Travis Patrick Banta

Travis Patrick Banta passed away unexpectedly at his home in Saint Petersburg, FL on July 9, 2022. He was 42 years old.

Well known for his generous and compassionate nature, Travis was always quick to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. His inability to hold a grudge inspired his sister Brittany to describe him as “infuriatingly kind and forgiving.” He and Brittany enjoyed a unique bond, sharing a similar quick irreverent wit and exquisite though sometimes silly sense of humor. An amazing and devoted father to his beloved daughter, Travis truly excelled as a man in this role. His joy shined so bright with little Ripley that even the most casual observer recognized the exceptional quality of his parenting. He absolutely adored her, guiding her with patience, love, and affection, and there is no doubt of their kindred spirits.

A voracious reader of fiction and non-fiction books with a special penchant for philosophical musings, Travis dove into everything, from classical figures such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle to the more modern era writers like Jonathan Franzen, Howard Zinn, and Chuck Klosterman IV.

His easy grace and athletic ability combined to allow him to excel at many sports, especially the individual competition and thrills offered by snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding. He really enjoyed golf, but it did not love him back. In team sports, lacrosse was his favorite, and his youth team earned the national championship in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association’s National Boys Lacrosse Championships held in Towson, Maryland.

It was in the visual arts where his natural abilities and creativity flourished and provided his greatest enjoyment as he matured. He was a very talented artist with innate abilities and a thoughtful provocative creativity. From even a very young age his drawings showed great promise and skill, and his pumpkin carvings at Halloween were legendary. Stand-up comedy and music, most especially punk rock groups, were other fields he favored and enjoyed immensely.

Mr. Banta was born in Syracuse, New York. He spent most of his life in Reston, Virginia, and the Satellite Beach and Saint Petersburg/ Clearwater Beach areas of Florida. While in college he spent a year in Cologne, Germany having won a U.S. Congressional/German Bundestag grant to study the German language and culture. He was a graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a B. A. degree in Sociology.

He is survived by his daughter Ripley Helen Banta of Seminole, Florida; his father Benjamin F. Banta IV of Seminole, FL; his mother Theresa (Ray) Strobel of Jacksonville, Fl; sisters Brittany (Nathan) Banta- Ihara of Berlin, Germany and Brennan E. Banta of New York City; and brother Jackson “Jack” Banta of Philadelphia, PA.

A memorial service in his honor is to be held on July 28, 2022 at 6:30 pm outdoors at North Shore Park, St. Petersburg, FL.
(Casual attire is encouraged)
A fund has been established for his daughter Ripley. For details please see:
https://tinyurl.com/Travis-Banta