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The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Wilderness Lake Church

Appreciating Joe Hancock’s legacy

June 8, 2016 By Tom Jackson

To begin to appreciate the sudden and shocking loss of Joseph Neal Hancock — legacy grove owner, ubiquitous volunteer, Southern historian and, poignantly, amateur bicycling enthusiast — you begin here, a half-mile and then some from Townsend House Cemetery.

Here, if you weren’t among the earliest arrivals, is where you park, on the edge of another of Pasco County’s narrow, unpaved roads, among the four-wheel-drive SUVs and pickup trucks. So very many pickup trucks, signaling something else important: This is a funeral for a working man.

Joseph Neal Hancock was a man of achievement, generosity, reflection. (Courtesy of Hancock Family)
Joseph Neal Hancock was a man of achievement, generosity, reflection.
(Courtesy of Hancock Family)

And so, despite the morning’s rising heat, you slip into your sport jacket — respect must be paid — and strike out around the bend, kicking up dust in pursuit of the old final resting place for some of the east county’s most notable pioneer families: Johnstons, Eilands, Bellamys and, by the dozens, Hancocks. So very many Hancocks.

It was inevitable, then, Joe’s earthly remains would wind up here, on this shaded hill overlooking gentle pastureland and sparkling Middle Lake beyond, beneath the canopy of moss-draped oaks. It’s just the timing that was all off.

Joe Hancock, the son of the son of the son of farmers, was just 57 years old — the new 35, as every baby boomer knows — and hardy. We mentioned the bicycle. With cycling pal Jim Pavek pushing him and their families’ scalloping adventures waiting at the other end, he could make Steinhatchee, a 140-mile trip, in two days. He’d been known to pedal to North Carolina and beyond.

And, he thought nothing of putting in a quick 10 miles most any morning before work … which is what he was doing that fateful Saturday at the end of May when things went tragically awry: Desiree Michelle Nathe, 20, state-champion high jumper, cresting a hill on Lake Iola Road in her Hyundai Accent and finding Hancock in her path, knocking him off his German Focus bike and into eternity.

He leaves behind Jane, his first, foremost and lifetime love, three sons — Jimmy, 29, his business partner; Jackson, 18, who graduated high school Friday; and Jeb, 11 — and countless scores of friends, most of whom appear to have stories that begin, “You can’t put this in the newspaper.”

They gathered a dozen deep around a simple maple casket last Wednesday morning, serenaded by nature’s summer sounds: the electric buzz of cicadas, cheeping cardinals, cooing doves, the mournful cry of a distant loon — all God’s creatures forming a proper soundtrack behind the brief narrative of an outdoorsman’s life as told by Bill Scaife, who pastors Wilderness Lake Church in far north Land O’ Lakes.

Hancock didn’t lend, Scaife noted. He gave, because relationships were more important to him than balanced ledgers. He didn’t laugh or roll his eyes when a suburbanite new to country life insisted on burying a week-old calf with a blanket and a bottle she’d used in a hopeless attempt to keep it alive.

And, not much more than a week or so before, on a moonlight tour of their grove in the company golf cart with Jane by his side, he spoke as a philosopher about divine blessings, regrets — he had none — and their life together. It was all good, he said.

The lad who once declared his intention to become “a legend in his own time” had grown into a man of achievement, generosity, refection and perspective.

None of this is to suggest that anyone besides his Creator would have suggested Joe Hancock’s work in this mortal realm was even remotely complete. He was, it bears repeating, only 57 and, by every account, vibrant.

There’s no telling what might have accomplished with another 30 years — which isn’t out of the question, based on the lifespans of the other Hancocks buried up on the hill — but even if it was only 30 years of adoring Jane, doting on grandchildren and inhaling the perfume of orange blossoms, so what?

Instead, we are left to grapple, prematurely, with what he has bequeathed: yet another sad lesson about bicyclists lured to east Pasco’s tight, curvy, hilly back roads and motorists who happen upon them unexpectedly.

“I don’t know why,” says Pavek, Hancock’s riding pal, “but I just think something good is going to come from this, for Joe’s sake.”

What that something might be, Pavek can’t say for sure. Adding broad shoulders to the roads that attract cyclists from around the region would cost millions the county doesn’t have. Pasco’s emerging trail plan doesn’t stress the hilly routes cyclists love. And, even Pavek says there is more than adequate signage to alert drivers about the likely presence of bike riders.

What, then? Maybe people will be more mindful now, he says. This is more likely the ephemeral wish of a bereaved friend, but within it is the nugget of an opportunity.

To make alertness stick, a perpetual reminder would be helpful. And, if that reminder is low-cost, so much the better.

So how about this: Lake Iola Road, where a good man reared his boys, loved Jane, caused to prosper the family business and met his untimely end, gets an honorary second name: Joseph N. Hancock Memorial Highway.

And, near the spot of the crash, a suitable plaque, affixed to a German Focus. So we remember, always, and drive, or cycle, accordingly.

Tom Jackson, a resident of New Tampa, is interested in your ideas. To reach him, email .

Published June 8, 2016

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Bill Scaife, Desiree Michelle Nathe, Jim Pavek, Joseph Neal Hancock, Lake Iola Road, Land O' Lakes, Middle Lake, Townsend House Cemetery, Wilderness Lake Church

Sheriff’s sergeant helps send two ambulances to Guyana

August 26, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Guyana Development Mission International, an international relief organization created by Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Mike Mielke, will receive two refurbished ambulances formerly owned by TransCare Medical Transportation to help provide critical emergency medical services to the people of Guyana.

TransCare is donating two ambulances to Guyana in South America thanks to the help of efforts like, from left, Pasco County Sheriff's Office major John Corbin, Sgt. Mike Mielke, and TransCare vice president Terence Ramotar. (Courtesy of Crisis Center of Tampa Bay)
TransCare is donating two ambulances to Guyana in South America thanks to the help of efforts like, from left, Pasco County Sheriff’s Office major John Corbin, Sgt. Mike Mielke, and TransCare vice president Terence Ramotar. (Courtesy of Crisis Center of Tampa Bay)

The ambulances have been stocked with critical medical supplies and mechanical replacement parts with the help of Pasco County Fire Rescue, the sheriff’s office, Wilderness Lake Church, Crockett’s Towing and Scaife Enterprises. They will be used through two hospitals in Georgetown.

Ambulances with more than 300,000 miles can no longer be used for medical transportation in Hillsborough County, and have minimal resale value, according to a release.

This latest effort was made possible by Terence Ramotar, vice president of TransCare, whose parents immigrated to the United States from the small coastal nation. His connection to Mielke was practically coincidence for the time his organization was looking for ambulances to help the country.

“It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” said Ramotar, in a release. “The two vehicles had recently come to the end of their service life, and we met Sgt. Mielke at the same time. I’ve traveled to Guyana and have seen the need first-hand. These vehicles have saved lives in the Tampa Bay area. It’s great to know they’ll now be used to save lives in Guyana.

TransCare is a division of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, a not-for-profit organization that responds to 183,000 requests for help each year.

Guyana, with a population of a little more than 750,000, is located in the northern part of South America, with Georgetown its largest city at 235,000 people. Life expectancy in Guyana is a little older than 70 years, compared to nearly 80 in the United States. That ranks it 126th in the world, with one of the leading causes of death in the country being malaria.

Filed Under: Updates Tagged With: Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Crockett's Towing, Georgetown, Guyana, Guyana Development Mission International, Mike Mielke, Pasco County Fire Rescue, Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Scaife Enterprises, South America, Tampa Bay, Terence Ramotar, TransCare Medical Transportation, United States, Wilderness Lake Church

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01/21/2021 – Gasparilla History

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host a virtual session entitled “The History of Gasparilla” on Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m., for teens and adults. Those that tune in can learn the legend of Jose Gaspar, intertwined with facts, fallacies and fantasy. The program will be presented by Carl Zielonka in partnership with the Tampa Bay History Center. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/21/2021 – Gasparilla History

01/21/2021 – Math at home

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will offer a virtual “Fun Wise Math at Home” on Jan. 21 at 11 a.m., for ages 3 to 6. The Fun Wise program uses numbers, counting, patterns, geometry and early arithmetic to make math come to life through games. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org … [Read More...] about 01/21/2021 – Math at home

01/22/2021 – Chickpea dish

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present “Foodie Feast: Chickpeas” on Jan. 22 for anyone who wants to learn to make a tasty dish of chickpeas. The prerecorded video can be viewed between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email Danielle Lee at . … [Read More...] about 01/22/2021 – Chickpea dish

01/23/2021 – Adult craft

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer a virtual craft at home for adults on Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. Participants can learn to make fireworks in a jar. To view the video, visit Facebook.com/cplib. … [Read More...] about 01/23/2021 – Adult craft

01/23/2021 – Dumpling soup

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present “Cook-a-Book: Soup” on Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. This month the book, “Dumpling Soup” by Jama Kim Rattigan will be featured. Participants can hear the story and then learn to make a kid-friendly dumpling soup. For information and to see the presentation, visit Facebook.com/regencyparklibrary. … [Read More...] about 01/23/2021 – Dumpling soup

01/23/2021 – Hobby Circle

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer a Hobby Circle on Jan. 23 at 3 p.m., for anyone who wants to share a hobby or learn about a new one — from a work of art to a new recipe, to a favorite video game. The group will meet via Zoom. For information, email . … [Read More...] about 01/23/2021 – Hobby Circle

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