MACK D. BOZEMAN

Mack D. Bozeman, age 81 passed away unexpectedly late Tuesday night in the emergency room of Healthmark Regional Medical Center.  He was born July 19, 1938 in the Altha, Florida Community, the son of William Hampton Bozeman and Evie Inez Comerford Bozeman.  Mack and his parents moved to Panama City and he graduated from Bay High School with the Class of 1956.  For a time he worked with E-Z Boat Trailer Company in Panama City.  Eventually he was introduced to a cute high school senior by a best friend and their first date, as was the custom with kids of that era was at the Tally Ho Drive Inn in Panama City, Bay County’s version of DeFuniak’s  Tastee Freeze. The sparks flew and they were married.  In 1963 Mack began what would become his lifelong work,  a career with the Florida State Troopers.  From 1964 to 1981 he was a homicide investigator but eventually won the ultimate promotion, working “traffic” in the North end of the state from 1981 until his retirement in 1991.  The more relaxed atmosphere of Northwest Florida afforded Mack time to hunt and fish, coach his son Joey’s Baseball Team, drink coffee with his buddies and become active in First United Methodist Church with the Busy Men’s Bible Class and later with Thorpe-Vest Sunday School Class.  When retirement came around 1991 and Joey married Ruth Jennings and they gave Mack and Chris two grandchildren, Alexis and Maddox,  Mack’s life took on what “Golden Years” means.  He was able to expand his morning coffee time with his buddies, first at Hardees until they put them out of business at which time Burger King won the contract for the morning coffee club but when Whataburger bought and remodeled the old Hardee’s property the contract for the coffee club was moved to Whataburger where it remains to this day.  It was in those morning coffee meetings that Braves Baseball and Florida State Seminoles games were hashed and rehashed and round table discussion of events reported on Fox News and the overwhelming confidence in our President Donald J. Trump dominated the morning coffee meetings.  Mack’s greatest love was for Chris and Joey and Ruth and his grandchildren.

Among survivors are his wife Chris Bozeman, his son Joey Bozeman and wife Ruth, his granddaughter Alexis and his grandson Maddox, his brother-in-law Franklin Byrd and wife Joan, his sisters-in-law Jean Bozeman and Margaret Wilson and husband Wayne, his nephews Samuel and Dennis Bozeman, his uncle Tony H. Comerford and other nieces and nephews in addition to Izzy, Mack’s trusted friend and companion,  his Maltipoo poodle.

The family has requested there be NO flowers but memorials in Mack Bozeman’s Memory may be made to the White Christmas Offering for the Methodist Children’s Home, 88 Circle Drive, DeFuniak Springs, Florida 32435.  Honorary pallbearers will be former members of the Busy Men’s Bible Class.  A time of visitation will be Friday, November 29, 2019 from 5 until 7 P.M. in Jerry Evans Chapel.    Graveside services will be held Saturday, November 30, 2019 at 10:00 A.M. in the Bozeman Family Plot in Magnolia Cemetery with Reverend Stephen Jennings officiating.