The County Record

Mr. Ricky Foster, 55, of Altha, FL, passed away Friday, November 25, 2011, in Marianna, FL.

Ricky was born on February 21, 1956, in Calhoun County and had lived in Calhoun and Jackson Counties for all of his life. He was a carpenter and a member of her Holiness Faith.

Ricky was preceded in death by a niece, Nancy.

Survivors include his parents, Thomas Eugene and Nancy Maebell Foster, of Altha; two sons, Daniel and Joshua Foster, of Jackson County; two brothers, Tommy Foster of Clarksville and Tyler Foster of Altha; three sisters, Wanda Saldana, Annette Edenfield and Carolyn Foster, all of Altha; nieces, Stephanie, Debbie and Amanda; nephews, Shane, Stacy, Jeremy, Jared and Travis; great nieces and nephews, Jess, Baleigh, Morgan, Dylan, Belle and Addie.

Private family funeral services were held with Dr. Shawn Williams officiating.
All arrangements were under the direction of Marlon Peavy at Peavy Funeral Home in Blountstown (ph. 674-2266).

An episode of the television show "Disappeared" will air tonight, Monday, Nov. 28, featuring the story of the duck hunter who vanished on Lake Seminole 11 years ago. The show airs on ID - the Investigation Discovery channel - at 9 p.m. CT.

According to the show's website, 31-year-old Jerry Michael Williams is a successful businessman in Tallahassee when he reportedly goes out on a solo duck-hunting trip to Lake Seminole and disappears. Searchers find his truck, his boat and his shotgun, but they can't find Mike. It is assumed he is the victim of a tragic boating accident but officials are perplexed that his body doesn't surface. Mike is the only drowning victim on the Lake who has never come up.

Lake Seminole is infested with alligators, and some of the searchers begin to pass along a frightening theory of what might have happened to Mike. They tell his mother that alligators must have eaten him. But she doesn't buy that explanation. While she hopes her son is alive she begins to think he may have been the victim of murder, not misadventure.

When odd items like a pair of waders, a jacket and a hunting license with Mike's name on it, suddenly pop up on the lake six months after Mike disappears, insurance investigators begin to ask questions. Just a week after they are found, Mike's wife uses the discoveries, as evidence to back up her petition in probate court to have Mike declared legally dead. The judge grants her request, and Mike's widow receives all of Mike's assets and cashes in on life insurance worth at least one and a half million dollars. She later marries Mike's best friend, the insurance agent who sold Mike a million dollar policy just six months before he went missing.

Mike's mother lobbies law officials to investigate Mike's disappearance. It takes three and half years, but finally the Florida Department of Law Enforcement picks up the case and opens an investigation. Other agencies join in but though they find lots of grounds for suspicion of foul play they don't have much hard evidence to go on. All these years later, Mike's widow and best friend aren't talking. Most daunting of all there is no body, no trace at all of Mike. Without proof of foul play, an insurance fraud investigation sputters and dies. Yet investigators become more convinced than ever that Mike Williams is a victim of foul play and that the original story that Mike disappeared on Lake Seminole was an elaborate setup, created to distract law enforcement and his family from the truth about what really happened to him.

Tune in tonight for more on this story area residents have been following for over a decade.

Rev. Dr. Tommy Gene Bess, born January 31, 1950, passed away on November 21, 2011, in Rockford, Illinois.

He was the sixth child of nine siblings born to Susie Jane Bess Beckwith and Horace Beckwith in Graves Creek, FL, both of who preceded him in death. The family later relocated to Blountstown, where he grew up preaching the word to everyone, and, therefore, accepted Jesus as his savior. He attended Calhoun County schools and graduated Mayhaw High's Salutatorian of the 1969 graduating class.

He attended the Florida Memorial College, in Miami; there he earned a Bachelor of Elementary Education Degree. He also met his wife (deceased) Thomasina Kelly. To this union, two daughters were born. Tommy was very active in the college community. He was elected Student Government Association President, he was a member of the Glee Club, and he pledged into the brotherhood of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

After graduation, for several years, he made his home in Ft. Myers, where he taught school. Later, he accepted a job in Indiantown, Fl., and made this his permanent home. Dr. Bess was ordained as the pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in 1975. He worked tirelessly, in the Martin County community, the church, the school system, and actively ministered to the needy, the sick, community leaders, politicians, and school officials until his health began to fail.

He leaves to cherish his beloved memory two daughters, Tanjanette Bess and Tanjanelle Bess; one grandchild, Devin Melton; 11 siblings, brothers, Gene Bess, Ralph Bess, Minister Ernest C. Beckwith; sisters, Ellieen Lee, Almeter Wilson, Apostle Melody Peterson, Rev. Patsy Maxson, Tanguela Johnson, Geanette Bacon, Pastor Rosetta Baker and Betty Beckwith; one uncle, Bishop J.B. Beckwith; and a host of in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 3, at 1 p.m. (CT) at St. Mary's Baptist Church in Blountstown. Interment will follow in the Magnolia Cemetery in Blountstown. Visitation will be at the church on Saturday, December 3, at 11 a.m. until service time.

All arrangements are under the direction of Chandler's Funeral Home, 7775 Tallahassee Highway, Attapulgus, Georgia 39815.

Mrs. Betty Jane Proctor, 68, of Bristol, FL (Rock Bluff Community), passed away Sunday morning, November 27, 2011, at her home.

Betty was born in Rock Bluff and had lived in Liberty County all of her life. She was a homemaker and a member of the Assembly of God Faith.

Survivors include fiancée, Richard Burke, of Hosford; a son, William Kim Nowling, and his wife, Angelia, of Blountstown; a stepson, Raymond Pelt of Eastpoint, FL; two daughters, Lisa Carreon and her husband, Jorge, of Bristol, and Audie Callejas of Hosford; three brothers, Charles Junior Proctor and his wife, Opal, of Cottonwood, AL, Jerry Proctor and his wife, Annie, of Bristol, and Bill Proctor and his wife, Brenda, of Ashford, AL; three sisters, Jean Handlen and her husband, David, of Azle, TX, Edna Cramlet and her husband, Cork, of Palm Desert, CA, and Marie Cumbie and her husband, Ralph, of Cairo, GA; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, November 30, at 1 pm (EST) from the graveside at Rock Bluff Cemetery in the Rock Bluff Community. Interment will follow in the Rock Bluff Cemetery. The family will receive friends Tuesday, November 29, from 6 pm until 8 pm (EST) at Peavy Funeral Home.

All arrangements are under the direction of Marlon Peavy at Peavy Funeral Home in Blountstown (ph. 674-2266).

Rex Norman Smith of Blountstown passed away Tuesday, November 22, 2011, in Panama City at the age of 49.

Rex was a lifelong resident of Blountstown and he was a millwright.

He was preceded in death by his father, Ray Smith.

Survivors include his companion, Norma Martinez, of Blountstown; three sons, Robbie Wayne Smith and Ryan Lee Smith, both of Huntsville, Alabama, and Reece Glendon Forehand of Wewahitchka; two grandchildren, Jessie and Lala Martinez; his mother, Eileen Kovex; two sisters, Rayleen D. Anderson of Chipley and Kelley Michelle Middleton of Blountstown; nieces and nephews, Kenneth and Kevin Anderson, and Andrew and Shelby Middleton.

A memorial service was held at 6:00 p.m., Friday, November 25, in the Chapel at Adams Funeral Home.

Adams Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements (phone 674-5449). On-line condolences may be made at adamsfh.com.

Two BHS students have earned their Microsoft Word Certification. Scott Dunn and Ryan Liffick pictured with Mrs. Debra Perdue have completed one step toward earning Microsoft Office Specialist certification. [Full Story »] 

CALHOUN COUNTY
Nov. 14: Cathy Summerlin, violation of conditional release; Troy Martin, domestic battery; James Lerch, violation of probation
Nov. 15: Connie Carter, failure to appear; Kevin Hansford, violation of probation; Lyndon West, violation of probation
Nov. 16: Steve Vernen Nelson, DUI; Willie Smith, battery, resisting arrest without violence
Nov. 18: Erik Anderson, VOP; Calesta Manasco, VOP
Nov. 19: Billy Ray, no valid driver’s license
Nov. 20: Shane Coburn, grand theft
[Full Story »] 

by Angela Waldron

[Full Story »] 

Legal Notice [Full Story »] 

The Blountstown Tigers won the district championship and finished 6-4 in the regular season after an overtime thrilling victory over Lafayette County last week. Friday night at Bowles Field the BlountstownTigers took on the Chipley Tigers who were runnersup in their district to Holmes County in a rematch to move on in the playoffs. Chipley had won the regular season game in Chipley 16-7. [Full Story »]