From Thomas S. Lowther Funeral Home & Crematory
Mildred Ellen Hill Hansley Hubbard, 89, Vero Beach
July 04, 1933 – October 05, 2022
Mildred Ellen Hill Hansley Hubbard, age 89, passed away, October 5, 2022, at VNA Hospice House in Indian River County.
She was born in Miami, Florida in 1933.
Mildred owned and operated the DonEllen dress shop in Miami Springs for 33 years.
She was a devout member of the Saint Sebastian Catholic Church, Sebastian, FL.
Mildred was a graduate from Barry University in Miami Florida.
Survivors include her beloved daughter, Lynn Ellen Hansley-Lyon and countless members of her extended family and lifelong friends.
She is predeceased by her beloved son, Donald Leroy Hansley, Jr., Donald Leroy Hansley, Sr., Donald Eugene Hubbard, her mother, Georgia Albert Hill and father Bidd B. Hill and longtime companion Albert Kraft.
A Mass will be held at Saint Sebastian Catholic Church, 13075 US-1, Sebastian, FL 32958 at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 with a celebration of Mildred’s life to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are encouraged in Mildred’s honor to VNA Hospice house 901 37th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960 or Saint Sebastian Catholic Church, 13075 US-1, Sebastian, FL 32958 or a charity of choice.
Arrangements are by Thomas S. Lowther Funeral Home & Crematory, Vero Beach.
From Strunk Funeral Homes & Crematory
Eleanor May Bengyak, 84, Vero Beach
October 29, 1937 – October 11, 2022
Eleanor May Bengyak, 84 of Vero Beach, FL passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, October 11, 2022.
Eleanor was born October 29, 1937 in Niagara Falls, NY to Eleanor (Brown) and Graham McCalister. She was 1 of 4 children.
Eleanor was a career banker and avid Bridge player and director. She enjoyed teaching, directing and playing any chance she had. She also was founding Director in Dogs for Life, an organization close to her heart that trains service dogs for Veterans and people with disabilities to allow them to have the best quality of life. She also was the daughter of a 32 degree Scottish rite Freemason.
Eleanor is preceded in death by her son, Patrick Michael Sr, her husband Victor, her 3 brothers and parents.
Our Grandmother is survived by her grandchildren: Sharon and Patrick Jr, her 4 great grandchildren Cheyanne, Neil Jr, Alayna and Ava, her 4 great great grandchildren: Jaxan, Alexander, Zachariah and Adilynn and her now retired service dog Rufus. She also leaves behind 3 nieces Cathy, Cheryl and Patricia as well as other extended family and friends that will miss her greatly.
Celebration for our grandmother will include Viewing/Visitation: Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 5-7pm with the Graveside service/Burial: Sunday, October 16, 2022 @ 11:00am with brunch/reception at The Plaza to immediately follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Bengyak Legacy Fund c/o Dogs for Life, 1230 16th Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32960.
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of ELEANOR MAY BENGYAK, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
From Strunk Funeral Homes & Crematory
Kayleigh Elizabeth Raymond, 32
February 19, 1990 – October 3, 2022
Kayleigh Elizabeth Raymond, 32 passed away on October 3, 2022.
Celebration of Life – October 22, 2022 at 6:30PM at 750 49th Avenue, Vero Beach, FL 32968
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of KAYLEIGH ELIZABETH RAYMOND, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
From Strunk Funeral Homes & Crematory
Anna M. Denley, 94,
January 21, 1928 – October 6, 2022
Anna M. Denley, 94, passed away October 6, 2022 in Vero Beach, FL. A full obituary if forthcoming.
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of ANNA M. DENLEY, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
From Strunk Funeral Homes & Crematory
Elisa Scerbo, 89, Sebastian
June 27, 1933 – October 10, 2022
Elisa Scerbo, age 89 of Sebastian, FL, died Monday, October 10, 2022, at JFK University Medical Center in Edison, NJ.
Born in Jersey City, NJ, she was the daughter of the late George and Angelina Johnston.
She lived in Carteret before moving to FL in 1992.
Elisa devoted her life to her family, and she faithfully cared for her handicapped daughter until she passed away. She loved entertaining family and friends, cooking for her husband and family, watching old movies, and going out to dinner. For many years the family owned a house in the Poconos where they have fond memories of weekends together enjoying nature and time spent together. While in Florida she was fortunate to live near her siblings and she treasured the memories they made.
Elisa was predeceased by her husband, Raymond in 2014 and her daughter, Elisa C. in 2020.
She is survived by her daughter, Elaine DiLeo and her husband, Mark of Whitehouse Station; her son, Anthony and his wife, Carol of Carteret; her brother, George Johnston and his wife Angela of FL; her sisters, Jeanette Willcock and Virginia Durham, both of FL as well as her four grandchildren, Christopher & Jessica Scerbo, Jaime Johmann and her husband, Doug, Mark DiLeo and his wife, Catherine and her three cherished great grandchildren, Declan, Mila and Luca.
Visitation will be held on Friday, October 21, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Strunk Funeral Home, 1623 North Central Avenue, Sebastian, Florida 32958 followed by a Prayer Service at 11:30 AM in the Funeral Home Chapel with Deacon John Dunlop, celebrant of St. Sebastian Catholic Church. Entombment will take place after the service at Fountainhead Memorial Park, Palm Bay, Florida.
Arrangements are entrusted to Strunk Funeral Homes & Crematory, Sebastian, Florida.
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of ELISA JOHNSTON SCERBO, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
From Cox-Gifford Seawinds Funeral Home & Crematory
Elizabeth T. Murphy, 94, Vero Beach
December 30, 1927 – October 4, 2022
Elizabeth T. Murphy, 94 of Vero Beach passed away October 4, 2022. A Funeral Mass will be held 11AM on Monday, November 7, 2022 at St. Helen Catholic Church.
To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of Elizabeth Theresa Murphy, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
From Cox-Gifford Seawinds Funeral Home & Crematory
Eileen B. Barnum, 99, Vero Beach
January 30, 1923 – October 5, 2022
Eileen B, Barnum, 99 passed away peacefully at VNA Hospice House, Vero Beach, FL on October 5, 2022.
She was a 45 year resident of Vero Beach. Eileen is survived by her nieces Betty Cullen and her husband John; Ann Marie Ehman and husband Bill; Marge Ramsey, Carrol Polidore and husband Rick, Mary Francine Robinson; nephews Christopher Robinson, Keith Barnum, John Saparito and his wife Cindy and their son John Michael.
Eileen was born in Kenilworth, NJ and was a 1941 graduate of the Sacred Heart High School in Elizabeth, NJ. She later moved to Garwood, NJ where Eileen was an Aeronautical Technician at Weston Manufacturing in Newark, NJ for 40 years.
Eileen was an avid patron of the New York Metropolitan Opera. She was also a world traveler who visited exotic places such as Egypt, Tibet and The Great Wall of China. In 1987, she relocated to Vero Beach and resided at St. Francis Manor for many years. She was a faithful parishioner of St. Helen Catholic Church.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 11AM on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at St. Helen Catholic Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations in her name be directed to St. Helen Catholic Church, designated for the Msgr. Newman Outreach Center located in Vero Beach.
To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of Eileen Barbara Barnum, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
From Seawinds Funeral Home & Crematory
Richard J. “Dick” Van Mele, 88, Sebastian
August 20, 1934 – October 8, 2022
Richard J. “Dick” Van Mele was born in South Bend, Indiana on August 20, 1934 to Joseph and Kathleen Van Mele, who were children of immigrants from Belgium and Hungary. Having been born with club feet, he learned to handle adversity at an earl y age. He was the first child of a large family of cousins to graduate from high school. He put himself through college at the University of Notre Dame by working evenings as a clerk in a local trucking company; he graduated in 1956 with a BS degree in Accounting & Finance. Dick also earned his JD degree in 1967 from Indiana University.
Dick began his professional career as an Assistant Professor of Commerce and Law at Ball State University. In 1970 he joined the Associates Corporation as Executive Vice President of Governmental Affairs, representing financial institutions before Congress. Dick travelled nationally until 1976, when he made a conscious decision to spend more time with his children. He purchased the Bath Insurance Agency in 1976, the Michiana College of Commerce in 1979, and the Robertsons Department Store in 1981.
Dick loved giving back to his community. During the 70’s and 80s’s he served as Indiana Toll Road Commissioner, and Chamber of Commerce President. He also was recognized with the Sagamore of the Wabash Award for inspiration in leadership and the Key to the City of South Bend Award for outstanding economic development.
After retiring in 1998, Dick and his wife moved from South Bend to Sebastian, Florida. Dick was far from ready to sit at home and simply enjoy life. Since he never wished to be far “in spirit” from his beloved Notre Dame, one of the first things he did was to establish a Notre Dame Alumni Club, which grew to one of the larger alumni clubs in the country. As a life-long Catholic, Dick quickly became involved in his parish, St. Sebastian, by serving on the Knights of Columbus, the Pastoral Council, and the St. Vincent de Paul Boards.
Being formed through adversity, Dick reacted with dignity and grace as he faced a number of serious health issues over the next decade. Most trying was the fact that his left club foot began to disintegrate and his left knee became inoperable, requiring him to become wheelchair-bound. This did little to quench Dick’s desire to help those less fortunate; he championed his fundraising talents to help a number of struggling non-profit organizations . Those fundraising efforts did not go unnoticed. In 2004 he received the Florida Homeless Services Council Award for contributing the most to aiding and minimizing homelessness in the state, and in 2005 Dick received the National Philanthropy Unsung Hero Award. The organizations closest to his heart were The Homeless Family Center, Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, The Women’s Care Center, and Catholic Radio.
In late 2019 Dick was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. He fought a valient battle for three years, but on October 8, 2022 Dick passed away at Hospice House. He is survived by his wife, Debby, of 41 years; three children: son, Scott Van Mele of Portland, Oregon; daughter, Mary Gallegos (spouse: Thomas) of Sebastian, Florida; and daughter, Michelle Van Mele of Barefoot Bay, Florida; one step-son, Christopher Meyer of Sebastian, Florida; and three grandchildren: Justin Van Mele, Anthony Gallegos, and Michelle Gallegos. Dick is also survived by his brother, John Van Mele (spouse: Janice) of Granger, Indiana.
A memorial mass will be held on Tuesday, October 25th at 11 AM St. Sebastian Catholic Church, 13075 U.S. 1, Sebastian, FL.
Interment will take take place on October 29th at Mary, Holy Mother of the Church Mausoleum in Cedar Grove Cemetery on the grounds of the University of Notre Dame.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one of Dick’s favorite charities.
