Alma Dalton passed away on April 3, just shy of her 97th birthday. She was born in Key West on April 24 1924, the oldest daughter of James Bertram Pinder and Ida Elizabeth Cothron.
Grade school was a one-room affair in Upper Matecumbe. She went to high school in Key West and later in Georgia living with family.
Alma is one of the last two survivors of the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 that devastated Islamorada and blew Flagler’s railroad into the sea.
Married in 1942 to Jack Dalton, who was stationed on Alligator Lighthouse, she had two daughters. On his passing, she spent the rest of her life with her sister, Dolores Pinder Brothers, and brother Joe Pinder.
Many remember Alma or “Mimi” from Theater of the Sea, Public Gas and The Trading Post where she ran the kitchen like a tight ship surrounded by her aunts and friends.
Her time was also devoted to Matecumbe United Methodist Church, which was founded by her grandfather. She was in the choir most of her adult life, and she helped with stained glass and all annex activities.
Alma is survived by Marge, daughter; Teddy, son-in-law; Corie, granddaughter; Terry, grandson-in-law; Allison, step-granddaughter; and Caitlyn and Emma, great-grandchildren.
