Carroll Gene "Shooter" Pope

POPE, Carroll Gene "Shooter" 70, of Riverview, died July 2, 2012. He was born on Aug. 7, 1941, in High Point, NC, where his family had lived since before the Revolutionary War. A 1959 graduate of High Point Central High School, Pope received a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia in 1963. After attending flight school, Pope was awarded Naval Aviator Wings in 1964. While in the Navy, he served on the USS Saratoga. He separated from the Navy in 1972 as a lieutenant. Known for his dry wit and meticulous organizational skills, Pope worked as an engineer for General Telephone and Electronics Corporation, known as GTE. Pope met his wife, Diana Michelle French, in Maryland when she was a middle-school teacher and he was stationed at Patuxent River Naval Base. They married on Dec. 28, 1968, at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charleston, WV, where her family lived. The Pope family moved to Florida in 1990, following GTE to the Sunshine State as it was transitioning to Verizon. He retired in 2000. Pope had a love of fishing that bordered on the extreme, a hobby that included a painstakingly compiled notebook with detailed information about dozens of different species. He loved kayaking, cards and bourbon although not always in that order. Pope had a sharp, staccato laugh that filled a room and a wicked sense of humor. He is survived by his wife, Diana Pope; his daughter, Michelle Shilling (Dave); his son, Michael Pope (Hope Nelson); his brother, Bernie Pope (Mecca); and three grandchildren, Taylor Shilling, Connor Shilling and Cassie Shilling. Memorial service will be at 4 pm Friday July 6, 2012 at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home in Riverview, followed by a reception at the Rivercrest Community Clubhouse. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to LifePath Hospice in Ruskin.