ROSS HEFLIN MOOTY

Ross Heflin Mooty, 96, of DeLand, departed this earthly life on Friday, April 29, 2010. A native of Columbia, Alabama, he survived three siblings, Mary E. Mooty, Alfred Frasier Mooty and Mark T. Mooty, and is survived himself by a brother, Tom Ripley Mooty of Decatur, Georgia. They were the children of Ross Heflin Mooty, Sr., a physician/surgeon, and Anna Williston-Taylor. In 1920 the family relocated in Winter Haven, Florida, where the senior Mooty was instrumental in organizing what was to become Winter Haven Hospital. Ross Mooty's life was enriched by his early participation in the Episcopal Church, and a lifelong service to it. He was an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scout troop led by famed herpetologist Ross Allen, and honed his survival skills by graduating from high school in the depth of the Depression. He was involved for fifty years in the citrus industry, twelve years with Lake Region Packing Association in Tavares and concluding as General Manager of the Alexander & Baird Packing Association in DeLand and Pierson, Florida. A member of Florida Citrus Mutual, he served as chair of its Tangerine Co-op. Those who had the good fortune of his acquaintance will recall his unfailing courtesy, honesty and care for his fellow man. Never seeking recognition for his many good works, he fulfilled his spiritual and temporal commitments with modesty and devotion. A member of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church for fifty-six years, he trained its acolytes, led a Church-sponsored Boy Scout troop and was its treasurer for fifty of those years. As part of his community involvement, he served as a member of the West Volusia Hospital Authority and was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. Other than his family and church, his greatest pleasure was nurturing the plants and trees he grew from seeds and cuttings, as well as his collection of orchids. He survived his wife of 39 years, Dorothy Watts, as well as his second, Margaret Garcia, of Tampa. He is survived and mourned deeply by his children, Paula Anne Mooty of Sanford, Vicki Frasier Mooty Jones of Belle Isle and Mary Martha Grass of DeLand; as well as grandchildren, Anna Ross McCambridge-Thomas of Orlando, Elizabeth Anne Padilla of Lake Mary, Charles Stout McCambridge of DeLand and Andrew Louis Jones of Orlando; and two great-grandchildren, Sarah and Alexa Padilla of Lake Mary; as well as several cousins, nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on May 5, 2011 at the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in DeLand at 10:00 A.M. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ross Mooty Memorial Fund, St Barnabas Church, 319 West Wisconsin Avenue, DeLand, FL 32720 or Hospice of West Volusia County, 1250 S. State Road 15A, DeLand, FL 32720. You may share your memories with the family at www.lankfordfuneralhome.com. Lankford Funeral Home in DeLand is in charge of arrangements.