Wade Player

Wade H. "Dick" Player passed away at his home in Navarre on Thursday, April 7, 2011. He was 67. Born April 15, 1943, in Timmonsville, SC, Dick grew up in Savannah. He attended Montreat Anderson College and worked for the Seaboard Coastline railroad in his early twenties. He then went to work for L.D. Brinkman Company. Dick had been a resident of the Gulf Breeze/Navarre area since 1978. He was the co-owner of Carpet City in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He is best known for his years of coaching football and baseball at Shoreline Park in Gulf Breeze, and later, as a fixture on the sidelines in Tiger Point Park and Shoreline Park, cheering on his three grandchildren. He was a mentor, coach, and friend to countless young people in Gulf Breeze and will be missed by many. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Daphne Jolly Player of Navarre; his son and daughter-in-law, Shane and Lisa Player, of Gulf Breeze; his sister, Janet Player Phillips, of Dothan, Georgia; and three grandchildren, Maggie, Gant, and Katie Player, all of Gulf Breeze. The family will receive friends from 4:30 to 6:30, Sunday, April, 10, at Rose Lawn Funeral Home, 2942 Gulf Breeze Pkwy, Gulf Breeze, FL. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to either the American Heart Association or Tiger Point Sports Association, 1333 College Pkwy, Unit 101, Gulf Breeze, FL 32563.

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