DARBY, Charles Dwight, 88, passed away November 6, 2009. He was born in Lake City, FL and graduated from the University of Florida. He proudly served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Force where, as a B-24 bombardier, he participated in the D-Day Invasion in 1944. He received numerous military honors including a Purple Heart after surviving a deadly crash. Following his military service and college, he moved to Tampa and began a distinguished career as a CPA that spanned a half century, founding the highly respected Dwight Darby and Company. He was prominent in the formation of several Tampa banks, the Bank of Tampa; the Seminole Bank of Tampa, serving as founding Director and Chairman; and the Independent Bank of Tampa, also serving as founding Director and Chairman. He also served on the Board of Crown Industries. He was a founder of the Tampa Chapter of the American Diabetes Association, honored numerous times by the organization. He was also a proud Bull Gator and an early supporter of the University of Tampa Spartans, helping contribute to the building of Tampa Stadium, and ultimately attracting the NFL to Tampa. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Jessie, and his daughters Becky Ferlita and Ellen Embry. He is survived by his daughter Linda D. Zipkin and husband Louis; his grandchildren Chuck Ferlita, Trae and Matthew Williams, Leslie Johnson, and Darby Embry; and nine great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tues. Nov. 10th at Blount & Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Avenue. The family will receive friends just prior to the service. Interment will follow in Myrtle Hill Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA. 22312 (www.diabetes.org).
Blount & Curry Funeral Home
605 S. MacDill Avenue
Tampa, FL. 33609