Richard I. Tatum

Richard I. Tatum, 63, died Tuesday in the company of 'loving family & friends'. He was born September 25, 1947 in Plant City, Fla., to the proud parents of the late Walter I. Tatum and Blanche (Thompson) Tatum. Mr. Tatum's children provided the following statement. 'He was a wonderful, loving dad, a great provider, a really good listener, and always offered good advice even when it wasn't what we wanted to hear.' Richard was passionate about his hobbies of deer hunting, fishing, and boating. He loved spend-ing as much time as pos-sible with his family, at his property in the Ocala National Forest. Family and friends always had a standing invitation to join him on one of his many trips. His father passed away suddenly when Richard was seven years old, making the next few years of his life very difficult. He quit school and left home at 16 to prove to his family that he would 'amount to something someday.' One of his first jobs was harvesting alligator hides to sell in South Florida. He worked at Kmart after that in the sporting goods department. He always knew he wanted to work outdoors and applied to the Division Of Forestry. He drove a transport truck and dozer and sometimes was gone for days and weeks working to put out fires all over the state. His most treasured accomplishment was going back to school to receive his diploma. He applied for the Police Academy, was accepted, and graduated in 1981. His law enforcement career as a deputy with the Manatee County Sheriff's Department consisted of the following: The Mounted Posse Reserve, the Manatee County jail, Road Office, Warrants Officer, Road gang supervisor, and a bailiff. Mr. Tatum later took a position as a Code Enforcement Officer at the county landfill. Following some health issues, he began working at the Manatee County Highway Department. After his retirement, he continued to hunt and fish and spend time with his grandkids. He was a member of Woodland Baptist Church in Bradenton. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law; Richard and Angie Tatum of Sidell, Fl; a daughter, Kelly Hall of Kansas, Il; a daughter and son-in-law; Christy and Ray Acker of Greeneville, TN; a step-son and his wife; Bill and Gail Ferg. Ten grandchil-dren: Trent Tatum, Whitney Hall, Britney Hall, Courtney Hall, Tiff-ney Hall, Chelsea Acker, Chase Acker, Brooke Acker, Draven Ferg and Sarah Ferg; a sister and brother-in-law; Ann and Cecil Stanaland of Plant City, FL; a sister; Linda Duncan of Plant City, and one brother; Charles Al-derman; a special cousin and close friend; Dan Green of Lakeland, Fl; two very close friends: Carl Gibson and Mike (Uncle Mikey) Warren. Special thanks to the staff at HealthSouth Ridgelake. Thank you Isabelle, you are a true gift from God.,