Every life is remarkable, every death significant.
Those who occupy this world forever change it, in some way, first with their presence, then with their absence.
Keys Weekly pauses to remember the local leaders, legends and loved ones lost in 2023.
- Garrett Hughes: A Key West High School athlete, diver and fisherman, Hughes was shot to death on Feb. 13 while in the parking lot of a New Town bar following the Super Bowl. He was 21.
- Jerry Wilkinson: Historian, entrepreneur, philanthropist and adventurer who loved stained glass and photography died March 16 at age 94. His collection of Keys history is housed at the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center in Islamorada. “I’m not sure you can overstate the role Jerry Wilkinson played in collecting, preserving and promoting the history of the Upper Keys,” Richard Russell, Keys History & Discovery Center board of directors, wrote on Facebook.
- George Steinmetz: “A respected businessman and former marine patrol officer, Steinmetz’s imposing frame belied a generous and affable nature that endeared him to everyone,” died in March.
- Ben Segard: “A Keys boy through and through,” Segard died in a dive accident on Aug. 1. He was just 13, but left an indelible mark on all who knew him. “An early fascination with trucks took an aquatic turn as Ben became enamored with the Keys’ marine environment and the boats used to enjoy it. Known to ‘pancake’ a 12-foot cast net with ease – a rite of passage for Keys fishermen – Ben was soon honing his craft with rod and reel and his speargun, even developing a small bait fishing business with friends and learning to sail.”
- Danny Toppino: Key West businessman and community leader, he was involved with his family’s construction company, Charley Toppino & Sons, as well as countless organizations and charities. He died May 7 at age 74.
- Ralph Morrow: Career newspaperman and award-winning sportswriter who finished his career writing a sports column for the Keys Weekly died July 31 at 87.
- Jimmy Buffett: The music died in Key West on Sept. 1. The singer and writer who created the Margaritaville mindset with songs about sunburn, sailboats and island life died of Merkel cell skin cancer at 76.
- Mark Belile, who worked as a law enforcement with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office from 1989-2022 died Sept. 30 of pancreatic cancer. He was 68.
- Roosevelt Sands Jr.: Mentor, church leader and civil rights activist across generations in Key West died Oct. 9 at the age of 93. Sands “was a tireless advocate for civil rights, housing, healthcare and job opportunities for the Black community and the Bahama Village neighborhood,” said his nephew, Key West City Commissioner Clayton Lopez. “An icon passed this morning and so did an era in Key West history.”
- Tom Hambright: Longtime Monroe County historian and steward of Key West’s past, Hambright died Oct. 14 at 85. “Tom will be missed terribly, and his death leaves a big hole, but he has also left so much for us to appreciate, learn from and build upon,” said Corey Malcom, Hambright’s successor as lead historian in Monroe County Library’s Florida History Center. “We understand the Florida Keys, and how our island communities came to be, much better because of him. Tom may be gone, but he is unforgettable.”
- Michael Ingram: Key West architect, former guest house owner, community leader and more recent owner of Aqua Nightclub, died Oct. 21 at age 79.
- Enoch “Enos” Mitchell: “The man who helped build Key Largo,” died Oct. 31 at 93.
- Tom McDonald: Mosquito Control commissioner, died Nov. 9 at 77.
- Tim Dorsey: The New York Times bestselling author, Islamorada resident and dive bar devotee died Nov. 26 at 62.
