Amanda Blumbergs, 95, Vero Beach
Amanda Blumbergs, 95, passed away July 26, 2017 at Grace Rehabilitation Center in Vero Beach. She was born Feb. 12, 1922 in Ventspils, Latvia, to the late Alfred and Lizete (Kandis) Graudins.
Amanda was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Vero Beach. She was a member of Women of the ELCA, Church Bereavement Group, Church Quilting Group, and Church Social Committee. She also enjoyed volunteering as an Usher at Riverside Theater, Vero Beach Museum of Art, and working with the children’s programs.
Survivors include her children Maija MacKenzie of Vero Beach, Andy and Megan Blumbergs, of Ballston Lake, NY; four grandchildren, Douglas MacKenzie (Jennifer), Helen Cone (Frank), Kristoffer Blumbergs, and Becky Blumbergs; four great-grandchildren; and four great-great grandchildren; and nieces, and a nephew.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Aug. 2, at 11 a.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family would respectfully request thanksgiving prayers for Amanda’s gift of a long and healthy life.
Mary Jane Putnam Crawford, 92, Vero Beach
Mary Jane Putnam Crawford,92, passed away on Tuesday, July 25, 2017, at Sebastian River Medical Center. Mary Jane was the eldest child of Dr. Issac S. Putnam and Lucy Marie Feight Putnam, and was born on July 29, 1924, in Dillonvale, Ohio.
Raised in Southeastern Ohio, she graduated from the Mount Dechantel Academy in Wheeling, W Va. With a life-long desire to help and serve others, she graduated as a registered nurse from The Ohio State University School College of Nursing in 1946 as Valedictorian. She subsequently was chosen as one of the first registered nurses to graduate from the School of Nurse Anesthesia and pass, with Distinction, the National Board as a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist). While training at Ohio State, Mary Jane met and married the love of her life, Dr. Kenneth L. Crawford, with whom she shared 69 1/2 years of storybook marriage.
In her career as a nurse anesthetist, which spanned 38 years, she established and operated her own independent practice in Baraboo, Wisc., and took a sabbatical during her children’s formative years from 1957-1963. Subsequently, she undertook further training and began a second career in anesthesia in Baltimore, Md. Over the next 21 years, she practiced nurse anesthesia in several hospitals, but most importantly, she was Chief of Nurse Anesthesia at Maryland General Hospital. It was there that she was an instructor in anesthesia for many students, including her son, Joseph, who was a medical student rotating at the hospital.
Mary Jane was beloved by her family as everyone’s champion and angel, and thought of as the glue that held them all together. With her influence and support, both of her children graduated from medical school to practice the art and science of medicine, and serve others like their mother before them. She was graceful, intelligent, charming, refined, empathetic, and modest. Her quiet strength and determination inspired her entire family. These qualities and her tireless support of her family made her the best mother and grandmother we could have hoped for.
She is survived by her two children, Dr. Joseph P. Crawford, of Vero Beach and Sebastian, and Dr. Paula L. Crawford, of San Antonio, Texas, her daughter-in-law, Dr. Cynthia S. Crawford, of Vero Beach and Sebastian; and her grandchildren, Kevin Putnam Crawford and Katherine Marie Crawford, both of Columbus, Ohio.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Kenneth L. Crawford.
A memorial service in her honor will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Vero Beach on Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 6 p.m. with a reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a contribution in her honor be made to The American Security Council Foundation, P.O Box 781040 Sebastian, FL 32978. Please indicate in memory of Mary Jane Crawford on the memo line.
Hubert “Bud” Morrow Shifflett, 89, Vero Beach
Hubert “Bud” Morrow Shifflett, 89, of Vero Beach and Sidney, NY, passed away Tuesday, July 25, 2017, with his family by his side. He was born June 24, 1928, in Wilmington, Del., to Hubert W. and Margaret Shifflett.
He attended Christ Our King School in Wilmington. In 1948, he moved to Miami with his family, where he worked at Penninsular Armature Works for 30 years. He left his job temporarily to join the US Navy in 1950 to serve in the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1954.
Bud married Augusta “Gussie” Mertz on Aug. 11, 1956, in Miami and was happily married for almost 61 years. Hubert was a member of the VFW and American Legion in New York.
He is survived by his loving wife, Augusta; sons, Hubert Joseph (Joe), of Vero Beach, and John William (wife, Lucia), of Miami; and nephews, Michael and Matthew Hodgson.
He was predeceased by his parents, and sister and brother-in-law Margaret and Robert Hodgson.
A visitation will be held on Friday, July 28, from 6-8 p.m. at Cox Gifford Seawinds Funeral Home, 1950 20th St. Vero Beach. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church Saturday, July 29, at 10 a.m. Burial with military honors will be held at South Florida National Cemetery, Lake Worth, Fla.
Leo Joseph Siclari, 95, Vero Beach
Leo Joseph Siclari, 95, of Vero Beach, passed away on Monday, July 24, 2017. He was born on April 12, 1922, in Olean, NY, the son of the late Paul and Mary Siclari. He moved to Vero Beach in 1978 from Washington, DC, where he worked in the FAA/Security Division of the Department of Transportation.
He proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the South Pacific Theater.
Leo had a great sense of humor, was larger than life, and enjoyed traveling and dancing with his wife, Gena.
“We are grateful for all the times he was by our sides to help and support us; teach us the value of hard work, good judgment, courage and integrity; for the sacrifices he made; and for the laughter, smiles and good times we shared. A part of us died when he left. Wherever he goes, we also go.”
Leo will be carried in the hearts of his daughter and son-in-law, Paulette and Scott Lee, of Vero Beach; sister, Toni Martiny, of Brandon, Fla.; grandchildren, Wanda Wagner, of Waldorf, Md., and Ray Hoover, Jr., of Mechanicsville, Md.; three great-grandchildren; five nieces; one nephew; and his caregivers, Anastasia Tyson and Quay Franklin.
He will also be greatly missed by his dogs, Sophie and Drover.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Gena; daughter, Joan Hoover; and brother, Frank Siclari.
Donations may be made in Leo’s name to H.A.L.O. Animal Rescue, 710 Jackson St., Sebastian, FL 32958; Humane Society, 6230 77th St., Vero Beach, FL 32967; or VNA Hospice, 1110 35th Ln., Vero Beach, FL 32960.
Services will be private.
