Captain Spero Buzier dies at age 100

Apalachicola's centenarian and family patriarch Captain Spero Buzier, the oldest living commercial fisherman in Franklin County, passed away peacefully at his daughter’s home at 17 25th Avenue, in Apalachicola on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009.

He was preceded in death by wife Hazel Clair (Lashley), sons Peter and Little Spero, parents Peter Buzier (Panyiotis Buzabardis) from the Greek Island Spetsa and Alice Knowles Buzier Rosalis of Apalachicola, brother Costa Buzier, and sisters Helen Miller, Cleo Elliott, and Angelina Olsen.

He is survived by daughter Deborah Davis, son-in-law David Davis, and grandsons James, Joshua, and John Dansereau of Apalachicola, granddaughter Jessica Dansereau of Providence, R.I., and great-grandson James K. Dansereau of Tallahassee, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He was born in Cedar Key on Feb. 11, 1909 and lived the majority of his life in Apalachicola, where he met his wife and married on Dec. 2, 1933. He spent most of his life shrimping along the Gulf of Mexico from Aransas Pass, TX to Key West. Whether he was shrimping, fishing, building boats, playing golf, boxing, serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II, witnessing the Word of God, or enjoying 69 years of married life with his wife, he lived a colorful and remarkable life.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on Oct. 16, 1940, serving in World War II. During the war he spent much of his time at the New Orleans Navy Yard at Algiers, La as a tugboat captain, as well as the Navy Yards in Norfolk, Virginia, Philadelphia, and Rhode Island. He served on the destroyer “Landing” in the Atlantic theater escorting merchant ships to Bizerte, Tunisia and the U.S. transport, “Matthews” in the Pacific theater, carrying amphibian forces and was in Okinawa when the US dropped the atomic bomb over Japan. He was honorably discharged at the end of the war as a Chief Boatswain’s Mate, V-6, USNR on Sept. 28, 1945.

After the death of his son, Peter, he began studying the Bible and was baptized in the Jehovah’s Witness faith in July 1955. When he was not shrimping, he spent much of his time witnessing about the Bible on the fishing docks and boats, as well as from door to door.

He spent his later years with his loyal companion “Boots,” a very protective Chihuahua, and entertaining his family and friends with his stories. You can read about his stories, as well as reprints of three newspaper articles about him written in 1977, 1998, and 2009, at: http://sperobuzier.blogspot.com/. Friends and family are encouraged to add their own comments and any stories they have about Spero also on the blog.

The family would like to express their deepest appreciation to the Big Bend Hospice that helped facilitate his care by providing round the clock nursing care during his last days and comfort to him and to his family. In lieu of flowers, donations can also be made in his honor to the Big Bend Hospice. You may make donations online at: http://www.bigbendhospice.org or by sending a check to Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32308.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Kelly Funeral Home in Apalachicola and will be held on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m., with internment following at Magnolia Cemetery, Apalachicola.