Florence A. Poor
Born September 10, 1931, in McCleary, WashingtonPassed October 9, 2024 in West Melbourne, Florida
Florence A. Poor, 93, of West Melbourne, Florida passed away on October 9, 2024. She was born Florence Valeska Ann Neu in McCleary, Washington to Albert Emil Neu and Ruby Rosetta McKay, and was the beloved wife of Victor Dale Poor for 60 years. Florence is survived by her three children Meredith Norman Poor, Noreen Dell Poor, and Shirley Jean Schmidt.
She always wanted to teach, travel, and write. In 1950s she got a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Hawaii, and in the 1960s in Frederick, Maryland, she taught 4th grade in elementary school and biology at Hood College. In the 1970s she and her family relocated to San Antonio, Texas.
Florence and her husband traveled in Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, Indonesia, and North and Central America. Not only did they travel on business but by the 1970s their travels included adventures in their small airplane and sailboat. In the 1980s they sailed across the Atlantic to Europe in their Gulfstar sailboat and around the southern coast of United States from Texas to Maryland in a catamaran. In the 1990s they migrated from sail to power and cruised in their trawler from California to Alaska. It was in this decade that they moved to Melbourne, Florida.
Once settled in Florida, Florence began a weekly writing group that still meets today. By the 2000s, her writing efforts expanded to include publishing a quarterly journal called “The Contributor,” a journal that for 10 years featured writers, poets, and artists from her extended network of family and friends.
In the 2010s, Florence moved to Buena Vida Estates in West Melbourne, Florida, and in addition to participating in two writing groups, one of which she founded, she ran the weekly forum at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brevard in West Melbourne.
Florence had an intense interest in finance and politics, and to the end of her life her conversations, presentations, and writings reflected her concerns for the future of our democracy.
Flo supported the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brevard, 2185 Meadowlane Avenue, West Melbourne, FL 32904, and Daily Bread, 815 Fee Avenue, Melbourne, FL 32901: