Bar, restaurant owner meshed with patrons
Timothy B. Cary, a longtime Central Florida bar and restaurant owner and operator, died Monday. He was 55.
C a r y, a resident of Ap o p ka , wa s born in Queens, N.Y., on Aug. 25, 1959.
His first hospitality job was in Syracuse, N.Y., at a restaurant owned by the father of his then-girlfriend and future wife Christine Perry. In 1983, she accepted an accounting job in Florida, and Cary followed her south.
Soon, he was working as a bartender — and eventually a manager — at Crickets, a bar on South Semoran Boulevard in Orlando.
He started saving to buy his own place, said his son, Sean Cary, who lives in Longwood.
In 1988, Cary purchased Spirits sports bar in Altamonte Springs, his son said.
“Everybody liked him,” Sean Cary said. “Everybody wanted to mingle with him, so he was there a lot.
“He would be there at 11 when it opened, and he would be there when it closed at 2 — and then have to stay after and do all the closing paperwork.”
Cary’s personality was a draw to the bar, Sean Cary said.
“He was a real personable, real funny guy. He told the same story to you six different times, and you were captivated every time,” Sean Cary said.
“He always looked like he was having a blast … telling jokes and stories,” he said.
A sports bar blended in nicely with Cary’s background. He was a longtime fan of the New York Jets and the New York Mets. He played a year of minor-league baseball, Sean Cary said, and he enjoyed the outdoors.
“Golf and fishing were his two biggest hobbies besides me and my sister,” Sean Cary said.
“I was very much a daddy’s girl,” said daughter Erin Cary, who lives in Altamonte Springs.
“I wanted to be in the hospitality industry growing up so much because I wanted to be like him. But then he yelled at me because he didn’t want me to do that. He wanted me to switch to accounting to be more like Mom.”
She now works as an accountant after receiving her degree from Florida State University last year.
“He was always a Gator fan, but once I decided to go to FSU, he switched his ways for me,” she said.
Cary sold Spirits after 16 years. He was hired to be the manager of the Montecristo Club, a private restaurant inside Amway Arena. The establishment was owned by Daytona Beach motorcycle magnate Bruce Rossmeyer, who gave him free rein, Sean Cary said.
“He told my dad, I’m going to leave everything in your hands; as long as it stops losing money and starts making money, it will be fine,” Sean Cary said.
“It was cool for him. He got to do everything his way.”
His dad’s friendly personality helped get the business on track, Sean Cary said. “Just based off the memberships he sold in the first year, he turned a profit,” he said.
After Rossmeyer’s death in 2009, Cary worked as a consultant for several hospitality businesses.
In addition to his children, Cary is survived by an aunt, Margaret Russell of Boynton Beach; and an uncle, Don McCabe of Long Island, N.Y.
Carey Hand Cox-Parker Funeral Home, Winter Park, handled arrangements.