Obituaries for the Suwannee Democrat October 15, 2003 issue



Marion F. Hunter



Marion F. Hunter, 88, of McAlpin, passed away Oct. 11, 2003 in Jacksonville where she lived for the past eight years. She was a member of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in McAlpin.

Survivors include: her daughter, Patricia Peacock Gibbs, Jacksonville; two grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; her sister, Ruby Ives, Jacksonville; and nieces and nephews, Sara and Albert Ives, Jimmy Ives, Billy and Faith Ives, Albert Ives III, Rita Moore, all of Jacksonville, Patty and Jim Bell, Atlanta, Ga. and Pam and Greg Wilkerson, Live Oak. Mrs. Hunter was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas J. Hunter.



Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m., Oct. 15, at Daniels Memorial Chapel, Live Oak, with the Rev. William Anderson officiating. Interment will follow in Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church Cemetery.



Daniels Funeral Home of Live Oak is in charge of all arrangements.





Carl Jesse Koon



Carl Jessie Koon, 82, passed away Oct. 10, 2003, in the V.A. Hospital, Gainesville, after an extended illness. He was born in Suwannee County, was a lifelong resident and a retired farmer and rancher. During World War II he served in the European Theater with the 30th Infantry Division, where he received two Purple Hearts. Koon was of the Apostolic faith and attended O’Brien Christian Fellowship. He was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Sinnie L. Koon and a sister, Doris Nielson.



Survivors include: his sons, Bobby Wilson of Branford and Hoyt Koon of Crystal River; his daughters, Linda Lee and Margie Addison of Branford; brothers Roy Koon, Russell Koon and Edward Koon, all of Lake City; 13 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.



Funeral services were conducted at 11 a.m., Oct. 13, in Daniels Memorial Chapel, Branford, with the Rev. Charles Bristol and the Rev. Stan Ellis officiating. Interment followed in the Siloam United Methodist Church Cemetery.



Daniels Funeral Homes, Inc. of Branford was in charge of all arrangements.





John Lawson



John Lawson, 76, of Live Oak, passed away Oct. 7, 2003 in Suwannee Healthcare Center, Live Oak, after a long illness. The Queens County, New York native moved to Live Oak from Fort Walton Beach 30 years ago. He retired after 20 years as owner/operator of Lawson’s Studio in Live Oak. Lawson was a member of the Knights of Columbus and St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Live Oak.



Survivors include: his son, Robert Lawson, Live Oak and his sister, Barbara Ford, Houston, Texas.

A funeral mass was conducted at 5 p.m., Oct. 14, at St. Francis Xavier Church with the Rev. Mike Pendergraft officiating.



Daniels Funeral Home of Live Oak was in charge of all arrangements.





Lt. Hubert Carver



Lt. Hubert Carver, 61, of Lake City, passed away, Oct. 8, 2003. The McAlpin native moved to Lake City from Lakeland 23 years ago. He was a retired lieutenant from the Florida Highway Patrol after serving 36 years. A member of the Lake City Masonic Lodge No. 27, the Lake City Shrine Club and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, McAlpin.



Survivors include: his wife, Allene Carver, Wellborn; two daughters, Gaylene and Dearl Connell, Wellborn, and Brenda Carver, Wellborn; one sister, Elizabeth Roberts, Branford; and one brother, Raymond Carver, Lakeland.



Funeral services were held at 2 p.m., Oct. 12, at Wellborn Baptist Church with the Rev. Elmer Crews, the Rev. George Skinner and the Rev. Dwight Law officiating. Interment followed in the Brannon Cemetery.



Daniels Funeral Home of Live Oak was in charge of all arrangements.





Virginia Alford



Virginia Alford, 82, of Live Oak, passed away Oct. 8, 2003 in the Cross City Rehab and Health Care Center, Cross City, after a long illness. The Live Oak native was a teacher and a guidance counselor for the Suwannee County School System for 45 years. She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma – Honorary Teaching Society, Woman’s Society of the First United Methodist Church, a member of the First United Methodist Church and a Sunday school teacher.



Survivors include: one daughter, Donita and Douglas Tannenbaum, Lake City; one son, John Perry Alford, Live Oak; one sister, Lucille Fowler, Dowling Park; and four grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband John Lee Alford.



Funeral services were conducted at 3:30 p.m., Oct. 11, at the First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dennis Resor and the Rev. Craig Moore officiating. Interment followed in the Live Oak Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 617 Pine Ave., Live Oak, FL 32064.



Daniels Funeral Home of Live Oak was in charge of all arrangements.





Meta Elizabeth Hampton



Meta Elizabeth Hampton, 86, of Gainesville, passed away at Shands at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Oct. 11, 2003. A native of Chicago, Ill., she moved from Jacksonville to Gainesville in 2001. She was a homemaker, a commercial artist in Chicago in the 1930s, an avid tennis and golfer, helped her husband with his long distance running, did a lot of fly fishing in the Rockies and was of the Presbyterian faith.



Survivors include: her husband, John W. Hampton Jr., two daughters, Dr. Sue Langham, Gainesville and Candace Bowman, Houston, Texas; one son; John W. Hampton III, Crofton, Md.; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.



Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m., Oct. 25 at The Atrium, Gainesville. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Ronald McDonald House, Gainesville.



Williams-Thomas Funeral Home, Gainesville is in charge of arrangements.





Irene Gaston Knight



Irene Gaston Knight, 90, of Vero Beach, passed away Oct. 8, 2003, at Indian River Estates Medical Center. Born in McAlpin, she was a resident of Vero Beach for the past 70 years, moving there from her birthplace. She was a homemaker and a member of the First Baptist Church and the Phi Beta Si Sorority.



Survivors include: one sister, Gladys Starling, Live Oak; one niece, Barbara Garrett, Live Oak; and one nephew, Laramie Starling, Live Oak. She was preceded in death by her husband of over 60 years, James Leon Knight.



Funeral services were held at 2 p.m., Oct. 11, at Cox-Gifford Funeral Home with the Rev. William Mead, Chaplain of Indian River Estates officiating. Interment followed at Crestlawn Cemetery, Vero Beach. The family requests in lieu of flowers, donations be made to ACTS, Indian River Estates Medical Employees Fund, c/o Nursing Administration, 2200 Indian Creek Blvd., Vero Beach, FL 32966 in her memory.



Cox-Gifford Funeral Home was in charge of all arrangements.





Obituaries for the Branford News October 16, 2003 issue





Koon, Carl Jesse



Carl Jesse Koon died October 10, 2003 in the VA Hospital in Gainesville after an extended illness.

Mr. Koon was born in Suwannee County and was a lifelong resident. He was a retired farmer and rancher.



During World War II Mr. Koon served in the European Theater with the 30th Infantry Division, where he received two Purple Hearts.



He was of the Apostolic faith and attended O’Brien Christian Fellowship.



Mr. Koon was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Sinnie L. Koon and a sister, Noris Nielson.

Survivors include sons Bobby Wilson of Branford and Hoyt Koon of Crystal River; daughters Linda Lee and Margie Addison of Branford; brothers Roy Koon, Russell Koon and Edward Koon all of Lake City; 13 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.



Funeral services were conducted Monday, 11 a.m. in Daniels Memorial Chapel with Rev. Charles Bristol and Rev. Stan Ellis officiating.



Interment followed in Siloam United Methodist Church Cemetery.

Daniels Funeral Homes. Inc. of Branford was in charge of all arrangements.





Stephens, Linda Brown



Linda Brown Stephens, 57, of Perry, passed away on October 9, 2003 at her home of natural causes.



She was native of Perry. She was the daughter of the late Earnest Linwood Brown, Jr. and Alma Maxine Platt Brown. She was preceded in death by a son Johny Gregory Knight.



Survivors include her husband Barney Joe Brown, sons Earnest L. “Butch” Brown, III and James Mikel “Jimmy” Beaty both of Perry; four daughters, Marilyn M. Padgett of Panacea, Nellie Rene Beaty, Margaret Lynn Clark, and Sue Ann Stephens all of Perry. Fourteen grandchildren and four great grandchildren as well as a host of nieces and nephews also survive.



Funeral services were held on Sunday, October 12, 2003 at the Joe P. Burns Funeral Home Chapel in Perry at 3:00 p. m.



Interment was in Woodlawn Cemetery.



Family received friends on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.



Joe P. Burns Funeral Home of Perry was in charge of all arrangements.





Obituaries for the Mayo Free Press October 16, 2003 issue





Linda Brown Stephens



Mrs. Linda Brown Stephens, 57, of Perry, Florida passed away on October 9, 2003 at her home of natural causes.



She was a native of Perry. She was the daughter of the late Mr. Earnest Linwood Brown, Jr. and Mrs. Alma Maxine Platt Brown. She was preceded in death by a son Johnny Gregory Knight.



Survivors include her husband Barney Joe Brown of Perry, sons Earnest L. “Butch” Brown, III, and James Mikel “Jimmy” Beaty both of Perry, 4 daughters; Marilyn M. Padgett of Panacea, Nellie Rene Beaty, Margaret Lynn Clark, and Sue Ann Stephens all of Perry; 14 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren as well as a host of nieces and nephews also survive.



Funeral services were held on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2003 at the Joe P. Burns Funeral Home Chapel in Perry at 3 p.m. Burial followed at Woodlawn cemetery. Family received friends on Saturday from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. Joe P. Burns Funeral Home of Perry was in charge of all arrangements





Doris T. Raines



Doris T. Raines, age 72, passed away Sunday, October 12, 2003. She was born in Dowling Park, FL, but lived in Jacksonville most of her life. She was retired from the Duval County School Board as a Cafeteria Manager after 29 years of service. She and her husband attended The Church of the Epiphany and were avid square dancers with the Yellow Rocker Square Dance Club.



Mrs. Raines was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph C. Walker and a son, Joey Walker, Jr. She is survived by her husband, Carl Raines; son, Gary Walker; daughter, Vicki Jodoin (Jim Freeland); 3 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, and numerous step children, step grandchildren, step great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.



Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, October 15, 2003 in the chapel of Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, 729 S. Edgewood Ave. with interment following in Riverside Memorial Park. The family received friends from 6-8 Tuesday evening at the funeral home.





Mary Ethel Wiggins



Ms. Mary Ethel Wiggins of Old Town passed away Tuesday, October 7, 2003 at North Florida Regional Medical Center. She was 86 years old. Ms. Wiggins was born in Quitman, Georgia. She was a homemaker and a member of the Countryside Chapel.



Ms. Wiggins is survived by sons, Roy Wimberley, Alex Wimberley, and Clarence Wimberley all of Mayo, Fl. and Edward Wimberley of Old Town, Fl.; daughters, Ruth Green of Mayo, Fl., Doris Haley of Branford, Fl. and Sandy Clark of Live Oak, Fl.; brother, Alex Barden of Bruce Alberta, Canada; sister, Ruby Starling of Mayo, Fl.; a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great, great-grandchildren.



Funeral services for Ms. Wiggins was held Saturday, October 11, 2003 at 11 a.m. at the Countryside Chapel in Old Town, with Brother John Lunsford officiating. Burial followed at Scrubb Creek Cemetery in Old Town. Visitation was held Friday, October 10, 2003 from 6-8 p.m. at Rick Gooding Funeral Home.



Arrangements were under the care of Rick Gooding Funeral Home, Cross City, Fl.