Habicht

On June 1, 2003, VERA JUANITA HABICHT (nee Groth); beloved wife of the late Frank Habicht; devoted mother of Vera Juanita Habicht and Frank Leonard Habicht, Jr., and his wife Joyce; loving grandmother of Sandra Joyce Maley, Brian Leonard Habicht, and Ricardo (Ricky) Vinas; and loving great-grandmother of three. Friends may call at the CVACH/ROSEDALE FUNERAL HOME, 1211 Chesaco Avenue, on Wednesday, 7 to 9 P.M. Services will be held Thursday, 9 A.M., from the funeral home. Interment Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery.

You may have seen them zipping around town: Honda Civics and other compact cars tricked out with low-riding suspension systems, turbochargers and custom wheels. Souping up these small-engine cars boomed 56 percent last year into a $2.4 billion industry - and Kirk-Habicht Co. of Rosedale wants a piece of it. For decades, the 96-year-old Baltimore County company has made springs used by manufacturers in everything from bottling machines to poultry processing equipment, and for military and aerospace uses.

The Florida sunshine has been very good to Josh Banks. His fastball has jumped from the mid-80s to the 90-96-mph range at Florida International University, he has put 30 pounds of muscle on his 6-foot-3 frame, and he still has the pinpoint control that attracted a lot of attention at Severna Park High. It has added up to Banks' riding high as the ace of the Golden Panthers' pitching staff with 12 starts and a Sun Belt Conference-best 8-1 record, 2.83 ERA and 97 strikeouts. The junior right-hander's season at the Miami school opened Jan. 25, and Florida International already has played 43 games (29-14, 7-5)

Hereford's Hollis Botti may not be at full speed, but she can still score. The second-team All-Metro striker netted the only goal, a 25-yard drive in the 13th minute yesterday as the Bulls slipped past Parkville, 1-0, in a key Baltimore County Division II match. Wearing a bulky knee brace after surgery last winter to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Botti now runs at about 80 percent. Instead of surging by defenders, the senior has to rely even more on her ability to read openings in the defense.

Walter F. Habicht, 78, Martin Marietta engineerWalter F. Habicht, an engineer who worked for almost half a century with Martin Marietta and was an active volunteer at Grace Fellowship Church in Timonium, died Tuesday from complications after surgery at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 78.Mr. Habicht lived in Perry Hall with his wife of 53 years, the former Ruth Muller.A native of Highlandtown, Mr. Habicht began work in 1939 as a riveter's helper at what was then the Glenn L. Martin Co. in Middle River.

Jennie M. Habicht, 101, homemaker, bookkeeperJennie M. Habicht, a homemaker and former bookkeeper, died in her sleep Saturday at Meridian Nursing Home in Hamilton. She was 101.She and her husband, George R. Habicht, whom she married in 1919, bought Kirk-Habicht Co., a Baltimore manufacturer of custom-made industrial springs, in 1947. She was a bookkeeper there from 1948 until the mid-1970s.The former Jennie Graser was born on a farm near Glen Rock, Pa. She graduated from high school in 1912 and Patrick Commercial School in York, Pa. She moved to Baltimore in 1913 to work for the Baltimore Bargain House.

One thing Mike St. Martin won't have to worry about as the replacement for Steve Malone as boys soccer coach at North County is getting his team in the playoffs.That will happen no matter who is in charge. It's not exactly a pressure-filled task.Under a new state rule, any team registering by Oct. 1 is eligible for the region tournament. Records don't matter. Just fill out the paperwork and show up on time.And with the seedings determined through a random draw, the number of wins that a team accumulates is even less important.

Considering the current climate of uneasiness among teachers and coaches in Anne Arundel County because of negative incidents that need no elaboration here, I witnessed something very refreshing a couple nights ago.Severna Park High conducted its spring awards banquet, and Falcons gymnastics coach Bonnie Habicht, who is also an assistant in volleyball and girls basketball, provided a few moments of hope for the many caring coaches we have in Anne Arundel County.Over...

Severna Park gymnastics coach Bonnie Habicht knew only one thing was stopping Jesse Whyte from reaching his potential last year.Jesse Whyte."His problem was confidence more than anything," Habicht said of Whyte, 15, now a sophomore at Severna Park. "He was so much in awe of [Annapolis'] Jason Hill and Dominic Boardley and Peter Lombard. This year, they were out of the competitions, and as the season progressed, he became more and more confident in himself."Habicht's top female gymnast, senior Tracie Miller, had a different obstacle to overcome -- injuries.

Strangely, Tracie Miller's most memorable contribution to the Severna Park girls gymnastics team this season came in the county meet. Andshe didn't even compete.Instead, Miller scurried across the Old Mill gymnasium floor in her flowered dress, relaying statistics to the scorer's table and offering encouragement to her teammates, who placed second to Old Mill."I was very impressed by that," said Falcons coach Bonnie Habicht, who withheld Miller after a controversy arose concerning the junior's eligibility.