Best of lifestyles 2014

A boy scout inspired the community to honor his fallen friend, the story behind the man waving to you on Lakemont Avenue, and the tale of the last call of a fabled Winter Park watering hole - 2014 was filled with good stories. See our favorite ones to tell in the Observer's annual "best of" wrap-up.

Last call at Tom & Jerry's

It’d been months since thirsty regulars stepped inside the shabby bar on 17-92, but the red neon sign outside Tom and Jerry’s Bar and Lounge continued to flicker over the background of the night sky. The buzzing letters were the only sign of life from the run-down cinder block building. Visitors would have guessed it shut down years ago if it weren’t for its glowing calling card. A deserted, cracked parking lot leads to the bar’s back entrance. The locked iron gate keeps wandering locals out, but a closer look between the bars reveals a chalkboard sign tossed aside on the concrete. The dusty surface reads ‘Big Celebration: December 19’ in faded letters. The old dive was torn down earlier this year to make way for Winter Park’s Ravaudage development, putting an end to an era that began in 1946. But not before local residents could celebrate one more last call. Read our farewell to Tom & Jerry’s at http://bit.ly/1BQlMKZ

Lakemont Jack says hello

He enters hundreds of people’s lives every day for about five seconds. They see the shuffling feet of the man who’s older but spryer than most, his faded jeans cut slim, black cap shading deeply crow-footed eyes on a walk in the sun. But it’s the outstretched hand they see first. That man you saw walking and waving on Winter Park’s Lakemont Avenue is “Lakemont Jack” Goettel. If you didn’t see him today, Jack says hello. Meet Lakemont Jack in our Feb. 6 story, “The man they call ‘Lakemont Jack’” online at http://bit.ly/1BM2Ry3

Youth of the year

From a early age Maryah Sullivan knew that achieving her dreams would be a struggle. With eyes wide open she looked around herself at a life of poverty and disadvantage and vowed that her future would be different. She found a second home for herself at the John R. Lee branch of the Boys & Girls Club in Eatonville and spent nearly every afternoon there from the age of 6 on. No matter what was happening at home, she could always find safe haven there, with all the encouragement and support she needed to become the vibrant, well-balanced young woman she is today. Out of hundreds of other deserving young adults, Sullivan was named the 2014 Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls Club for the state of Florida. Read all about Maryah’s journey at http://bit.ly/1x9d5co

Boy scout helps the homeless

At 15 years old Baxter Murrell is already an accomplished young man. A sophomore at Winter Park High School, Baxter is in the International Baccalaureate Program, excels at public speaking and is well on his way to earning the rank of Eagle Scout. For his Eagle Scout project, Baxter has made an ambitious choice to provide 400 supply-filled backpacks to the men and women served by the homeless ministry of St. George Orthodox Church in downtown Orlando. Each backpack will be filled with a complete personal-care kit including toothpaste and brush, deodorant, soap bar, washcloth, bug spray, razors, T-shirt, socks, boxer shorts, yogurt-covered pretzel snacks, and bottled water. Read all about Baxter’s mission online at http://bit.ly/1GJaMx9

Peacock Project earns its wings

A 13-year-old girl’s spirit will live on in Winter Park’s Central Park thanks to an old friend’s dedication to a goal: placing a peacock fountain at the center of the park’s tranquil rose garden – allowing her memory to bloom and never fade away. It’s all a project headed by 15-year-old Life Scout and Bishop Moore Catholic High School sophomore John Michael Thomas, who lost a dear friend and classmate in December 2012 when Elizabeth Buckley passed away of an inoperable brain tumor. When John Michael needed to take on a final project last fall in his ongoing pursuit of becoming an Eagle Scout – he couldn’t think of a better task than a tribute to Elizabeth. Read all about the Peakcock Project at http://bit.ly/1vT9qJJ

Guiding grieving mothers

Finley Elizabeth Oblander was born with brain damage on July 25, 2013. She had brown hair and a sweet, upturned nose, and long fingers like her mom. It was sometimes scary to hold her because of the tubes and wires attached, but Noelle Moore reveled in the moments spent with her daughter’s soft skin touching hers. Twenty-three days later, she was gone. Moore couldn’t eat or sleep. After her daughter died, the sight of a baby was so hard she’d leave a cart full of groceries in the middle of a store. The Maitland resident knew that other moms out there were going through the same difficulties, and she knew from her own experience there wasn’t a resource available to help. To answer that need she created The Finley Project. The organization helps moms with funeral planning, meals, house cleaning, healing massages, a support group and counseling. Read more about the Finley Project in our Aug. 21 story “Organizing help for grieving mothers” online at http://bit.ly/1wTUT7C