SFLTIMES.COM | SOUTH FLORIDA|| TIMES | JANUARY 23 - 29, 2020 | 3B| Obituaries Jazz composer and sax player Jimmy Heath passes at 93 NEW YORK (AP) – Jimmy Heath, a long and productive career. He wrote Grammy-nominated jazz saxophonist most of the material for the Chet and composer who performed with Baker-Art Pepper album “Playboys,” such greats as Miles Davis and John recorded with everyone from Davis Coltrane before forming the popular and Coltrane to Milt Jackson and Gil family group the Heath Brothers in Evans, worked on charts for Ray middle age, has died. He was 93. Charles, and released several of his Heath's grandson Fa Mtume told The own albums. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILLBOARD.COM New York Times that he died Sunday In the 1970s, he helped found the at his home in Loganville, Ga. The Heath Brothers, which also featured JIMMY HEATH: cause of death was not immediately brothers Percy Heath on bass and Al- Recorded with everyone from Miles Davis and John Coltrane to given. bert “Tootie” Heath on drums. Their Milt Jackson and Gil Evans, worked on charts for Ray Charles, released several of Heath, a native of Philadelphia, had albums included “Marchin’ On” and his own albums, and formed the popular family group the Heath Brothers with broth- been playing jazz since the 1940s, in the Grammy-nominated “Live at the ers Percy and Tootie. the early days of bebop. He was men- Public Theater.” In 1993, he received tored by Dizzy Gillespie, idolized a Grammy nomination for his own by the National Endowment for the each of his marriages. His son from his Charlie Parker, whose nickname was “Little Man, Big Band” album (Heath Arts, which noted that “By combining first marriage, James Mtume, became “Bird,” and would become known as stood just 5 feet, 3 inches) and played his versatile style of performing and a Grammy-winning musician and “Little Bird” for how well he emulated in a jazz concert at the White House, his outstanding writing and arranging songwriter who helped write the Parker's fluid style. when President Bill Clinton himself abilities, he has set a high standard of Stephanie Mills hit “Never Knew Heath overcame his battles with borrowed his saxophone for one num- accomplishment in the jazz field.” Love Like This Before.” Another son, heroin addiction, which landed him in ber. Survivors include Tootie Heath; his Jeffrey, died in 2010. Percy Heath died prison in the mid-1950s, and had a In 2003, he was named a Jazz Master second wife, Mona; and a child from in 2005. HADLEY DAVIS RANGE JAY FUNERAL HOME FUNERAL HOME FUNERAL HOME MIAMI GARDENS cd cd cd Clinton G. Brown, 76, retired long- Geneva Rahming, 77, child care, Frank Overstreet, 68, retired, died shoreman, died January 18. Service died January 16. Service will be held January 14. Service will be held will be held 11am Wednesday, Jan- 1pm Friday, January 24, at Seventh 10am Friday in chapel. uary 29, in Chapel. Day Adventist Church- Homestead. Stonewall Jackson, 67, BSO Thena Parker Bethel, 75, retired Shirley Berry, 60, bus aide, died Sheriff, died January 12. Service private duty nurse, died January January 8. Service will be held will be held 10am Saturday at 21. Service will be held 11am 11am Saturday, January 25, at Miami Gardens Church of Christ. Saturday at Jordan Grove Mis- Glendale Baptist Church. sionary Baptist Church. Charles Tremayne Brogdon, 49, Billy Levester, 77, security, died died January 6. Service was held. Mizie Rolle Hanna, 95, retired January 13. Service will be held registered nurse, died January 11am Saturday, January 25, at Jane Ann Mascoe Powell, 104, re- 11. Service will be held 11am Fri- Jay Funeral Home Chapel. tired, died January 8. Service will be day, January 24, at Temple Mis- held 11am Saturday at Zion Hope sionary Baptist Church. Devan Walker, 26, water & sewer, Church. died January 19. Service will be HADLEY DAVIS held 12:30pm Saturday, January Jay Funeral Home 25, at New Bethel AME Church. Lucy Mae Humbert, 81, dry FUNERAL HOME cleaner owner, died January 11. MIAMI MLK Service will be held 12pm Satur- Beaufort Sabb, 87, laborer, died day in Chapel. cd January 16. Service will be held Serving the Community for 40 Years 1pm Saturday, January 25, at Jay Alma Delois Head, 55, cook, Clifton Bancroft Cargill Jr., 51, died Funeral Home Chapel. “The Legacy Continues” died January 11. Service will be January 5. Service will be held 12pm Saturday in MLK Chapel. held 2pm Saturday in Chapel. Timothy Neals, 46, electrician, died January 15. Service will be Jay Funeral Home Jay Johnson Funeral Home Jessie B. Richardson Jr., 49, Kevin Dwayne Black, 63, roofer, held 3pm Saturday, January 25, died January 13. Memorial Serv- 17420 Homestead Avenue 665 SW 8 Street died January 13. Service will be at Jay Funeral Home Chapel. held 4pm Saturday in Chapel. ice will be held 1:30pm Thurs- Perrine, Fl 33157 Homestead, FL 33030 day, January 30, at O/E Event Emma Harrington, 94, security, Lover Lee Walthour Davidson, 69, Hall. 305-255-1193 305-245-1922 died January 20. Arrangements homemaker, died January 9 Service are incomplete. will be held 10am Saturday at Sentina Renella Thomas Sims, 10am in Miami Gardens Chapel. 80, retired, died January 7. Serv- ice will be held Sunday, January Marvin Richardson, 43, cook, 26, at Maranatha Seventh-Day died January 16. Arrangements MANKER are incomplete. FUNERAL HOME Adventist Church. Place your Death Owen Dukes, 70, landscaper, died cd January 15. Service will be held Sat- urday at 12pm at St Mark Mission- Notices here in the Shannon L. Fogler, 52, sales- ary Baptist Church. man, died January 15. Service will be held 11am Saturday in Baby Boy Toni Moody, died Jan- Manker Memorial Chapel. uary 16. Service was held. cd Earsel Reaser, Jr., 68, printer, Phyllis Williams, 68, probation SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES died January 19. Service will be officer, died January 18. Service held 2pm Saturday in Manker will be held 10am Saturday in Memorial Chapel. chapel. ||| ClassifiedsObituaries LEGAL NOTICES ADVERTISE YOUR EMPLOYMENT LISTING HERE! Employment • Legal Notices Authomotive Services Buy • Sell • Trade Section B_3.12.qxp_Layout 1 3/11/20 7:03 PM Page 3 SFLTIMES.COM | SOUTH ||FLORIDA TIMES | MARCH 12 - 18, 2020 | 3B| Obituaries Barbara Neely, creator of black female series sleuth, 78 NEW YORK (AP) – Award-win- read a bit like Barbara Neely's,” ning mystery writer Barbara the women's general-interest Neely, who created the first website Bustle said in 2015. black female series sleuth in “Blanche on the Lam” won the mainstream American publish- Agatha Award, Anthony Award, ing, died last week after a brief and the Macavity Award for best illness, according to her pub- first novel, as well as the Go on lisher, Brash Books. She was 78. Girl! Award from Black Women's Neely is perhaps best known Reading Club. Her series has for her four-book Blanche White been translated into several lan- series, which had at its center a guages including French, Czech, nomadic amateur detective and German and Japanese. She was domestic worker who uses the included in 2012's “100 Ameri- invisibility inherent to her job as can Crime Writers” by Steven an advantage in pursuit of the Powell. truth. “She was an inspiration, a trail- “I realized the mystery genre blazer and a remarkable talent was perfect to talk about serious and voice whose loss is deeply subjects,” she told Ms. Magazine felt,” Mystery Writers of America in 2000, “and it could carry the said in a statement following her political fiction I wanted to write.” death. “Her talent and memory Neely was named the 2020 will live on forever in her won- Grand Master by the Mystery derful books.” Writers of America. In announc- Neely was born in 1941 in ing the honor last year, the asso- Lebanon, Pa. She attended the ciation described Neely as “a University of Pittsburgh, where groundbreaking author” who she earned her master's degree. “tackles tough social issues with She worked on behalf of women an unflinching eye and a wry released from prison and as a sense of humor.” radio producer. She also had The Blanche White series in- positions at the Institute of Social cludes 1992’s “Blanche on the Research and was executive di- Lam,” 1994’s “Blanche Among rector of Women for Economic the Talented Tenth,” 1998’s Justice. “Blanche Cleans Up” and 2000’s Neely published her first short “Blanche Passes Go.” They push story, “Passing the Word” in past mystery into political and Essence magazine in 1981. It social commentary, like tackling took her more than a decade to violence against women, racism, become an established author. PHOTO COURTESY OF IFOUNDTHISGREATBOOK.COM class boundaries and sexism. “If Her other works include Toni Morrison wrote murder “Among the Talented Tenth: A BARBARA NEELY: Her Blanche White series features a nomadic amateur detective and domestic mysteries, they would probably Novel.” worker who uses her invisibility in pursuit of truth. ROY MIZELL JAMES C BOYD RANGE FUNERAL JAY & KURTZ FUNERAL HOME HOME FUNERAL HOME FUNERAL HOME cd cd cd cd Clarence J. Simpkins, 61, correc- Sheila L. Taylor, 53, retired nurse Andrea Holland, 39, homemaker, Samuel W. Williams, Jr., 69, died tional officer, died February 19. Me- for Mercy Hospital, died March 6. died March 6. Memorial service will cd March 1. Services will be held morial Service was held. at 11:00 Service will be held 11am Saturday be held 11am Saturday, March 14, 11am Saturday, March 14, at Roy am on Friday, March 6, 2020 at at First Baptist Church of at Jay Funeral Home Chapel.