The Islander is a free weekly community newspaper serving Anna Maria Island. There is no charge for our standard obituary, including survivors, services, photo and other lifetime information for present and former residents of Anna Maria Island and people with affiliations on Anna Maria Island.
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Bonner Joy, Publisher. news@islander.org
Neil P. Duck
Neil P. Duck, 66, of Bradenton, previously of Holmes Beach, died Nov. 9.
He was born July 1, 1959, in Exmouth, Devon, in the United Kingdom, to the late Margaret Anne (Lemon) and Peter Duck.
Mr. Duck was a butcher/meat cutter for Winn Dixie and The Fresh Market, having received a distinguished award as a Top 10 meat-cutter in the United States.
On arriving in Florida in 2011, he and wife Patty called the Anna Maria City Pier their second home. They met their best friends there, Luis (Kris) Wisniewski and wife Sharon and their family and Barry and Julia Garland.
They shared holidays and hurricanes with them.
Barry, Kris and Neil had their special seats at D.Coy Ducks after Hurricane Irma.
Though two are in Heaven, they will always be around those of us who are here loving and missing them on the island.
The Duck family requested memorial donations to Tidewell Hospice in Bradenton.
Mr. Duck is survived by wife Patty; brother Adrian and wife Carolyn; sister Mandy and husband Howard Sims; sister Stephanie; son Jonathan and wife Sarah and daughter Catherine; stepchildren Christina and husband Alex Vaughan and Jimmy Robakowski; and grandchildren Henry, Archie, Jenson, Marley and Josie.
Donald Douglas Schmitzerle
Donald Douglas Schmitzerle, 89, of Anna Maria Island and Bradenton, died Nov. 10.
He was born in Detroit but made his home here for the past 24 years.
He enjoyed a career as a music company executive, contributing to several major record labels, including Warner Bros. Records in Los Angeles, Capricorn Records in Macon, Georgia, and Bearsvill Records in Bearsville, New York.
He worked with an array of artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Emmylou Harris, 311, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Alice Cooper and many others whose music helped define generations.
He is deeply missed and lovingly remembered.
A celebration of life well be held Jan. 3, 2026.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 42 years, Sue Ann; sons David and wife Evon and Zachary and wife Jackie; and grandchildren Ian, Dylan, Cecilia, Sebastian and Julian.