Laura Harriett Cantrell Helvenston

Laura Harriett Cantrell Helvenston, 78, born Feb. 6, 1925 in Live Oak passed away on Dec. 1, 2003. She was the daughter of Catherine Sheehan and Driscol Peyton Cantrell and attended local schools. Graduating from Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Va. and Florida Southern College in Lakeland, she worked towards a graduate degree at Emerson College, Boston, Mass. While in school she was a member of Delta Psi, Alpha Epsilon and Alpha Psi Omega honorary fraternities and the Alpha Delta Psi social sorority, having served as president her senior year. Upon graduation she taught at Waco Junior College in Waco, Texas and returned and taught briefly at Suwannee County Schools.



A longtime communicant of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Live Oak, she served faithfully for many years as president of the Episcopal Church Women, church school teacher and superintendent of teachers and served 50 years on the Altar Guild.



Involved in local activities her entire life, she was a charter member of the Pink Ladies at what is now Shands of Live Oak, chaired the Florida Children’s Commission, which led to the formation of the Live Oak-Suwannee County Recreation Board and the construction of the Recreation Center, now Hale Park.



She served for many years as the chairman of the Live Oak-Suwannee County Recreation Board and later as consultant to the board and City Council. She co-chaired the committee that saved the Seaboard Depot and Freight Station to be used as a museum. This led to the formation of the Suwannee County Historical Museum, which was opened in 1990 where she served for many years as the chairman until recently when she resigned because of ill health. She had a lifelong interest in education, having served as board member and chairman of the North Florida Community College and in many volunteer activities in the Suwannee County School System. At the time of the construction of the original library in Live Oak, she was member of the library board and was for many years a member of the Suwannee Democratic Committee.



Survivors include: her husband of 50 years, Brantly Walker Helvenston III; a son, Brantly Walker Helvenston IV; daughters Laura Damon Wofford (Walter) and Harriett Darrow Eppes (Mark); grandsons Walter R. Wofford Jr., Damon Brantly Wofford, Brantly Walker Helvenston V; granddaughters Laura Peyton Wofford and Mary Grace Eppes; a sister, Irene Hingson (Robert); a nephew, J. Dudley Bell Jr.; and a niece, Judy Bell. She was pre-deceased by a sister, Mary Bell and a brother D.P. Cantrell Jr.



Pall bearers will be her beloved nephews, Kenneth Malcolm Clayton, John Harrell Quinn Jr., Craig Helvenston Clayton, Brantly Walker Clayton, Brooks Creighton Quinn and Mark Alexander Clayton. Honorary pall bearers will be C.L. Boggus, James Cannon, Seymour Chotiner, C.L. Lewis, A.P. Nott, W.S. Townsend, Dr. Hugo F. Sotolongo, Dr. George W. Starks, William Williams, Richard Brashear and Hal A. Airth.



Funeral services will be held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 11 a.m., Dec. 4. The family requests that in lieu of flowers contributions be made to the Laura Helvenston Fund, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1391 SW Eleventh St. Live Oak, FL 32060 or the Live Oak-Suwannee County Historical Museum, 208 N. Ohio Ave. Live Oak, FL 32060.



Daniels Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.



Lessie Braswell Land



Lessie Braswell Land, 87, of Old Town, passed away Nov. 27, 2003, at her residence. The Donalsonville, Ga. native moved to Old Town 17 years ago from Live Oak and was a homemaker.



Survivors include: daughters, Geraldine Hagan, Old Town, Claudette Hendrix, Tampa, Evelyn Patricia Purvis, Trenton, Jane White, McAlpin and Sharon Lee Cannon, Fanning Springs; sons, Clayton Land Jr., Kentucky, Bobby Land, Jasper and Lawrence Leon Land, Dowling Park; brother, Plastine Braswell, Ft. Smith, Ark.; 22 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren; and nine great-great-grandchildren.



Funeral services were held at 1:30 p.m., Nov. 30, at the Hiers-Baxley Funeral Home, Chiefland, with the Rev. Ron Cason officiating. Interment was in the Live Oak Cemetery.



Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services in Chiefland was in charge of arrangements.



O. “Sarge” McKinnon



O. “Sarge” McKinnon, 82, of Live Oak, passed away Nov. 29, 2003 in North Florida Regional Medical Center, Gainesville, after a short illness. The Douglas, Ga. native moved to Live Oak 20 years ago and was of Baptist faith. He retired after 22 years in the U.S. Air Force, serving during World War II and the Korean Conflict, and worked in construction as a heavy equipment operator.



Graveside services were conducted at 2 p.m., Dec. 1, at the Live Oak Cemetery, Live Oak with the Rev. Clarence Parker officiating.



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



Ralph Luther Harris



Ralph Luther Harris, 67, of McAlpin, passed away at Shands at the University of Florida Hospital, Nov. 30, 2003 after an extended illness. The Cullman, Ala. native came to McAlpin from Cooper City in 1991. He worked as a dairy farmer/superintendent and later as a heavy equipment operator clearing land.



Survivors include: his wife Faye Harris, McAlpin; two sons, Greg (Cindy) Harris, Haines City and Matt Harris, London, Ky.; four daughters, Sheila (Jerry) Desmartin, Wellborn, Brenda (Marty) Martine, Live Oak, Regina (Jimmy) Gladding, Davie and Andrea (Anthony) Brown, Live Oak; 21 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.



Obituary for the Branford News, December 4, 2003 issue



James PeterJohnson



James Peter Johnson, Sr. of O’Brien passed away Thursday, Nov. 27, in Orange Park Medical Center, Orange Park, after a short illness. The Brooklyn, NY native moved to O’Brien from Tulsa, OK in 1984; was a U. S. Coast Guard Veteran serving during the Vietnam Conflict; worked as store manager of Gate Petroleun in Gainesville for eighteen years; and a member of San Juan Catholic Church in Branford.



Survivors include his wife, Cheryl Johnson, O’Brien; two daughters, Kelly Ann Gardner, Middleburg, and Laura Lee True, Jacksonville; two sons James Peter Johnson, Jr., O’Brien and William Charles Johnson, Beaufort, S.C.; one sister Patricia Jones, O’Brien; three brothers, Gerald Johnson, Catoosa, OK, Arthur Johnson, Boca Raton, and Robert Johnson, Broken Arrow, OK. Twelve grandchildren also survive.



Services were conducted 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 1 at San Juan Catholic Church, Branford with Father Ed Murphy and Deacon Mike Leahy officiating.



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





Obituaries for the Jasper News, December 4, 2003 issue



Malcolm E. Tompkins



Malcolm E. Tompkins, 91, of Orlando, passed away Sunday, Nov. 23, 2003 at Colonial Lake in Winter Garden following an extended illness. Mr. Tompkins was a retired Baptist Minister. He was a former resident of Jasper and served as Pastor and Interim Pastor for many churches in the Tri-County area.



Survivors include his wife, Gertie Horne Tompkins; one son, Mallory Tompkins, Orlando; one daughter, Barbara Forde, Orlando; one brother, Giles Tompkins and three sisters, Evelyn Woofender, Madeline Walker and Nell Hall; 6 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.



Funeral services were held at the First Baptist Church of Central Florida. Interment wias held Friday, Nov. 28, 2003 at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.



Family Funeral Care of Orlando was in charge of arrangements.



Mrs. Donnie Mae Register



Mrs. Donnie Mae Register, 84, of White Springs, passed away at her home on Friday, Nov. 21, 2003. Mrs. Register was born in Sanderson, on Sept. 5, 1919 to the late Lace and Annie Belle Brannen. She lived in White Springs most of her life where she was a homemaker and attended Long Branch Congregational Methodist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jake Register.



Survivors include four sons, Edward Register (Kathleen), James F. Register (Winifred), and Donald Register (Kathy), all of Lake City, and Paul Register (Becky), White Springs; three daughters, Myrtle Lee (Ronnie), Betty Jean McDaniel (Pat) and Evelyn Lindsey (Tommy), all of White Springs; one brother, L. B. Brannen, White Springs; two sisters, Ada Register, White Springs and Gertrude Thomas, Lake City; 18 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.



Funeral services were held Monday, Nov. 24, 2003 at Long Branch Congregational Methodist Church with Bro. Randy Ogburn officiating.



Interment followed in Riverside Cemetery in White Springs.

Harry T. Reid Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.



Eunie Dees



Eunie Dees, 84, of Jasper, passed away Sunday, Nov. 23,2003, at Trinity Community Hospital in Jasper following a brief illness. The Hamilton County native and lifelong resident retired from the Jasper Post Office where she clerked for many years. Mrs. Dees was a member of New Hope Baptist Church.



Survivors include her husband, Corbett Dees, Jasper; one son, Lamar Dees (Shirley) Conyers, GA.; one daughter, Margie Patterson (Ed), Atlanta, GA.: one sister, Vera Swearingen, Gainesville; three grandchildren, Michael L. Dees, Elizabeth Patterson and Matthew Patterson; two great grandchildren, Michael C. Dees and Bailey Dees.



Funeral services were held Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003 at New Hope Baptist Church with Pastor David Dunn and Rev. Colbert Croft officiating.



Interment followed in the church cemetery.



Harry T. Reid Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.



Odessa Wood Smith



Odessa Wood Smith, 90, of Jasper, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2003 at Suwannee Valley Nursing Center following an extended illness. Mrs. Smith was born in Echols County, GA on July 12, 1913 to the late Joseph and Victoria Pennington Wood. She was a retired bookkeeper, was Past Grand Electa and Past Matron of the Eastern Star Chapter 199. Mrs. Smith was preceded in death by her husband, Benton Smith. survivors include several nieces and nephews.



Funeral service were held Sunday, Nov. 30, 2003 in the chapel of Harry T. Reid Funeral Home with Rev. Wendell Hill officiating.



Interment followed in Evergreen Cemetery.



Harry T. Reid Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.



George “Billy” Sapp Jr.



George “Billy” Sapp Jr., 37, of Valdosta, GA. passed away Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003 at his home. The Valdosta native was a welder and veteran of the United States Army. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Rayford Sapp and maternal grandparents, Clifford and Ida Bennett.



Survivors include his parents, George Billy Sapp Sr. and Jewell Bennett Sapp of Jennings; one brother, Rodney Hudson, Inverness; two sisters, Sylvia Rhames, Valdosta, GA and Julie Sapp, Jasper; his paternal grandmother, Luvelia Cantrell, Dublin, GA.; four uncles, Jack Sapp, Dublin, GA., Mercer Collins, Williamsburg, VA., Roosevelt Bennett, Lake Park, GA. and Alfred Bennett, Jesup, Ga.; one aunt, Carolyn Gritz, Jasper.



Funeral services were held Saturday, Nov. 29, 2003 in the chapel of Harry T. Reid Funeral Home with Rev. Jack Sapp officiating.



Interment followed in Evergreen Cemetery.



Harry T. Reid Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.



Obituary for the Mayo Free Press, December 5, 2003 issue



Martha Juanita Bell Towler



Martha Juanita Bell Towler passed away at her home on Tuesday, November 18, 2003 following an extended illness.



She was born in Day, Florida on June 28, 1930 and was a member of Brewer Lake Baptist Church where she held the offices of Sunday School teacher of the Agape class for many years as well as church treasurer and WMU Director.



Juanita graduated from Orange Memorial School of Nursing in Orlando, in 1950 as a Registered Nurse and began working at Tallahassee Memorial Regional Hospital in Tallahassee, immediately afterward. She then transferred to Doctors Memorial Hospital in Perry, where she was Director of Nursing for approximately 12 years prior to her retirement in 1970. Juanita served on the Lafayette County Health Board for many years and was instrumental in its development.



Graveside services were held on November 20, 2003 at Brewer Lake Baptist Church cemetery.

Juanita is survived by her husband Jack Towler; son-in-law and daughter, Allen and Sheilah Broughton, grandsons Joey, Benjamin, and Nathan Broughton all of Day, and her brother Bob Bell of Perry.