Alfred L Vetzel Jr.

Alfred L. Vetzel, Jr., 74, of Brooksville passed away June 18, 2013, at home surrounded by his family after a year long battle with liver disease. During his life, he served four years in the United States Navy, most of the time on the USS Canberra with tours in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Arctic, and across the equator in the Caribbean, earning him a place beside other "shellbacks." Returning home to Tampa with a young wife, he continued to serve the public with the Tampa Police Department for eight years, earning the nickname of "Hawk" and retiring as a detective. He continued his life's work in law enforcement with the Hillsborough County School Board as a truant officer and then as Chief of Police for the Seminole Tribe of Florida on their Tampa reservation. Upon retirement he moved to North Florida where he returned to work for Purdue Farms, San Destin Resort and then Holmes County Environmental Protection. He was an active member of the church of Christ. He enjoyed fishing, walking, watching wildlife and long drives on back roads. His passions though were talking to people, sharing family tales with his grandchildren and pulling pranks. No person escaped his pranks. While he was a beat officer with Tampa Police, he wrote a parking ticket for his mother-in-law who was parked behind the Sulphur Springs Arcade where she worked. The ticket, though, was from an expired book and invalid; his mother-in-law never asked or said a word to him about the ticket. His memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 22, 2013 at the Brooksville Chapel Brewer & Sons Funeral Home. Visitation with the family will be from 2 - 3 pm with the memorial service beginning at 3. Afterwards, everyone is invited to join the family for dinner at a nearby relative's home; directions and a map will be provided. He is survived by his loving wife of nearly 54 years, Bobbie; 2 daughters and their spouses - Rhonda and Steven Asarch (Boca Raton), Gwen and Shane Vaughan (Tampa); 4 grandchildren - James Gilmore, Kirk, Kylie and Tara Vaughan; 1 sister - Diana Tew; and 4 step siblings - Wayne Briggs, Faye Collins, Linda Sword, and Mary Reed.