Author: Ben Bachrach

Henry Bernard Geise, age 87, of Quincy, IL and a former resident of Estero, FL, passed away December 1, 2023, at home in Quincy. Henry was born April 3, 1936, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Quincy, IL. He was the son of Bernard Henry and Violet Marie (Wabel) Geise. Henry was the oldest of 4 children and the only son.

He loved to tell people about how he dated many girls in his teens, but after his first date with Jill Groves, he knew he had found “the one”. Henry and Jill were married on August 6, 1960, at Quincy College Chapel. They celebrated 63 years of marriage this year.

Henry attended St. Boniface Grade School and was a 1954 graduate of Christian Brothers High School.

He graduated from Quincy College in 1959 with a degree in Accounting. After graduation, he went to Chicago and worked for Lybrand, Ross Brothers, and Montgomery, while living with his Uncle Glen Wabel and wife Bernadine. Jill graduated from Quincy College in 1960 and after she and Henry married that August, they moved to Elmhurst, Il. Henry continued to work for Lybrand and Jill taught kindergarten.

In 1961, Henry decided to enter Law School at the University of Illinois in Champaign. He graduated from Law School in 1963 and he and Jill moved back to Quincy where Henry joined his father-in-law (Chester Groves) in his law practice.

Henry was also in the U.S. Army Reserves, he served 6 months active duty at Fort Leonard Wood, MO in 1960; he received an honorable discharge from the Army for medical reasons.

Henry was a lawyer in private practice in Quincy for nearly 60 years. In the early years, he also taught Business Law classes in the evenings at Quincy College.

He was also appointed Quincy City Attorney, a position that he held for a number of years. It was during his tenure as City Attorney that he formed many friendships with the employees at City Hall.

Henry was owner/President of Maid Rite Sandwich Shop and the former Maid Rite East Sandwich Shop. In his younger years, he could often be found working behind the counter making Maid Rites or outside cleaning up the parking lot. He was a very “hands-on” owner who took pride in being involved in the day-to-day running of the business. He never shied away from hard work.

Henry looked forward to the 100-year anniversary of Maid Rite, which will be in 2028.

The family plans to celebrate that milestone in his honor. And, no, Blessing Hospital has not purchased the Maid Rite!!

Henry possessed a calm demeanor and had a wonderful sense of humor.

For many years, he acted as emcee at the Beaux Arts Ball, a role that suited his affable personality.

He and Jill have a group of lifelong friends that are like family to them, he loved those friends dearly.

Henry’s wife Jill, and his family meant the world to him. Everything he did was for them and to ensure they were well taken care of. His grandchildren especially were his pride and joy. He treasured time spent with them, especially their family trips to Florida, Colorado, and Lake of the Ozarks.

Henry loved the outdoors and spent countless hours working on projects and fishing at “the Cabin.” His legacy there will be carried out by Mike and Caiden.

In addition to spending time with family, Henry loved to golf and spent many hours on the golf course with his buddies at QCC and Pelican Sound. He also enjoyed playing cards with the guys.

He often expressed that he had lived a great life and was thankful for the many opportunities afforded to him. His life was only made better by the existence of chocolate chip cookies, he never met one that he didn’t like!!

Henry was of the Catholic faith and attended Our Lady of Light Catholic Church in Ft. Myers, FL and the Church of St. Peter in Quincy.

In addition to his wife Jill, survivors include their two children: a son, Michael Geise and a daughter, Lisa Knuffman and her husband Bryan; grandchildren, Taylor Knuffman and her fiancé Payton Welch and Caiden Geise and his significant other Payten Rice, all of Quincy. A bonus granddaughter, Destiny Aden, of Provo, UT. Henry’s sisters, Judy Talken of Quincy; Linda Hilgenbrink of Bridgeton, MO and Debbie Steeples and her husband Robert of Quincy.

Several nieces and nephews, along with their spouses and children also survive.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers-in-law, Rich Hilgenbrink and Don Talken; and a nephew, Mark Talken.

A Memorial Mass was held Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at the Church of St. Peter with Rev. Zach Samples officiating.

Memorials are suggested to Quincy Medical Group Dialysis Patient Assistance Fund, Blessing Rieman College of Nursing, or to Blessing Foundation for Hospice.

Messages may be shared online at http://www.dukerandhaugh.com?

Jill Camille Geise, age 84, of Quincy, IL and a former resident of Estero, FL, passed away peacefully and surrounded by her family, on October 19, 2024, at Blessing Hospital in Quincy, IL. She was the daughter, and only child of Chester Aubrey Groves and Elizabeth (Bowman) Groves.

Jill grew up in Quincy and attended Webster Grade School, followed by Quincy Junior High School. She graduated from Quincy Senior High School in 1957, and remained close friends, throughout her life, with a number of her classmates. Jill went on to graduate from Quincy College in 1960 with a degree in Elementary Education.

Jill met, and began dating the love of her life, Henry B. Geise, when she was just 16 years old. She was just shy of her 21st birthday when she and Henry married on August 6, 1965, at the Quincy College Chapel. Jill and Henry enjoyed 63 years of marriage. He preceded her in death in December of 2023.

After getting married, Jill and Henry moved to Elmhurst, IL and Jill taught kindergarten in the Elmhurst/Glen Ellyn area. In 1961, they moved to Champaign, IL and Jill taught kindergarten there while Henry attended Law School. They returned to Quincy in 1963 and Jill taught for a short while before she and Henry started their family. Jill loved being a teacher and often shared stories about her “kids.”

After the birth of their children, Jill was a stay-at-home mom and devoted her life to raising Mike and Lisa and being an active participant in Henry’s many endeavors! After the opening of Maid Rite East, Jill could often be found helping out at the restaurant, especially keeping the salad bar filled up and clean as a whistle!

Jill was happiest when she was spending time with her family; her husband, children, and grandchildren were her whole world. Being a mom was just a “warm-up” for her for the big game, which was being a grandma; her grandkids lovingly referred to her as Nannie. She loved being a grandma and was so proud of her grandkids. She was an integral part of their upbringing and enjoyed attending their activities. Jill provided unconditional love to her family, she was a great listener, and always gave the best advice.

We are not exactly sure who is going to worry about us now that she is gone!

Jill’s favorite pastimes included playing golf, traveling, taking out-of-town shopping trips, taking long walks, and Thursday nights out with friends. In her younger years, she was involved with the Madison School PTA and was a Brownie Scout leader. She was also previously a member of the Quincy Service League. She and Henry were lifelong members of Quincy County Club.

We would be remiss if we did not mention Jill’s lifelong friend group. You all know who you are and you were all “family” in her mind. Thank you for loving her and including her always. The memories are epic and endless.

Jill was of the Catholic faith and attended Our Lady of Light Catholic Church in Ft. Myers, FL and the Church of St. Peter in Quincy.

Survivors include: a son, Michael Geise, and a daughter Lisa Knuffman and her husband Bryan; grandchildren, Taylor Knuffman and her fiancé Payton Welch, and Caiden Geise and his longtime girlfriend Payten Rice, all of Quincy. A bonus granddaughter, Destiny Aden, resides in Lehi, UT. Sisters-in-law, Judy Talken of Quincy; Linda Hilgenbrink of Bridgeton, MO; Debbie Steeples and her husband Robert of Quincy. Several nieces and nephews, along with their spouses and children also survive.

Jill was preceded in death by her husband, Henry, her parents and a very special aunt, Camille Landis.

The family would like to extend special thanks to Christie Bliven, Susie Calkins, Betsey Hobbs, Patti Capps, Jodi Bliven, Jami Musolino and Toni Veals for the love and care they provided to Jill, especially over the past several months of her life. It was because of them that she was able to remain living in her own home, where she most wanted to be. To us you will always be “Team Geise.”

Also, a special thanks to the nurses and staff of Blessing ER, ICU, and most especially 6-North for the exceptional care and compassion that they provided to Jill during the final three days of her life.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of St. Peter with Rev. Zach Samples officiating.

Visitation will be Tuesday, October 29, 2024, from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the Church. Inurnment will be at Greenmount Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Quincy Medical Group Foundation, Blessing Rieman College of Nursing, or to 6th Floor North at Blessing Hospital.

Service arrangements are with Duker & Haugh Funeral Home. Messages may be shared online at www.dukerandhaugh.com.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

Irrigation Reserves

There is a significant amount of money in the irrigation reserves that the Board discussed possibly moving to another reserve account where it can be used for other purposes. This account is primarily used to replace the irrigation timer boxes on each of the homes in the Masters.  The timing unit costs approximately $350 -$400 dollars and we replace between 6 and 7 timing units per year.  The Board agreed to do a reserve account analysis in the fall and any proposed changes will be submitted to the membership for a vote.

River Ridge Community Development District

Terry Mountford gave a presentation on the River Ridge Community Development District which covers Pelican Sound, the Meadows at Estero and the Paradise Shops.  He explained that the River Ridge Community Development District was established under Florida law, has its own Board of Directors and can borrow money at more favorable rates. The River Ridge CDD actually owns PSGRC infrastructure such as our lakes, golf course irrigation system, sidewalks, guard houses, roads, roadside landscaping, drainage systems, community monuments, etc.  Repairs/improvements to this infrastructure under $50K is paid for by Pelican Sound and over $50K is paid for by River Ridge.  In addition to borrowing money, River Ridge is also funded through our taxes.  Recent efforts include:

• Community Master Landscape Renovation ($850K)
• Golf Course Rain Bird Irrigation Control System ($850K)
• Community Irrigation Pump Station ($260K)
• Community Irrigation Filtration System ($66K)
  • Phase II Paver Project ($238K)

Unfortunately, our infrastructure is aging and the next big projects will be sidewalks, repaving and evaluation of traffic control needs.

Mailbox Committee Update

Celeste gave a detailed readout from the Mailbox Committee.  Our current mailboxes are 7 years old and policy has been to replace them every 7 years.  The committee recommends that we continue to maintain the current mailboxes and defer replacement.  They conducted a review of all the mailboxes and identified 10 in need of painting refresh, 2 needing new flags, 1 bracket needing to be fixed and another is damaged and may need to be replaced.

There has been concern raised about the visibility of the address numbers on the top of the mailboxes, especially at night. Several options to improve the visibility of the numbers are being reviewed and a decision will be made once all of the research has been finalized.

Proposed changes to the existing ARC Guidelines on mailboxes were also discussed and draft of that language will be sent to the membership for review and comment. Those changes include clarification that the mailboxes are the responsibility of the HOA, that periodic reviews will be made to identify deficiencies needing to be addressed and details homeowners need to provide when reporting a damaged mailbox to the property management company.  Lastly, the homeowner is responsible for the cleanliness of the mailbox.

ARC Violations

The Masters ARC Survey was conducted on Monday, April 1^st and several new violations were identified in addition to some long standing violations that have not been cured by the homeowner.  Discussion centered around standardizing violation notification letters, sending via mail or certified mail, timing for the letters and timing for updates to the Frankly Coastal website. Due to time constraints, it was agreed to address this further at the next Board Meeting.

HOA Assessment Delinquencies

There are currently 6 homeowners with payment issues due to the recent transition to Truist and 2 long term delinquencies that have been contacted for payment.  There was discussion around having club privileges suspended or deactivating gate transponders for owners who continue to fail to pay their HOA fees.  Don to develop a draft policy for review at the next meeting.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lynelle Reney (Moscaritolo)

Board Secretary

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These notes are for information only and are not the official meeting minutes.

On April 2^nd, 2024, a Board of Directors Meeting will be held at 3pm in the Sound Room above the fitness center.  The agenda items for that meeting are as follows:

1. Call to Order
2. Determination of a Quorum
3. Proof of Notice
4. Approval of the 3/11/24 Organizational Meeting Minutes
5. Comments from the floor
6. Old Business
   __a. Irrigation Reserves
7. New Business       
   __a. Presentation on River Ridge (Terry Mountford)
   __b. ARC Violations   
   ____i. Current status of ARC violations
   ____ii. Frankly Coastal efforts and timelines
   ____iii. Development of standard procedures to
   ______address ARC Violations
   ____iv. Formation of Compliance Committee
   ____v. Summer Liaison
   ____vi. Process for review of ARC Applications
   __c. HOA Delinquencies
   ____ i. Status of current delinquencies
   ____ii. Establishment of standard procedures to address
   ______and resolve delinquencies
8. Adjournment

Click here to see photos.

Please thank Betsy Wells for taking the lead on this event.
804-536-6299
betsywwells@gmail.com

Arnie Mantilia reported seeing 2 hogs crossing Masters Circle near Annie Brown’s home on February 21.

Anyone with small dogs or children should be cautious.

Eric Long reported that the trappers will be out this weekend.

Ron Paquette found a pair of men’s FJ black rain pants on the road in front of his driveway at 21849 Masters Cir. If no one claims them soon, he will take them to the Pelican Sound Lost and Found.

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How Can YOU Help? What Do We Need?

New boys and girls sneakers kids sizes 1-8 including half sizes for school age children K-8th grade; no toddler or baby shoes please

Drop shoes off at Monika Clark’s home – 21924 Masters Circle

Look for the ‘Shoe’ Boxes to drop off the new shoes!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

COMMENTS FROM THE FLOOR

Generator Installations – an issue was raised regarding the recently developed PSGRC ARC Guidelines to allow homeowners to install generators and propane tanks on their property.  Concern was expressed that these guidelines do not contain a requirement that installation conform to Village of Estero specifications. It was also noted that some of the wording could be misconstrued by residents with respect to what constitutes “adjacent property” in relation to the lakes within the Masters.  The Board agreed that it might be appropriate to develop our own ARC Generator requirements to address these concerns.

January HOA Payments – a member raised the issue that their January HOA payment had been deducted twice from their bank account during the transition to Truist.  Frankly Coastal was aware of two instances where this had occurred and has been researching the cause.  They offered to meet with the individual at the end of the meeting to further discuss and resolve this issue. 

PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

President Jerry Vasile spoke about his email that was sent to the community earlier in the week.  He also praised the Social Committee for the two most recent Masters gatherings. Thanks was also made to Kay Howard and her team for the holiday decorations.  Jerry announced that Ron Paquette and Jim Van Aucken have volunteered to take on this effort going forward.  Lastly, Jerry spoke of the great community spirit within the Masters.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Treasurer Scott Gallaher and Frankly Coastal have reviewed the draft version of the December report and have reclassified some journal entries.  A final version should be available shortly.

The largest variance to the 2023 accounts were related to hardwood tree trimming in 2023. The expense of $9,945 was not invoiced, or paid, until FY 2024 and negatively impacted 2024 P&L.

Removing this variance, 2023 P&L would be $651.71, or effectively on budget.

At the recommendation of the Treasurer and Frankly Coastal, and with concurrence from the Board, the following will be voted on by the membership at the Annual Meeting to be held on March 11^th, 2024:

1. Pay for irrigation repairs and replacements from Operating Expenses and/or Deferred Maintenance accounts and move the funds from the Irrigation Reserves to Deferred Maintenance. 
2. Waive the requirement for an annual audit of the accounts by an independent CPA.
3. Rollover excess funds from 2024 budget to the 2025 budget.

ARC REPORT

The ARC Report will be posted to the Masters Website within the next week.

PROPERTY MANAGER’S REPORT

Truist Transition – funds have been moved to Truist and a communication sent to all homeowners with instructions on how to set up quarterly HOA payments.

Electronic Voting – response has been less than expected and a recommendation was made to send this request out again as a separate communication.  Homeowners will have the option of completing the form for electronic voting and returning it via US mail, scanning and sending via email or dropping it off at the Secretary’s home located at 21724 Masters Circle. The Board wants to stress that electronic voting is the most efficient and cost-effective option when it comes to resident voting or polling.  Please send in your consent to do so.  

Reserve Account Investment Options – the Board of Directors approved investing $50K of reserve funds in a short term (6 month) CD and $50K in a long term (12 month) CD.

The next meeting will be the Annual Meeting on March 11^th, 2024 at 3pm in the Sound Room above the Fitness Center.  The Board of Directors will hold an Organizational Meeting immediately following the Annual Meeting.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lynelle Reney (Moscaritolo)
Board Secretary