Jay Kline Locher

I will preface this with “God surely created one of his masterpieces” for all of us left behind. His long journey of 106 years is full of those who knew him and shared his wisdom. He was a loved man and gave back that love to all he met. I would say he had three great loves: 1. His Music, 2. His Family and 3. All of you whom he met.
My wonderful father, Jay Kline Locher (known as: Kline Locher), passed on June 1, 2026.
He was born the only son of Roma (Kline) Locher and George F. Locher on October 18, 1919, in Youngstown, Ohio.
He was brought up during the depression by a resourceful father (who owned a tire shop where Kline worked during his youth) and a strict mother (bound & determined to have him learn piano). He made a deal with Mom: He would learn piano if she allowed him to take trumpet lessons. He became proficient in both instruments.
After graduating Rayan High School in 1937, he worked at Youngstown Sheet and Tube for a brief period. He decided his love for music needed attention.
This was during the height of the Big Band era, so he latched on to a job as a “Band Boy” to get a foot in the door. That foot led to lead trumpet jobs with numerous Big Band names of the era (like Teddy Powell Band, Woody Herman Band, Benny Goodman Band, Jimmy Dorsey Band) to name a few. In fact, he auditioned for Lawrence Welk and was offered a job but had to turn it down because he was making more money with the current band he was with.
He joined the Army in 1944 and was assigned as a medic. However, the brass found out about his talent as a band leader and took him off medic duty and assigned him the task of organizing and leading a new military band playing for troops and traveling to different events. He was honorably discharged in 1946.
After the military he returned home to Youngstown Ohio, and found a job in the music department with Strouss-Hirshberg, rising to VP under the tutelage of Mr. Ben Winters.
His reputation found its way throughout the music industry, and he held VP positions for various piano manufacturers. In 2004 as a member of the National Association of Music Manufactures (NAMM) during their 100-year anniversary meeting in California, he received an unexpected tribute. He was awarded the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award. It taped a half hour interview with him and stored it in its 100-year Time Capsule to be opened in 2104.
After surviving a diagnosis of terminal cancer, he “retired.” I put retired in quotes because he was in no way finished contributing to life’s journey.
He worked until the age of 102 (drawing a paycheck) as a golf ranger at the Falcon Watch and Scepter Sun City Golf Courses. Only a fall and a broken femur bone ended that career.
In 2011 at 92-years old, he and a dear friend, Don Wright, & lovely wife, Lori, from Sun City, collaborated on his new endeavor (becoming an author). He wrote his autobiography, titled What A Life (available at Amazon). Also, I want to send a special Thank You out to Mr. Frank Lewis of Sun City Center who spent hours upon hours visiting Dad and sharing stories after Mom passed.
As a golfer he did not hit long, but he hit straight, and I suspect since he lived and played for so long, he may be a record holder for shooting his age or under. He was turning in low 80s in his 90s.
Then there is the music popping up again: In 1986 he and mom moved to Sun City Center, Fla. He continued his musical journey by playing trumpet in a jazz band (The Par Four) that took jobs in the surrounding area. That four-man group of musicians used golf carts during the winter season to play music “on the road” for those Sun City residents who may be shut in during the holiday season. They performed from 1988 to 1998. In 1993 He was drafted to become the band’s leader and write music arrangements for the Sun City Big Band, which had as many as 18-20 musicians/singers. He remained in that position for the next 13 years.
His favorite times were on cruises that Dad; his son, Bob; and wife, Maureen; and two whom he referred to as his other son, Jon, and his wife, Terri. We had a blast. The men and women had five different outfits, down to the shoes that were exactly alike. Whenever we went out on the ship, we wore the same costumes. When introduced to strangers, the men identified themselves as the father (Dad), the son (Bob) and the holy ghost (Jon). Many thought we were part of the entertainment and wanted photos with us, and some even remembered us from a previous cruise.
He married his beautiful wife, Fran Bispeck, who was also working for Strouss-Hirshberg as an executive secretary in the music teaching department. They were happily married until her sad passing in 2014. Their daughter, Sister Roma Jean Locher, a Carmelite Nun cloistered in Little Rock, AR, was born with a congenital heart defect and left for heaven too soon in 1983.
Dad is survived by his son, Robert Locher, and wife, Maureen Locher.
Dad had many relatives who called him Dad or Grandpa. He would want to recognize them in his final farewell: granddaughters, Tracey, Veronica, Virginia and Susie, along with their husbands and children.
Military burial will be on June 18, 2026, 11 a.m. at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.
Life well Lived Dad!

Robert J. Rowel

Robert James Rowell, 89, went to be with his Savior on June 5, 2026. He was born March 6, 1937, to Andrew Moses and Verna Kay Rowell in Ruskin, FL. He was predeceased by his parents; sons, Russell and Randall; and sisters, Nina and Gloria. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Sylvia Lenora Rowell; daughters-in-law Venita (Russell), Katherine (Randall); grandchildren, Shauna, Windy, Christopher, AJ, Ryan; and great-grandchildren, Kaydintz, Cullen, Grace, Lhaynee, Hailey, Roland, Eva and Hunter.
Robert was born in Ruskin in the area known as Doodle Hill (24th Street SE). He graduated from Wimauma High School after which he enlisted in the US Army and was stationed in Germany. When he returned home from military service, he went to work for Tampa Electric Company where he retired after 34 years.
Robert was known for the love and support he gave his family, his sense of humor and his love for the community. He was instrumental in fundraising and helping install the first outdoor lighting at East Bay Little League in the early 1970s. He was a member of the Shriners and an Honorary HCSO deputy. He enjoyed Scuba diving, fishing in the Florida Keys and hunting (mostly arrowheads). Robert had many stories to tell about growing up in the Ruskin area and its colorful characters and history.
He leaves a legacy of being a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who will be greatly missed by family, friends and the community. He will live on in the hearts of many.
Graveside services will be at 11 a.m., June 26, 2026, at Fellowship Primitive Baptist Cemetery, 10232 S.R. 674, Wimauma, followed by a Celebration of Life at his home, 4005 30th Street SE, Ruskin.

Eileen Courter
Sept. 7, 1940 –June 11, 2026

Eileen Courter, a retired communications professional and 25-year Sun City Center resident, died June 11 after several months under hospice care.
She was born Eileen Myrtle Alexander on Sept. 7, 1940, to Earl and Velma Alexander in Port Huron, Michigan. A stellar student, she won a major scholarship to the University of Michigan and remained an avid Wolverine supporter for life.
After graduation in 1962, she joined the Port Huron Times Herald as women’s editor, where she met reporter Paul Courter. They married in 1964 and moved to Florida, where he was a Miami Herald editor and she taught English at a private high school.
They returned to Michigan in 1966. Eileen joined the Michigan state Department of Social Services and within a few years was appointed statewide communications director. She later was a freelance writer for several national business journals.
The Courters retired to Sun City Center in 2000, and joined the SCC Security Patrol, where Eileen was a 20-year volunteer. She was also a member of the inaugural SCC Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and helped establish the Sun City Center Car Club.
Eileen was predeceased by her parents; brother, Jay Alexander; and sister-in-law, Joy Blouin. She is survived by husband, Paul; brother-in law, Francis Blouin; sisters-in-law, Leila Markle, Doris Jean O’Dell, Theresa Langdon; and many nieces and nephews.
She will be interred in Ann Arbor, overlooking the campus of her beloved University of Michigan.