“Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” — George Eliot
In the spirit of remembrance, honor and gratitude, the Keys Weekly recalls those the Keys community lost in 2022.
Lofton “Coffee” Butler — Key West’s music man and namesake of the island’s Coffee Butler Amphitheater at Truman Waterfront Park died Feb. 1 at the age of 93. Though his absence leaves an unfillable void, Butler’s songs, smile and showmanship will live forever in Key West’s heart and history.
Sylvia Murphy — Feisty, a walking history book and a true public servant, Sylvia Murphy served 14 years as a county commissioner. But she was also a contributor to the community in ways many people didn’t see. A Keys resident dating back to her late teenage years, Murphy died Nov. 26. She was 86.
Barry Gibson — Barry Gibson took the Florida Keys by storm — and shades — when he arrived in the island chain nearly 40 years ago, having worked as a banker, a business owner and a Key West city commissioner. But his most important jobs were as a husband to Trisha and father to Taylor. Gibson died on Feb. 22 following a courageous battle with colon cancer.
Joey Naples — A radio favorite and the “King of Cool,” Joey Naples died May 17 after a long battle with cancer. He was 61. Naples rocked the Upper Keys with Clear Channel Media and then with the Florida Keys Media family, which he’d been with since 2014. Before that, the transplant from West Palm Beach served as senior director for an NBC television station for 25 years.
Marilyn Tempest — The Marathon community lost one of its finest members with the passing of longtime resident Marilyn Tempest on June 26. Known as a mainstay at St. Columba Episcopal Church, as a respected former Marathon City Councilwoman, and as a director, producer, actress and vocalist extraordinaire at Marathon Community Theatre, Tempest undoubtedly left her mark in her 26 years on the island.
Eddie Castro — Former Key West Fire Chief Edwin “Eddie” Castro, who died July 1 at 81, was on the scene of some of the island’s hottest and toughest fires from 1963 until his retirement in 1995. Castro served as chief from 1986 to 1995. “Chief Castro is really the first chief who started upgrading and enhancing the fire department’s training protocols and equipment,” retired firefighter and historian Alex Vega said. “He really laid the pathway for other chiefs to follow when it came to improving the department.”
Rebecca Thacker — The Marathon High School community lost one of its finest on April 4 with the sudden and unexpected passing of English teacher Rebecca Thacker. Her impact on MHS reached far beyond the grades and lessons she imparted in the classroom. Upon learning of the tragic news on the morning of April 5, the MHS baseball team elected to dedicate the remainder of their season to Thacker’s memory. Three days later, the team defeated Palmer Trinity at home, with “R.T.” spray-painted in the grass behind home plate.
Bill Blue — Bill Blue was a Key West musical icon. The blues master moved to the island from Virginia in the early ’80s, when he started his journey to becoming the modern-day godfather of the Key West music scene. One of the world’s best slide guitarists, he dazzled crowds from the Green Parrot to the Key West Theater while playing every venue along the way.
Capt. Mike Barber — On March 23, the Keys Weekly family lost one of its own, with the sudden passing of Michael “Cap’n Mike” Barber following an unexpected battle against aggressive pneumonia. A frequent columnist for the Marathon Weekly, Captain Mike was the modern-day definition of an old salt. His informative columns were often inspired by observations of discourteous or ignorant boaters and filled with teachable moments. In a world full of social media accounts making light of boating foibles, Barber provided the same in a more eloquent print form for Keys Weekly readers.
Coach Mike Leach — What does the recent death of a game-changing college football coach in Mississippi have to do with Key West? Turns out, quite a bit. Mike Leach was not only the head coach at Mississippi State University when he died Dec. 12 at age 61 following complications from a heart condition. He was not only a mastermind credited with rethinking the entire game with his Texas Tech “Air Raid” offense. Leach was also a Key West resident, Eaton Street homeowner, Harpoon Harry’s regular and island ambassador, who had even applied to coach Key West High School football back in 1996.
