Coastal Breeze News

Craig Woodward  I appreciate the many people who commented or called about the last article written about John Weeks and his family. One point that concerned readers was the comment that his wife, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Weeks Sawyer was buried in an unmarked grave at the Marco Cemetery. Clearly the wife of the first settler of Collier County, who moved here in 1862, deserves more recognition. Lizzie died in 1939 in the middle of the depression and although there were four generations of Weeks living on the Island at the time, the family was not affluent. However, her grave site is ... Read More »

Collier County Library is promoting library card sign up month with the slogan “ The Smartest Card: Get It, Use It, @ Your Library!”  It’s the smartest card for a lot of reasons:  for the access it provides to a wide spectrum of reliable information resources and for the value it provides to every card holder. Customers can borrow rather than buy books and movies, download audio books and take advantage of a wide variety of programs and events for every age group which makes their library card a most valuable asset. Over a dozen community businesses are partnering with ... Read More »

A TRIUMPH OF LOVE IN THE MIDDLE OF WAR By Jane A. Marlowe Coastal Breeze News salutes a couple as part of its continuing recognition of World War II veterans. Two young lieutenants met while serving in the United States Army and neither war nor far away assignments could keep them from finding each other again and again. Georgia Ivanoff Olsen resides on Marco Island in the same condo she shared with her husband, Edward, until his death here in 2005. Their northern homes were in Chicago and Fontana on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin where they raised their only child, Lucienne. ... Read More »

Marco Island’s Veteran’s of Foreign Wars, Post 6370, will hold its Poppy Sale island-wide on Saturday, February 12th. Uniformed Post members will be at the island’s food, drug and hardware stores from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Donations for poppies go to the VFW’s Emergency Relief Fund. The entire proceeds from the sale are used exclusively for Veterans and their families in need. The Veterans of Foreign Wars are chartered by the United States Government and its members can be identified by their uniforms and insignias. We are permitted by the City of Marco Island, and allowed by island retailers ... Read More »

Thank you for Community Support, I would like to thank everyone that bought a raffle ticket for Keratin Complex smoothing treatment in support of the Marco Island Kiwanis project giving toys to kids at Christmas. With the $558.00 dollars that was raised through this raffle, 150 toys were purchased at Kmart with a 10% discount. 1st prize winner of the raffle was Jamie Shea, 2nd place was Mike, and 3rd place winner was Cindy Kellet. Toys were distributed at Manatee School on December 15. The Kiwanis raised $10,000 dollars to purchase Christmas toys for kids this year! We had 75 ... Read More »

Montessori students recently celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday in a very special way. Festivities included homemade treats and edible turkey centerpieces and the children danced and sang. There was plenty to be thankful for as Mutual Bank of Omaha was in attendance to present the school with a $2500.00 check. According to Jennifer Stanley, Business Banker for Mutual of Omaha’s Marco Island branch, “this check is the first of four installments in a $10,000.00 capitol campaign contribution to expand the school.” “The school needs to relocate by August because the church is expanding. We’re both growing and need to have more ... Read More »

Dear Editor, I’m proud to be part of a community so generous in spirit. With the support of some highly esteemed community members, my Breast Cancer Awareness Open House on Oct. 19th was so successful. The many women who attended thoroughly enjoyed presentations from Dr. Patty Poling, Melissa Felice, Dr. Lamm, Val Simon and Millie Kelley.  Each shared their expertise with highly valued information and often with great humor. We had a blast! Also, thanks to Tammy and Denise from Salon Botanica for their generosity in giving their time and talent for pampering us with nail care and massage. You are ... Read More »

Dear Editor: This is to address a disturbing situation that is occurring on Marco Island – that is, the opposition to establishing a charter high school on Marco Island. The Marco Island Academy is so much a win-win benefit to not only our children (the future of Marco) but to the community at large as well. To oppose this is a travesty and we are truly saddened that the opposition of a small segment can override an overwhelming need and benefit for the community. We have all too often heard a communal cry of “not in our back yard”; however, ... Read More »

Probably most of you have heard of the plight of Clayton Lietz, who wants to build a mausoleum within the Marco cemetery but is reaching roadblocks every step of the way. I had a few questions for Clayton. Shouldn’t the Marco cemetery be listed as an Historical treasure? I understand the founding families of Weeks and Colliers are buried there. That in itself is a treasure! Why don’t people who are the decision makers want to round out the services to the community by adding a mausoleum within the cemetery? This will all be done with donations, right? Does the ... Read More »

Does anyone out there have any PBA or Marco Island Airways memorabilia? I am donating all of my items to the new museum that will soon open at the Depot in downtown Naples. From what I understand, the museum will dedicate some of the space to transportation of the past, and PBA and Marco Island Airways were certainly a huge part of our transportation system in Collier County. This was only a few years back, yet young people today have never heard of them. If you have anything to donate, please call Ron Jamro at the Collier County Museum main ... Read More »

We have tried to protect Track K from the money grubber developers in the past but you and I know, they have money to burn so the city will be the looser in the long run if this land doesn’t go to Conservation Collier. We know Conservation Collier would use it as a preserve and this is the only open place on this island for the migratory wildlife to come to in the winter. We’ve already lost the burrowing owls on Kendal and soon they will not nest here at all but of course our developers would be happy about ... Read More »