Curtis James Childers, 73, of Melrose, FL, passed away on Mon., May 23, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal while on holiday. Curtis was born Sat. November 20, 1948, in Tampa, Florida to Lacy and Dorothy (Ferrell) Childers. Curtis grew-up in Tampa, Florida. He graduated from Hillsborough High School in 1966. He regularly attended class reunions to stay in touch with old friends. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida in Psychology in 1970. Upon graduation he went to work for the Hillsborough County Health Department. He went on to become an Environmental Specialist with the State of Florida Department of Health. He retired from the Department of Health in 2008.
Curtis is survived by his wife of 36 years, Frances Childers, four children: Jason Childers, Jessica Dunlap, Michele Cole and Richard Kovach, Jr.; seven grandchildren, Joe Kovach, Jacob Dunlap, Jeremy Kovach, Rebecca Cole, Vanessa Cole, Malachi Kovach and Micah Kovach; and one great-grandchild, Salem Kovach. He will be greatly missed by all who loved him. Cutis was preceded in death by his; parents. Lacy Childers and Dorothy Ferrell Childers.
Curtis was a member of the Loyal of the Moose, The Fightin’ Gator Touchdown Club, the NRA, AMAC, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Curtis loved fishing, camping and boating. In 1993 he found his dream home on the water. Were he spent many hours communing with nature and sharing good times with friends and family. For many years he attended Florida Gator football games with this wife. Curtis also loved to travel and visited Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, Washington, and Washington DC. He thoroughly explored Florida from the panhandle to the Keys. Curtis did not limit himself to The USA, but traveled to England, Ireland Scotland, France, Italy Spain, and Portugal. He also visited Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
A gathering of family and friends will celebrate his life on June 30th at 2:00 pm at Forest Meadows Funeral Home; 725 NW 23rd Ave. Gainesville. The family will receive friends beginning at 1:00 pm Memorial contributions may be made in Curtis’ memory to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation (T2T.org) Arrangements are under the care of Forest Meadows Funeral Home.
