September 30, 2024
Leesburg’s Eric Ray Syfert, Jr. ‘One Arm Peanut Guy’ Sadly Passes Away
By Kyle Coppola
Leesburg’s Eric Ray Syfert, Jr. ‘One Arm Peanut Guy’ Sadly Passes Away
Leesburg’s Eric Ray Syfert, Jr. known by many in our community as the ‘One Arm Peanut Guy,’ sadly passed away at the age of 56. Born on April 15th, 1968, in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, Syfert moved to Central Florida in 1972, leaving behind his early life in Indianapolis, Indiana. Eric was a skilled metal fabricator and he became a beloved figure in our community. Renowned for his unique approach to life despite the challenges he faced.
“He lived life like he wanted to. He never wanted to be a burden to anyone. He worked hard all his life. He may have only had one arm, but he worked harder than people with two arms,” says friend Michelle Miller.
Eric would usually be foundf on the corner of County Road 439/44 selling some of the best boiled peanuts you would ever have. Not many in the community had seen Eric since Covid, but this guy worked his tail off day in and out. He meant a lot to so many people and we offer our thoughts and prayers to his family.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
