Stephen Earl Summers Obituary. Published in The Bradenton Herald on Nov
28, 2021, page B9.
Stephen Earl (Steve) Summers, 74, of Bradenton, FL,
passed away peacefully on Friday, November 19, 2021. His wife of 51 years,
LaDonna was at his side.
Steve was born in Vincennes, Indiana on January
16, 1947, to Owen and Doris Summers. The family included two older sisters;
Susie and Kay. He moved to Bradenton in 1948 and attended Bradenton Boys’
Club for many years as well as Ballard Elementary, Walker Junior High and
Southeast High School. He played football and basketball for Southeast and
in 1965 was All-Conference and All-State in Basketball. He held several
scoring records while at Southeast and received a basketball scholarship
and played varsity basketball for Florida State University.
After
college he married his high school sweetheart LaDonna and joined Champion
Home Builders, a publicly traded company. He moved several times with
Champion over 23 years and retired as President of the company. He and
LaDonna then returned to Bradenton, where he became a partner and CFO with
the real estate development company of Buskirk, Summers and Gravley. He was
still active until his death.
Steve was an avid reader, investor, loyal
sports fan and had a wonderful sense of humor. He loved the Seminoles and
adored his three daughters; Bridget, Shelby, and Molly, as well as his five
grandchildren. He was a true southern gentleman, generous and had a
brilliant mind for finance. More than anything else, he was devoted to his
family and his faith.
He is survived by LaDonna; daughters; Bridget
(Jay) Sheffer of Parrish; Shelby (Gary) Salvador of Jacksonville Beach and
Molly (Wade) Jamison of Bradenton; grandchildren; Sydney, Katie, Josephine,
Stephen and Sadie; sister, Susie (Frank) Moore of Marietta, GA; cousin,
Bill Summers (Lynne) Vancouver, WA; business associate and longtime family
friend, Debi Smith. He was preceded in death by parents, Owen and Doris
Summers and his sister, Kay.
