, Tennessee, to the Sears executive training program.
He and his wife and daughter moved to Chicago in 1966. They lived in the suburb of Warrenville, Illinois, and Mr. Kerr commuted to the Sears headquarters in downtown Chicago. He moved into the Sears Tower when it was completed in 1973, occupying an office on the seventh floor.
As a buyer of braided rugs, he traveled to Japan and other parts of Asia in the 1970s, developing a love of travel and Asian culture. He also met some of his best friends through his work and he stayed in touch regularly with them.
He was an active member of the Warrenville Zoning Board, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and outdoor sports aficionado.
He left Sears after 16 years and moved to Greenville, South Carolina, to manage a textile firm, Carolina Creations.
Mr. Kerr met and married his second wife, Carol Bettenhausen, and they lived in Greenville for almost 20 years.
He loved retail and ran a custom furniture store and eventually had several small outlet stores in North and South Carolina.
He also loved to boat and fish and owned several antique cars that he exhibited at shows around the southeast.
In retirement, he and his wife moved to Anna Maria Island,.
Mr. Kerr was a member of the Holmes Beach Planning Commission.
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 14,, at Griffith-Cline Funeral Home, 720 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. Condolences may be made to www.griffithcline.com. Memorial donations may be made to The Food Bank of Manatee, 811 23rd Ave. E., Bradenton, FL 34208.
Survivors include daughter Pamela Diwik and husband James; brother James and wife Judy; sister Lib Mitchell and husband Mike; granddaughter Alexandra Diwik; nephews David Kerr and Rick Mitchell; nieces Kelli Aguirre and Christy Kerr, as well as great nieces and nephews. He will be dearly missed by his faithful dog, Kailey.