Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Died instantly of a massive head injury. 0 cemeteries found in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, USA. The brackish water is dull with a green sheen, while Spanish moss drips from the branches of the oak and cypress trees, coating them in poisonous putrid icing, swallowing the sounds of animals and the snap of a gators jaws. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. He told me so many times that I realised that he really knew what he was talking about., Former Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle was often nearby when Van Zant foretold his own demise. Scrambling in the dark fearful of snakes, alligators, or worse the three finally flagged down a farmer named Johnny Mote, who had come to investigate what the mighty noise was that jarred him out of his house. Debra Jean Watts entered eternal rest Tuesday, January 28, 2020, in Durango. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Fist fights, premonitions and a plane that fell from the sky. He hit a stop sign on the way back. He was catapulted at about 80 mph into a tree. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. The bandmates, almost to a man, had lost their fathers early on. Ronnie was such a gentleman, he wouldnt let anybody mess with us, says Jo Jo Billingsley. I fail to see any humor in this. I said, Yes, of course. While I was talking to him I felt this strange feeling and I heard this word, Wait. My spirit was talking to me. Ronnie could see the future, always had been able, said his father Lacy. In 1986, Collins' car ran off a road and crashed into a culvert, paralyzing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend, Debra Jean Watts. This account has been disabled. She was preceded in death by her father, Oscar Rudolph Watts, and her mother Reba Brinson Brannon. The fact that Van Zant would come back from the dead doesnt much surprise anyone who knew him. Trying to stay calmI realize he is messing with our headsI say, Allen, who is going to clean up your nice leather seats?, I mean you are scaring the shit out of us., Allen, if you want to kill yourself, thats fine, but please dont take us with you., He turns back to face us, left hand on the wheel, still doing 50 mph. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Reynolds says Larkin told him both Collins and Watts were ejected out the passenger side and that Collins went out the windowbeforeWatts. She looks off into the distance, pushing a strand of blonde hair off of her eyes. Ronnie used to say, youre in charge of the crew and whatever you say goes. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Lois was born and raised in Lebanon . Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. He was abusive, a nasty, mean little man with the personality of a thumb.. Collins emerged from the bathroom, stumbling up onto the bandstand, which had a railing in front. It was last year and Allen [Collins, Skynyrd guitarist] and Billy [Powell, keyboards] also were in car accidents all in the space of six months. Like the time Leon Wilkeson was caught staring at a girls breasts. Collins also claimed he had boinked Chaka Khan on Skynyrds tour bus. He never ever changed, either. Peace, love and understanding never made it to Jacksonville. Fuck you, Allen! the audience roars in unison. Former Skynyrd guitarist Ed King drove through the night arriving the next morning to see the members of the band he left in the middle of the night two years before. I know it sounds silly now. Ive proved this to myself, so why should I listen to anybody else? Thats the feeling you got from him. She is survived by her children Heather Campbell and Matthew Watts; sisters Cecelia (John) Vanhooser and Tina (Mark) Davis and grandson Isaiah Campbell. Rossington was raised by a single mother, his father dying when he was just a tyke. I ran into Allen Collins again in 1978, a year after the infamous plane crash, when my second wife and I were living in a small house in Murray Hill. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. The survivors werent aware that the cause of the crash was due to the pilots running out of fuel, so they feared the plane would burst into flame at any moment. So they put up a temporary crypt. Collins sat down with my and my wife, and as we were leaving he offhandedly asked if I knew where he could buy a junk car for about a hundred bucks. Ronnie told me often that he didnt expect to live past 30, remembers Kevin Elson, Skynyrds soundman, who went on to produce Journey, Mr. Big, Night Ranger and Strangeways. He later went after the road manager with a pickaxe. Debra Lizama is 61. After he cools down, he picks up a Stratocaster and we start rehearsing Sweet Home, Alabama. Its only 7 p.m., and hes already too drunk to play. He was bowled over by Skynyrds professionalism, arrangements, guitar work, and mostly by short and stocky lead singer Van Zant, who showed up in a black T-shirt and droopy jeans. Debra Watts Lizama, 31, who lived with Collins, was killed in the accident, said Mike Kee, a police spokesman. She was a kind, selfless woman and He was so funny, so happy-go-lucky and crazy, says Rossington. We don't run annoying ads but The Jitney still needs gas. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Try again. Debra Gail Watts, 64, Indiahoma passed away Thursday, June 11, 2020 at her home in Indiahoma. Collins, who is still undergoing treatment for injuries from the wreck, survived the 1977 plane crash that killed three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and then went on to found Rossington-Collins. I know I drove a lot of people crazy but I wasnt going to put him in the ground and put dirt on him. I did. I told you, he says. Failed to remove flower. Right around the evening time when it happened, thats when it really gets weird, and [my wife] Dale leaves me alone.. Try again later. Ed Kings father had committed suicide. Collins was driving his new Ford Thunderbird home down Plummer Grant Road with his fiance, Debra Jean Watts, in the passenger seat. Ive got messages all over Greenville from you. I said Allen, its that airplane. And I told him about my dream. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Debra Jean Watts Lizama I found on Findagrave.com. January 29, 1986 - Allen Collins, guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd, crashes his car, paralyzing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend Debra Jean Watts. She was 64 years old. He was in serious but stable condition this morning, said University Hospital spokeswoman Leslie Heinrich.Debra Watts Lizama, 31, who lived with Collins, was killed in the accident, said Mike Kee, a police spokesman. Debra Jean Collins Midkiff July 4, 1960 November 14, 2020 STAFFORDSVILLE - Debra Jean Collins Midkiff, 60, entered her heavenly reward on Saturday, November 14, 2020. He also needed a bass player; Price was offered the position. Sissons wife says, Allen, you eejit! Rescuers had to cross a 20-foot creek in order to get to the crash site. He said that he had three things to tell me. Its still a money machine, and the southern-rock style forged in Jacksonville refuses to die. They were naturally a bit crazy in various ways and all that meeting with The Who did was light the fuse. Collins, 33, faces charges in Jacksonville, Fla., of drinking-related manslaughter, reckless driving and not having a valid license. Fate takes you on whatever road it wants. She is survived by : her sisters, Carolyn Davis (Craig) and Mary K. Jean; and her nieces and nephews, Chris, Courtney Davis, Dustin Jean and . Peter Rudge, whom I worked for, was a tough guy too. Gary and Allen werent ready.. The reason for Lacys rather strange behaviour was because Jo Jo wasnt on that flight. Memorials. I thought, well, thats music to my ears, Billingsley told a reporter from swampland.com in 2003 (opens in new tab). He already had a drummerwho doubled as his chauffeurso De Blasio was left out. Man, all the signs were there., It didnt stop there. I told him I knew Wilkeson, whom I had met at the Forrest Inn, while he was with a group called King James Version. Beverly and her twin sister, Deborah Ann Watts Ross, entered . To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. . And now theyre a tribute band., Could Ronnie have really foretold his own death? In 1985, he was involved in a car accident that took the life of his girlfriend Debra Lizama Watts and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Silver bullets from Gimme Back My Bullets. Learn more about merges. Van Zant was proud of telling people he ran Skynyrd like Stalin ran Russia, but Rossington ran the outfit more like Himmler instructing his roadies to spy on each other. Those at the back were less badly injured. Debra was born April 19, 1955, to Max and Ellen House Watts in Durango, Colorado. Plus I was amused because he left his shoes on the side of the stage. He was preceded in . The five of us wound up at the Sugar Bowl, a teen club in a working-class subdivision called Cedar Hills, where several prominent musicians were raised, including Collins and future Skynyrd members Leon Wilkeson and Billy Powell, guitarist Jeff Carlisi (of .38 Special), singer-guitarist Don Barnes (also of .38), and keyboardist Kevin Elson (later sound mixer, recording engineer and producer). He probably got distracted and swerved. Place of Burial: Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, United States of America. Collins spots some pills on a coffee table, snatches a handful and gulps them down. Well, Ronnie did. His voice caught somewhere between a laugh and a cough. Allen never took any music lessons, but will always be remembered for unique songwriting and guitar playing skills. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; Allen Collins, 33, a guitarist, was charged with reckless driving and driving on a suspended and revoked license after the Wednesday night accident in South Jacksonville. All gone. Can you imagine all these women sitting around a table in the house and none of them knowing if their husbands were alive or dead after theyd been in this plane crash? And the third was he wanted me to know that he was okay. If you didnt fight for it, somebody would take it from you., By most accounts, Van Zant was largely full of ire when he drank. Collins was to sit in with us that night at the club. But he meant it affectionately. He figured he was supposed to watch them when they were out on the road.. I woke up screaming, and my mom came running in going, Honey what is it? I said Mama, I dreamed the plane crashed! And she said, No honey, its just a dream. And I said No mom, its too real!, They had already sent me the itinerary, so the next day I called Greenville. You buncha fuckin punks, he rails. Powell and Wilkeson are now members of a Christian group called Vision. Since reforming in 1987 with Ronnies younger brother Johnny on lead vocals, Rossington has held the reins of Lynyrd Skynyrd, putting him in a position that he never imagined nor wanted. Lexington, KY Deborah Jean Watts, 52, died Sunday, December 22, 2013. Price looks at the stump and says, Ill bet you anything Allen did that., Look where the post is whacked off, he says. When we were in Japan and Jack Daniels was $75 a bottle, Ronnie said, Im buying. Or the time he knocked out two of Billy Powells teeth, not to mention the time he smashed a bottle and gored the back of Rossingtons hands in Hamburg, Germany, hissing Ill do it without you., What I recall most is Ronnie Van Zant wasnt the sort of person Id want to have an argument with, recalls Chris Charlesworth, a former Melody Maker journalist who became Skynyrds press officer. At the time people were chilled when he sang: The smell of deaths around you. After the crash, the words took on a macabre, prescient feel. Memorial services will be held at Eley Funeral Home in Wapakoneta, OH at a later date. Except Cassie [Gaines], explains Elson. This getup became Collins trademark for a time; he even wore white tennis shoes, the kind women wore. Rossington and the rest of the band and crew 20 in all survived their injuries but struggled for years with the aftermath. Florida. I know this was late February, because Collins threw a pie at me on my birthdaySkynyrd had a tradition that anyone having a birthday got a pie in the face. Debra Watts Lizama, 31, who lived with Collins, was killed in the accident, said Mike Kee, a police spokesman. Before you knew it, Rudge was managing Skynyrd. But before that, he went up to Honkette Jo Jo Billingsley, and did something that unnerved her. Because none of the reconstituted band members can write a song that can get near to anything Van Zant ever wrote. Lucky for him I caught it in midair, before it too hit the wall. About six months after Ronnies death, I woke up in the middle of the night. Hammered was the operative word. Add to your scrapbook. Wife of Private. Collins grabs the mic. He always paid for everything, remembers writer Cameron Crowe, who partially based the band in his film Almost Famous on Skynyrd. Allen Collins injured his spine; back-up singer Leslie Hawkins had serious facial cuts, while Billy Powell and Artimus Pyle were released from hospitals a week after the crash. To honor his probation, he appeared, wheel-chair bound, before every show to provide a short lecture on the consequences of drinking and driving. Collins and other group members survived the accident. Larry Junstrom. Drag images here or select from your computer for Debra Jean Watts Lizama memorial. Photo by Bill Delaney. Van Zant and his band became known as offstage boozers and brawlers who would fight among themselves if no external adversaries were available. On the way, Collins decides he wants to drive. We are there to win.. Johnny honked at the guy, and the guy gave him the finger. I went down to meet with Gregg, who wanted to join up with them. Since we were just starting to get off on the acid, my friends and I hauled ass out of there. We have set your language to Five years after his wifes death, Collins car plunged over a ravine, killing his girlfriend, Debra Jean Watts, and paralysing him from the waist down. Thats superstitious bollocks., When the crash happened, Powell said. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Patsy Lorraine Sherriff February 1, 2023 (64 years old) View obituary. Verify and try again. Allen was great. At the last minute his plans had changed, and he decided to meet the band in Baton Rouge. Lois was born and raised in Lebanon. Skynyrd manager Rudge chartered three planes to take family members to the small Mississippi town to see the survivors and in six instances, identify their dead. A few days later my friends and I ate the acid. 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