Flavio Colo

Flavio R. Colo, 94, of Crystal River, died on Monday, August 9, 2010, at the Citrus Memorial Hospital in Inverness. Services will be held on Tuesday, August 17 at the First Christian Church, 2299 Drew Street, Clearwater, FL. A visitation will be held at 10:00AM and will be followed by a Funeral Service. He will be interred at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL. There will be a military honors service at 1:30PM at the cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Flavio's name to the Salvation Army or your favorite charity.

Flavio, the third son of Frank Colo, and Marianna Rontani, graduated from Lakeview High School where he excelled at his studies. He was a champion speller, winning in grade competitions and continuing in the school spelldown to become school champion. He went on to the district contest where he did very well but did not win.

Among his accomplishments was his ability to play music by ear and play a guitar and a harmonica, separately, and together with an attachment that was his own invention. In addition, he was also a good cook and baker, and worked at Blossom Heath, a restaurant and nightclub on the shores of Lake St. Clair. He learned to make many delicious pastries and dishes, but the one thing liked best by his family were his chocolate éclairs.

He also went into business at an early age, first selling ice cream, hot dogs and candy at a roadside stand called “The Barrel”. It was shaped like a barrel and painted to look like an enormous replica. It was a summertime operation, so he later took over a small general store for some time.

Later, in the late 1930’s and early ‘40’s, he became a member of the US Postal Service as a rural postman in St. Clair Shores. Busy as ever, he took classes at night after delivering the mail and became an excellent portrait photographer. But World War II intervened and he put aside his work and became a Staff Sergeant in the Army Medical Corp.

He served four years, spending some time in Texas, but remaining for the major number of years at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California. He married Dorothy while in the Medical Corp and a son, Perry, was born in Marysville, California, their first child.

After his discharge, he took his family East and worked as a portrait photographer for several years and created many beautiful portraits. But he wanted to return to his native Michigan, which he did, and became a builder of unique and innovative homes starting in St Clair Shores. After a few years, Florida beckoned, and he took up residence in the Clearwater area where he founded his business, Colo Construction. In 1957 a second child, Sheri, was born to the couple.

For 35 years, Flavio (now using the initials F.R. Colo in business; the R for Russ) created many new subdivisions with beautiful houses in Indian Rocks, Largo, Hudson, Clearwater and Crystal River. With retirement, he moved to one of his houses and Cedar Lake Estates in Crystal River.

Dorothy, his wife, was born in Wheatcroft, Kentucky, and acquired a knack for cooking and baking in which she excelled. She was a gourmet cook and created many tasty dishes and delicious pies such as Southern Squash Pie. She has an artistic nature which was evident in the beautiful interior decorating which she did for her husband’s model homes and in her own home. In addition, she has worked with hydrocal painting figurines and plaques beautifully. She now makes many creative floral arrangements that add beauty to many rooms.

Perry, Flav and Dottie’s son, now lives in Australia with his wife Margaret and their two children, Rachelle and Jeffery. Sheri married Neil Cooper in 1989 and has a daughter Caitlin. They reside in Tallahassee Florida where Sheri works as a counselor of women for the State Department of Human Services.