MY SIBLINGS

Today I want to introduce my immediate family. I am going to include my cousin Juanda as she and I were more like brother and sister rather than cousins. Sadly, I have no pictures of her other that our yearbook photos, which I will try to copy. Please remember, these our my memories. All of these persons have memories of their own. If my recollections are different I am apologizing now. Of my immediate family, only 3 of us are alive, Paul, Pat and myself, but there are children to take into account. I will try not to dishonor anyone. OK with that I start.


WARREN LEVI II

Warren was born November 2, 1926. As I mentioned, his mother's seventeenth birthday was 6 days later . His early life is a mystery to me.  Mostly this is because I was born when he was 10 and I was so busy running from Jimmy I didn't have time to pay attention (lol). He was born at our home on Garfield Ave and graduated from Winter Park High school in 1944. He immediately joined the service, joining the US Army Air Force. Notice I didn't say AIR Force as it didn't exist separately at that time. The only real memory of him before that was that he had a horse, a thoroughbred I think. My recollection is that he and the horse would go out and the horse came back alone, Warren following later, disheveled! I know he played football, center I believe, which points out the differences between then and now. He probably weighed in at 140# maximum.

Because of his late entry into WWII I don't think he saw any action. He trained at Lowry AFB and in Panama, I believe on the B29 bomber as a gunner. He liked Colorado, which influenced me later. I'll talk about that in another segment. He was married twice. His first wife was a beautiful woman, Josie Skipper. I'm not too sure about the date but is was not too long after the war ended. They had 2 children, Ricky and JoLynn. They divorced when I was about 13 or 14 and I stayed part of that summer with Warren in the Bradenton area. I know Josie's father as I worked for him. More on that in another part of the blog.

Warren married a second time to Mary. I never knew her name before they were married. They had 2 children together, Butch (Warren L III) and Kathy. Butch is or was a PAC in Bradenton and I think Kathy was or is a teacher. I never knew Warren's children from his first marriage.

Mary had children from a prior marriage as well. I met her daughter who lived in California, Claudia I believe.

He went to college on the GI bill and graduated from Sam Houston's State Teacher's College. He worked as a teacher for a few years until he decided he couldn't make a living teaching so for reasons of his own, they moved back to Florida. Due to training he received he learned computer programming. Mind you this was in the late 40s and early 50s!. He set up Publix Supermarket's inventory control system and did such a good job he worked  his way out of a job. He then did the same job for Tropicana Juice making sure they would need him in the future, and he retired at that job.

He and I had an on and off relationship, but we always enjoyed our time together. He loved to gamble, particularly roulette and poker. He loved roulette but was better at poker. We went together to the Bahamas and Las Vegas a few times. I played golf in the Bahamas which saved me a LOT of money, but because of Warren, everything was comped except the gambling and golf.

I could say more but I think I've said enough, Warren died just after his 80th birthday, in 2007. Mary died a couple years later.


JACKIE BURKETT

Born 1929. Died 1931 at 18 months. I'm not sure what happened with Jackie as no one talked about him much He is buried with his parents in the cemetery near Dubsdread Country Club in Winter Park, Florida. No photos of him as far as I know


Well, this is going to take a while so I will publish this and start again tomorrow. Maybe I can get 2 more finished then.

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