Month: July 2025

It is our sad duty to report the passing of Brother Nicholas Karmoukos on Thursday July 24, 2025, at the age of 87. Brother Karmoukos received his 50 year service award last year at his residence in Mississippi. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Masonic Record:
Born: February 14, 1938
Initiated: March 14, 1974 – Raymond Zeph Lodge No. 1135, New York
Passed: April 25, 1974 – Raymond Zeph Lodge No. 1135
Raised: June 13, 1974 – Raymond Zeph Lodge No. 1135
Affiliated: February 6, 1975 – Gulf Beach Lodge No. 291
50 Year Service: June 13, 2024
Deceased: July 24, 2025

Today we had a very successful ‘Drywall Hanging Party’ at Gulf Beach Lodge. Many brothers showed up to assist in the project. We started the morning with coffee and donuts, then got right to work. We took a pizza lunch break and then continued with the installation. We are more than half way through installing the drywall downstairs and hope to be completed after one more work day (which will be scheduled later). Gulf Beach Strong!

Our drywall was delivered to Lodge today safe and sound. Thank you brothers David Marrs, Al Yoder, Jim Tizzano and our Worshipful Master, Buck Owens, who helped move the sheets from outside to inside the lodge.

Our drywall work day is scheduled for Saturday, July 26 at 9 AM. We welcome anybody who would like to volunteer to help us that day.

Hurricane Rebuild Update: (July 16, 2025)-

Brothers and Friends, WONDERFUL NEWS!! We have surpassed our fundraising goal set on May 12th, to get us back into our Temple. Our goal was to raise $27,000, which was the balance needed to complete construction and make it possible for us to start holding meetings again at Gulf Beach Lodge. With a $2,500 donation received yesterday we are now at $28,105.93.

To be very clear, this amount is only to get us back in the Temple, it does not include downstairs furnishings, appliances or elevator that were destroyed in the storm. These will be projects to be addressed later.

Our electric is in and the new HVAC systems have been installed with the finishing touches coming this week. We are ready for our drywall installation party scheduled for Saturday July 26th at 9am. We are asking any friend or brother who is available to come out that day to join us in the installation, no prior experience necessary (we will have a pro leading us), and your help will be GREATLY appreciated.

While the rest of us were out fishing in the Gulf on the Master’s Fishing Trip, Brothers Tim Delaney and Bobby Burkett handled our quarterly Roadway Clean-up for Keep Pinellas Beautiful.

Today’s Worshipful Master’s Fishing Trip was a great success! The weather was perfect, the fish were biting and the fellowship was amazing! Thank you to W∴ Buck Owens for putting this event together – I might add that W∴ Buck caught the first fish, and the last.

It was a great Lodge hurricane rebuilding work-day today. We were honored with assistance from Tampa Bay Lodge (R∴W∴ Rusty B. Valle, W∴ Allen Norwich, Br∴ Ray Surita) and Rainbow Girls, Largo Assembly #86, Worthy Advisor Michaila Surita). We finished up framing, placing insulation and taping and general clean-up. Thank you to Tampa Bay Lodge and Assembly #86 for your help!

Our own Brother, Alan Shedler, made the news supporting firefighter health. Great job Brother Alan. (Click to watch)