To say that good news has been in short supply over the last two years might be the ultimate understatement. But mixed in with all the COVID debates, regulation rhetoric, and political divides have been some genuinely heartwarming tales that remind us of the basic goodness of humanity. Among many “feel good” stories throughout 2021, we proudly present four of Marathon’s finest.
Patron leaves staff a $10,000 tip on $193 meal at Castaway in Marathon
This happens sometimes, but never here, never to “us.” On March 16, a woman named Pam left a $10,000 tip on a $193 breakfast bill at Castaway Waterfront Restaurant and Sushi Bar in Marathon.
“It was a party of 10 and they were waiting on a few more guests to arrive,” said waitress Khara Wilson. “It was a busy morning, but I had a little time so I chit chatted a little bit — where they were from, when they were leaving. I got the impression that she was visiting with her kids and grandkids.” Wilson said the benefactress said she was from Oklahoma and mentioned she would be flying out of the Florida Keys Marathon International Airport on a private plane.
Later the woman approached Wilson and asked how many people were working in the kitchen. “She could see how many people were working on the floor. I asked her why she wanted to know and she told me it would be a surprise,” Wilson said, “but that I needed to share with all the staff.”
It was. The credit card slip ended up being handed to a trainee. Wilson said she handed over the receipt with big eyes.
“I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’”
DECK: ‘Pawficer Lucky’ is getting TLC at Marathon SPCA
Middle Keys sheriff’s deputies saved a kitten recently after they found it hitching a ride under Deputy Jonathan Rodriguez’s patrol car.
The story began at 9:08 a.m. on May 10 when deputies received reports that a kitten was running close to southbound traffic near Mile Marker 47 on the Seven Mile Bridge. Rodriguez responded to find a deceased adult cat — suspected to be the kitten’s mother — in the road at the base of the bridge. Rodriguez stopped. He saw the kitten run toward his patrol car and apparently leave the bridge, back to safety. He continued to look for the kitten near the base of the bridge to no avail. Hours later toward the end of shift, at about 6 p.m., Sgt. Joel Slough heard a cat meowing from under Rodriguez’s patrol car. After several minutes, Deputy Frank Westerband was able to see that the kitten was sitting on the rear axle.
A call went out throughout the Sheriff’s Office Marathon Substation as both day and night shift deputies went to work trying to rescue the kitten. Both rear tires were removed from the car as the kitten kept retreating to a small void between the rear axle and the fuel tank.
Finally, Animal Control Officer Aryel Del Cueto was able to safely remove the kitten.
The kitten — nicknamed “Pawficer Lucky” — ended the day resting comfortably at the FKSPCA in Marathon.
Lost flip flop ends in quick-thinking save
When Jackson Clark’s flip flop fell in the water near Sunset Grille on March 25, he jumped in after it. Unfortunately, the 10-year-old underestimated the force of the current next to the 7 Mile Bridge. He was swept away, along with his father Doug Clark, who dove in after him.
“We were alerted to the problem by a man that came running along the sidewalk under the 7 Mile Bridge,” said Landy Rodriguez Perez, who works for a subcontractor on the restoration of the Old Seven MIle Bridge.
Doug had managed to get his son up onto one of the bridge pilings. Though the little boy was safe, aside from some scrapes and scratches from the rough concrete, Doug was unable to boost himself to safety and was losing his grip.
Landy got to the ring buoy first, and threw it. Doug passed it to his son, Jackson, and together Landy, Ricky Locklear, his brother Josh Locklear and Willy Arrazola pulled the father and son to safety.
“This is why we love the Keys and why we keep coming back,” Erin Clark said, “the people are so incredible.”
“If the life ring didn’t work, we would have thrown ourselves into the water. A little boy’s life was at stake,” said Rodriguez Perez, a Marathon native. “It is what anybody would do.”
First Landry Sayer Clean the Curb Day unites volunteers in city-wide cleanup effort
In May, 6-year-old Landry Sayer petitioned the Marathon City Council to “Stop Trashing Marathon!” Sick of seeing litter piled up on the side of the road during her daily walks with her dog, Landry filmed a video demonstrating the extent of the problem to present at the council meeting. Mayor Luis Gonzalez pledged to organize a city-wide cleanup, and on Sept. 25, the community helped Gonzalez follow through on his promise during the inaugural Landry Sayer Clean the Curb day. Teaming up with Sheriff Rick Ramsay, Marathon Fire Chief John Johnson, and their respective staffs, dozens of volunteers began at Coco Plum beach at 7:30 a.m. before moving to the neighborhoods behind Bealls Outlet and the east end of Aviation Blvd. From run-of-the-mill litter like single-use plastics and paper waste to larger items such as electrical boxes and intact tires, the sheriff’s office trucks were piled high with trash collected by the cleanup task force.
Lost artwork draws community response
In April, Keys Weekly’s Charlotte Twine reported on Gallery of the Arts Owner Lisa Lee Herman’s lost paintings. A gyotaku artist, Herman sent a number of her pieces to Gigi Sireyjol-Horsley, the owner of Paysage Home, a gallery space in Wilmington, North Carolina. Herman shipped one tube of all 12 paintings from PostNet in Islamorada, then watched the shipment every day using the FedEx online tracking.
FedEx’s site said the paintings were delivered to Paysage on Friday, March 4. So Herman expected to call the gallery on Monday, March 7, to firm up details.
No dice. To Herman’s dismay, the gallery told her that they never got her paintings.
Not to be deterred from fulfilling her agreement to Paysage, Herman emptied out her gallery of the rest of her gyotaku paintings, drove to Wilmington from the Keys with her fiancé and delivered them safely during a whirlwind 24-hour trip. After posting a call for fish on social media, friends including the Postcard Inn tackle center, Yabba Dabba Doo Charters, Charisma Sportfishing, Capt. Perry Scuderi, Capt. Matt Bellinger, Capt. Tony Young and many more beckoned her when they had a fish for her to print.
“I want everyone to know how appreciative I am of the community rallying together,” Herman said. “Literally, my walls went from blank to stocked in a few weeks. Just mind-blowing.”
Sheriff’s captain, FWC officer and local nurse retire
Several longtime public servants called it a career in 2021. Florida Fish & Wildlife Officer Bobby Dube concluded his journey in November following a 32-year career patrolling the Florida Keys waters, which brought everything from large drug busts to the arrests of lobster mobsters. “A good friend of mine who’s retired has a little saying and I love to use it: “I won’t miss the circus, but I’ll miss the clowns,” Dube said. As for Monroe County Sheriff’s Capt. Don Fanelli, September marked the end to a career that spanned 35 years. Fanelli’s one of the first K9 officers in the Keys, and he’s also the one who spent most, if not all, of his time overseeing the checkpoint in Key Largo during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. “There’s nothing that I dislike or hate. Part of me comes to work and says, ‘I don’t want to leave this yet.’ This is what I’ve known since I was 18 years old,” Fanelli said. At the age of 70, Mariners and Fishermen’s nurse Cheryl Cottrell retired on Dec. 18. Growing up in the Upper Keys and graduating from Coral Shores High School, Cottrell studied to be a nurse and followed her calling, practically in her own childhood backyard in the Keys. “I love what I do, I love being a nurse and a nurse administrator. I work with a great bunch of people. I think we have the best nurses in all of South Florida,” Cottrell said.
Transgender student receives support
A small scholarship ceremony took place on June 2 at the beginning of Pride month. This was not an unusual occurrence, considering that Florida Keys’ high schools held similar celebrations a few days prior.
But this gathering at Keys Weekly’s Tavernier office was intimate, with little fanfare and just four attendees: scholarship recipient and Coral Shores High School graduate Brent Johnson; his mother Priscilla Johnson; the late Monroe County Commissioner Mike Forster; and Alexis Alba, chief operating officer of Tiki Water Sports.
Brent, 18, was born as a girl named Brianna and is currently transitioning to become a man. Brent, who was adopted into Priscilla Johnson’s family, said, “I’m extremely lucky I grew up around here, where it is extremely accepting.”
Brent said he knows about five other kids in the Upper Keys who are wrestling with their gender identity, and they have come to him for advice on how to physically resemble a boy, such as lowering their voices or flattening their breasts.
“I’m an open book,” Brent said. “I absolutely don’t mind answering any type of questions.”
Brent’s goal is to fly planes, whether for the Navy or a commercial airline. He does not see his transgender identity as an impediment, though the road in front of him may not be a smooth one, and future surroundings may not always be as accepting as that of the Florida Keys.
