Tom Petty's dad still lived in the house he bought in 1947, where he and wife, Katherine, raised Tom, now 49, and Bruce, 47. Sadie Darnell, Mr. Petty's niece, who grew up in the house next door. Although the cause of death has not been determined, Mr. Petty, who retired in 1988, suffered from diabetes, emphysema and other ailments. After the war, he returned to Gainesville and went to work as a truck driver for the Eli Witt tobacco and candy company. Katherine Petty died in 1980, the same year Tom released his first million-selling album.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
He was 83. Mr. Carroll was a lifelong resident of Union County. He was a carpenter and a member of the Church of Christ of Lake Butler. He was preceded in death by a son, John F. Carroll. Expressions of sympathy may be made in the form of donations to the Hospice House of Gainesville.