Carmi Times Thu Aug 13, 2009 Florida - John H. Land, 84, of Tampa, Fla. passed away peacefully at home on July 31, 2009. He is survived by his loving wife, Peggy Land; sons John Talbot (Tal) Land, and Thomas (Tom) Eaton Land and his wife, Melissa; and granddaughters Abrielle and Joelle Land. Brother-in-law Doug Charlton and wife Barbara; sisters-in-law Patricia Morey, Kathaleen Charlton and Phyllis Charlton. Also surviving are cousins in this area: Margaret Logan, Rick and Tony Stein, all of Carmi; Sue Calvert, wife of the late Robert Calvert, now of Evansville, Ind.; and Thomas Land of Fairfield. John was born on the ancestral farm in White County, Ill. on Sept. 19, 1924. He was the only child of Dorothy Logan and H. Powell Land. In 1809 Robert Land the original settler, claimed ownership of what was a substantial part of was to become White County. The 200th anniversary and family reunion was celebrated in June of 2009. John joined the Navy at the age of 18 during World War II, serving aboard the USS Pensacola, a heavy cruiser designed for high speed and long range mission. The ship was bombed numerous times but returned to battle after repairs. Dubbed the "Grey Ghost" by the Japanese and reported sunk several times in radio broadcast by Tokyo Rose, John and his shipmates got a great many laughs from the false reports. Peggy was able to contact a former shipmate, Clarence Tibado, who painted vivid pictures of the battles, which he has shared with his shipmates, and now reside in the Smithsonian. He has provided DVDs of the final demise of the great ship, which occurred in 1948. After returning from the war, John spent a few years in San Francisco. He moved to Tampa in 1954 and started his career as a developer and homebuilder. Shortly after moving to Tampa, he met his future wife, Peggy Wynn Charlton, while obtaining his bachelor of business science degree at Tampa College. Over a career spanning more than 35 years he developed numerous communities in Tampa and surrounding areas representing over 2,500 homes, many of which were developed with first time homebuyers in mind. He later built townhouses on Davis Islands, Bayshore Boulevard and other South Tampa locations. He was the first homebuilder appointed to the Florida State Construction Industry Licensing Board by then-Gov. Claude Kirk. He served as chairman his last year. John was also appointed to the Hillsborough County Civil Service Board, served on the Board of Directors and was president of the Greater Tampa Homebuilders Association. John's greatest pleasures in recent years were visits from his granddaughters--they could always bring smiles--and trips to Tampa Bay Downs Racetrack, sharing many happy times with friends and fellow builder Matt Jetton (developed Carrollwood subdivision). Also Gracie, the family Golden Retriever, was greatly loved and she followed him everywhere-she was by his side by day and slept on her pillow by his bed at night. The family wishes to thank Dr. Jose Cura for the excellent and patient care he provided for many years. The family would also like to thank John's many caregivers over the last three years, Frank, Robin, Suman, Susy, Reyna and Rosa for their kind and loving care. Pallbearers are Tal Land, Tom Land, Mike Abell, Casey Calvert, Kevin Golden and Gary Keitly. The family received friends from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6 at Blount Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Ave. Services were held at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7 at the same location. Private entombment followed at the Garden of Memories Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, those that wish may make donations to LifePathHospice or the charity of their choice. Loading commenting interface...