Local Folks: Melissa & Timothy Silcox
Melissa and Timothy Silcox are the brother and sister team who distribute newspapers and magazines for The Resident Community News Group (RCNG).
Melissa has been distributing for the publishing company for nearly seven years. Timothy joined her in 2021. “He’s been such a help,” Melissa said of her brother. He and Seth Williams, of the husband-and-wife publishing duo, load the boxes of papers and magazines into Melissa’s car so she can deliver them.
Ironically, Melissa and Timothy both drive Toyota Priuses as they make deliveries. Residents might recognize Melissa in the supersonic red one as she heads to the San Marco area and Timothy in his of sea green as he covers the Riverside area locations.
What the Silcoxes love best about the work is “meeting all the different people we deliver magazines and papers to. They’re all very nice. That’s what makes me feel good about doing my job here in Jacksonville,” Melissa said. “Yup, friendly people,” Timothy agreed, on both sides of the river.
Melissa and Timothy are native Floridians who were born in Jacksonville but grew up in Callahan among seven total siblings. “I was stuck in the middle with three older and three younger,” Melissa said. Of the five remaining, one is in North Carolina, one in South Carolina, and one is still in Callahan. Melissa and Timothy returned to Jacksonville to settle 30 years ago.
The brother and sister live beside each other now in separate houses in Riverside, off Park Street, near FSCJ’s Kent Campus. One of the things they love about Jacksonville is that everything is so close. In the small town they came from, even a grocery store was several miles away. And there were no museums nearby, which Melissa does like to visit once in a while. When not delivering publications, Melissa also likes women’s basketball and watches on TV whenever she can, rooting for the South Carolina Gamecocks. “Florida women Gators are coming up in rank, so I’m pulling for them too,” she said. In 1969, Melissa’s last year at West Nassau County High School, she did play on a team but recalled that “back then, they didn’t have that much for women to do after high school.”
Just like his sister, Timothy had played basketball on a high school team. But today, he prefers to watch football. When not distributing newspapers and magazines for RCNG, he can be found at home in front of the TV. Without hesitation, he named “The Jacksonville Jaguars” as his favorite team. For college football, however, he’s split between UF’s Florida Gators and South Carolina’s Clemson Tigers.
When asked if she enjoys watching football with her brother, Melissa said, “No ma’am!” Football is not on her list of likes.
Timothy also enjoys church activities. He is a member of Murray Hill Baptist, where he sometimes ushers.
Melissa has a hidden talent. She can communicate conversationally in sign language. Their maternal grandparents were deaf, and Melissa has retained some of the skills she learned as a child.
Timothy has a passion for Cape Canaveral rocket launches and has been watching them for years. “I saw the Challenger blow up,” he recalled of the 1986 tragedy that he witnessed from the family’s backyard in Callahan. A couple of times, he and Melissa viewed space launches from Stockton Park. At least one week out of the year, they travel down to Ormond Beach, which provides an even better view. In January, they could see from the garage of his Riverside home fire from SpaceX’s mission.
The siblings frequently visit the Winston Family YMCA in Riverside, especially for the activities offered at the Newton Family Aquatic Center. They haven’t always been water lovers; they were drawn to the pool later in life. At 71, Melissa admits that exercising on land is not so easy for her anymore. “I can do jumping jacks in the water without a problem though,” she said. Timothy, 10 years his sister’s junior, joins her.
After exercising, eating out is a popular pastime for the Silcoxes. “I don’t cook that much, and I don’t know that Timmy would even want to try it,” Melissa said. Burgers, fish, pizza, and Mexican are their top choices. They have lots of local favorite places, including Cool Moose for breakfast, Harpoon’s for lunch, and Blue Fish or Mossfire for dinner.
Afterwards, it’s back home to watch the games until delivery duties call them to the streets once again, which Melissa and Timothy Silcox always look forward to.
By Mary Wanser
Resident Community News
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