Judith Elaine Ennis
Judith Elaine Ennis, 80, of Plant City, Fla., born on Marl 23, 1944, entered into eternal rest on Feb. 27, 2025.
Expressions of condolences at www.HopewellFuneral.com.
Norma Kelley Ausburn
Norma Kelley Ausburn, 79, of Plant City, Fla., born on June 15, 1945, entered into eternal rest on Mar. 6, 2025.
Expressions of condolences at www.HopewellFuneral.com.
Christopher Michael Roxberry
Christopher Michael Roxberry, 49, of Lakeland, Fla., born on Feb. 18, 1976, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, entered into eternal rest on Mar. 2, 2025.
Expressions of condolences at www.HopewellFuneral.com.
Noel “Jilote” Quiroz
Noel “Jilote” Quiroz, 56, of Plant City, Fla., born on Mar. 10, 1969, entered into eternal rest on Mar. 10, 2025.
Expressions of condolences at www.HopewellFuneral.com.
Bobby James “Papa” Polk
Bobby James “Papa” Polk, 92, of Plant City, Florida, passed away on March 7, 2025, surrounded by family. He retired over 25 years ago as a mechanic with W.R. Grace after proudly serving his country in the US Navy. He was also a dirt farmer, avid coin collector, landlord, antique car enthusiast, and junk collector. Bobby is preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Vernice I. Polk; son, Randy Polk; and brother, Manfred Polk. He is survived by his son, Ricky Polk; two granddaughters, Robin Polk (Michele) and Staci Alderman (Brian); five great-grandchildren, Will Harris, Brantley Harris, Reese Polk, Aaron Alderman, and Logan Alderman; daughter-in-law, Marie Polk; and siblings, Sharon Young, Paulette Polk, and Shelton Polk. A funeral service with military honors will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 11:00 A.M. at Hopewell Funeral Home, 6005 South County Road 39, Plant City, where the family will receive friends beginning at 10:00 A.M. Interment at Memorial Park Cemetery, Plant City. Expressions of condolences at www.HopewellFuneral.com.
Virginia T. Berghofer
Virginia Turner Berghofer, 79, of Plant City, Fla., passed away on Jan. 31, 2025.
Jennie, as she was known, was born on Oct. 21, 1945, in Pinellas County, Fla. She was about 10 years old when her older brother became a tennis-player friend of fellow Plant City resident Daniel P. Berghofer. In 1965, Jennie and Dan reacquainted as adults while attending the local First United Methodist Church, where they married the following year. The couple’s daughter, Karen, was born in 1969.
Jennie had played clarinet in the Plant City High School band, graduated in 1963, attended Hillsborough Community College and St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC. She worked for the U.S. Selective Service, Marian’s Women’s Apparel of Plant City, and the Florida Department of Health’s Plant City branch. She was an administrative board member of First United Methodist Church, secretary of United Methodist Women, and a church choir participant. She was also active in the Plant City Pilot Club.
Mrs. Berghofer was a vociferous speed reader and particularly liked novels and nature publications. She enjoyed crocheting and knitting, traveling, and television programs related to outer space, mysteries and cooking.
Mrs. Berghofer was predeceased by her parents, Marian and Benjamin Turner of Plant City, and brother Dan Turner (Marcy) of Beaufort, S.C. She is survived by the following Plant City residents: husband, Daniel; daughter, Karen Berghofer; cousin George Turner; niece Lydia Kimler (Gary); great nephew Joshua Kimler; great niece Rachel Miller; and great-great nephews and nieces.
A Celebration of Life will be held Mar. 27, 2025, at Wells Memorial Funeral Home, 1903 W. Reynolds St, Plant City, FL. Visitation 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. followed immediately by Service.
George W Sell
George W Sell, age 86, passed peacefully on Mar. 4, 2025, at Empath Hospice in Tampa, FL. He was born in Winchester, IN on Aug. 26, 1938, and graduated from Dunkirk High School in Dunkirk IN. After serving in the Air Force, he attended Ball State University in Muncie. George was a Manufacturing Engineer, retiring from Mercury Marine Div. of Brunswick in Fond du Lac, WI. He was a member of Plant City Elks Lodge #1797 and a lifelong golfer.
He is survived by his wife, Kay; three daughters; 3 grandchildren; 2 great grandchildren; his sister; nieces and a nephew.
He was predeceased by his parents, stepmother, a sister and his brother-in-law.
Graveside services will be held at Bushnell National Cemetery at a later date.
Patricia Louise Peacock McGrath
Patricia Louise Peacock McGrath was born in Gainesville, Florida on September 10, 1948 and passed away in Miami on February 24, 2025. She grew up in Plant City, Florida and spent most of her professional life in her hometown. She was active in civic life and dedicated to improving the places she lived and the lives of others.
Tricia’s professional life was grounded in real estate. After getting her license, she became a certified appraiser. While earning her law degree at the University of Miami, she focused on real estate and was recognized for her scholarship in property law. Early in her career in Plant City, Tricia founded McGrath Appraisal Consultants, Inc. The business began as a one-woman venture but soon became a fully staffed enterprise. Tricia served in various organizations dedicated to the restoration of the city’s downtown. She was a member of the Downtown Business and Merchants’ Association, Save Our Structures (a group focused on developing city ordinances to preserve historic buildings), and STAR (an organization devoted to restoring the old State Theater in downtown Plant City). She also held a leadership position in the Plant City Business and Professional Women’s Lunch Club.
When she inherited her father’s place in Marathon, she relocated and served as a property tax appeal officer in Key West until her retirement. In that role, she was a force to be reckoned with. Attorneys quickly learned that they must be well-prepared because Tricia always was. She read widely and researched any topic she found important. She was intelligent and quick and always ready for whatever official conversation might evolve.
Tricia was warm and kind and principled. A great communicator, she inspired others to work for their beliefs as she did. She paid attention, attended meetings, and wrote letters. She felt it important to honor the past, but she was also concerned about the world her grandchildren would inherit. When she campaigned to limit the destruction of mature trees in Plant City, she emphasized how trees improve the quality of life for people and animals. When she pointed out the harm of overdevelopment in the Keys, she referenced the delicate balance of the Keys’ ecosystem.
Conservation of natural habitats was one concern Tricia brought to the attention of the Marathon City Council, but there were others. She spoke out about the lack of affordable housing and the limited access to medical care. And, as she had done in Plant City, she put her considerable talents to work in the Upper Keys. She supported the Domestic Abuse Shelter of the Keys and served on the Board of Directors. She assisted Saint Columbia Episcopal Church in raising money because she was impressed by their community outreach. In Plant City she raised money for multiple causes such as the downtown restoration projects and the medical bills of a colleague paralyzed in a car accident. She noted that such work reminded her of the good in people.
Tricia was optimistic and hopeful. She was a long-time member of the Democratic Party. She researched candidates and offered an enthusiastic endorsement to people whose ideas and energy she respected. She knocked on doors, wrote postcards, attended rallies, registered voters and spurred others to action. While in Plant City she managed at least one mayoral campaign. In 2022 she was proud to represent the Keys at the Florida Democratic Convention.
If you just met Tricia, you’d never know all she accomplished. She was humble and down home and friendly. She liked to knit and was a successful gardener. Even in the Marathon heat she managed to grow tomatoes. She liked to travel to historic places, but she loved her home by the sea and the time spent there with her father and her children and grandchildren. Her porch was crowded with an array of orchids and African Violets. She loved to sit among them and “cogitate” as she would say. She valued the birds and the wildness of the sea—though she did have a thing or two to say when chunks of her dock blew away. Still, she was Tricia, a warm light that will be missed by so many friends and relatives.
She is preceded in death by her father, Avon Jackson Peacock, Jr., MD and her mother Edythe Louise “Wezee” Matlock Peacock Mullen; her stepmother, Nina May “Big Mama” Peacock; her long-time companion Bob Brown; her ex-husband and dear friend Louis McGrath (Mac’s father). She is survived by her siblings: Jack Peacock (Debi) and Linda Peacock Crossan (Marvin) and by her children: Sheila Miles Dial (Matt), David Jackson Miles, Mac McGrath (Gesselle) and her grandchildren: Macie Miles, Mackenzie Miles, Arden White, Asher McGrath, and Nahila McGrath; her great grandchild: Arthur Cash Washburn; and her nephews: Rusty Ward, Clifford Bagley, and Timothy Bagley.
Tricia dedicated her body to the University of Miami Medical School. Donations can be made to her favorite causes: Domestic Abuse Shelter, P.O. Box 522696, Marathon Shores, Fl 33052 https://domesticabuseshelter.org/ or the St Columbia Episcopal Church, 452 52nd St., Gulf Side, Marathon, Fl 33050.
