Obituaries
It is with extreme sadness to inform you that Thomas “Tom” Joseph Kriel Sr. has gone to be with the Lord, Friday, April 14, 2023, at the age of 73.
Tom was born in Detroit, Michigan, July 5, 1949, to Elmer & Elizabeth Kriel. After graduation he married Linda Mae Torigrossa and they had three children. After their marriage ended, he raised his children. Tom was a Meat Cutter in various grocery stores. He was a “superb” Meat Cutter, Assistant Meat Manager and Meat Manager. He worked at A&P, Albertson’s and Winn-Dixie for 46 years. In the late 1970s, he and his kids moved to Holiday, Florida (Pasco County), and then in 2003 moved to Sopchoppy, and continued to work at Grocery Stores until his retirement Aug. 31, 2011. Tom loved camping at Wood Lake in Sopchoppy. He had his friends and he was an extremely quiet and private person. He loved fishing, hunting, gardening and going to Skybox and Dux. Tom was of the Catholic faith.
Tom was predeceased by his parents, Elmer J. Kriel and Elizabeth Rose Hovanec Kriel; his son,Tommy Kriel; grandson Jordan Kriel; brother Mike Kriel; his former wife and mother of his children Linda; and other relatives and friends.
Survivors include his faithful companion and caregiver Edna Butler of Sopchoppy; his two children son Shon Kriel (Jennifer) of Lutz, Florida and daughter Christina “Candi” Kriel (Shuggie) of Arkansas; Michelle McPhillips (Jason) and Liam of Indiana & Joseph “Joey” Wycoff (his wife) and children of Arkansas; also his grandchildren Nicholas, Alyssa, Stephen, Kyra, Kayla, Levi and Regina Melder.
He is leaving behind his Wood Lake friends Bill and Jerry Stafford, Joyce Glow, Pat Holloway, Vicky Bislick, Les and Wes Wright, Gary and Vicky Starlin and his best friends at Wood Lake, Gene Thaxton, he shared the love of Wood Lake and the NASCAR driver Bill Elliot with him, and his very best friend Hank White (South Dakota). Tom’s nickname was “Dogie” and that is what they all called him. He also had good friends DeWayne and Beth McClain from the Sopchoppy Grocery Store and Matt “Rooster”, Becky and Dani Paul Howell. Even though Tom and Edna never married they were very fond of each other and their families.
Per Tom’s wishes there will not be formal services. Tom’s final resting place will be in Indiana.
Thank you so much to the wonderful people at Big Bend Hospice in Tallahassee & Crawfordville, especially Heather Sheridan, Dr. Lutz, Hanna Henderson, Sarah Dunlap, Linda Carrier, Sara Gregory and others for all the help during Tom’s illness.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Big Bend Hospice, 2889 Crawfordville Highway Crawfordville FL 32327 and 1723 Mahan Center Blvd. Tallahassee FL 32308, in memory of Tom Kriel.
Skip and Trey Young along with Paula and Kimberly are assisting the family with arrangements. Family Funeral Home at Harvey Young Chapel. 850-926-5919 Familyfhc.com
Rena Denise Cooley
Rena Denise Cooley (60) nee Hartman went home to meet her Savior Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
She was the cherished daughter of Barbara (William) Barnell and Robert Hartman, who preceded her in death. Rena was born in Sturgis, MI on Dec. 24, 1962 and graduated in 1980 from Sturgis Christian School, where she excelled in mathematics and enjoyed playing volleyball on the school team. She met her loving husband, Bruce Cooley, while working at The Chicken Coop Restaurant. They liked to say that Bruce started as Rena’s manager, but she soon became his manager when they married a couple years later in 1983.
Bruce and Rena started their family in southern Michigan before moving to central Illinois in 1995. Rena was a devoted mother to her four children. They fondly remember her lasagna and playing croquet on the lawn with her on cool summer evenings. In addition to being a homemaker, Rena worked as a florist at Casey’s Garden Shop as well as a clerk at Naturally Yours health food store in Bloomington-Normal, IL.
In the summer of 2014, the Cooleys settled in Crawfordville, where Rena became a dedicated member of River of Life Church. She cherished her personal relationship with God all her life and faithfully sought to reflect God’s love and truth in her every word and deed.
Rena loved to draw as a child, and she grew into a talented watercolorist as an adult. Her deep appreciation of God’s creation was evident in the beautiful hand-painted cards she shared with family and friends as well as her love of gardening, flower arranging, and nature walks. Rena especially loved to walk the beach with Bruce and her children at Alligator Point along the gulf shore.
Rena is survived by her husband Bruce Cooley, her children Kevin (Elaina) Cooley, Kayla (Taylor) Cooley-Wood, Kyle Cooley, and Karl Cooley, and siblings Brad (Gail) Hartman, Timothy Hartman, Darrel (Cherie) Hartman, Lowell (Kisha) Hartman, and Heather (Patrick) Smith.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 11 a.m. at Family Funeral Home, Harvey-Young Chapel. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.
Skip and Trey Young along with Paula and Kimberly are assisting the family with arrangements. Family Funeral Home at Harvey Young Chapel. 850-926-5919 Familyfhc.com