Rhonda Baribeau
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS Rhonda Arlene Baribeau, 59, of Keystone Heights died in Middleburg on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. She was born in Barre, Vermont, on Dec. 31, 1962, to Harold E. and Joyce A. (Londry) Fisk.
Left behind are two daughters, Jessica J. Baribeau (Aaron Dunham) of Wells River, Vermont; Ashley M. Baribeau of Keystone Heights; siblings, Theresa Slie of Bradford, Vermont, and Stenton Fisk of Saint Johnsbury, Vermont; and several grandchildren.
Arrangements are by Jones-Gallagher Funeral Home, 340 E. Walker Drive, Keystone Heights, 352-473-3176. www.jonesgallagherfh.com
Jeannette Carroll
Jeannette S. Carroll, “Ms. Jet,” passed away at her home on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. She was born in Dover, on Sept. 15, 1935, to the late George and Eva Ellison Cumbie. She moved to Lake Butler in 1985 and shortly after started Jet’s Clothing Store. She had a big personality and loved interacting with people. She also was an avid reader who enjoyed crochet, playing the organ, and dancing in her younger days. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 35 years, Rance Carroll; brother, Bill Cumbie; and sisters, Betty Horn and Madeline Glass.
She is survived by her sons, Mark (Barbara) Jetton of Oak Hill, and James Jetton of Lake Butler; her daughters, Cynthia (Frank) Ball and Tina (Dennis) Coppola both of New Smyrna Beach; 11 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
A service to honor her was held on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at Archer-Milton Funeral Home, Lake Butler. She was laid to rest immediately following the service at Dekle Cemetery next to her husband.
Arrangements were under the care and direction of Archer-Milton Funeral Home, Lake Butler, 386-496-2008 www.archerfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY
Wilbur Combs
RAIFORD Wilbur Eugene Combs, 70, of Raiford went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, after a brief illness on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. He was born Feb. 1, 1952, in Macclenny, the youngest of 10 children, to Wilbur and Myrtle Lee (Rhoden) Combs. He retired from Florida State Prison after nearly 30 years of dedicated service. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He was an avid Florida Gator fan, and loved the outdoors; but most of all, he loved the Lord, his family and friends, and his church family. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Bobby, Talmedge, Elwin, Tommy, and Phillip; and sister, Helen Brantley.
He is survived by the love of his life and soulmate, Cindy; daughters, Renee Kopecky, Kim (Doug) Hodge, and Courtney (Mike) Snyder; grandchildren, Cami and Doug Hodge, Jon Kopecky, and Symphony and Serenity Snyder; brother, Ray (Linda) Combs; sisters, Verna (Billy) Stewart and Ferrell Robinson; sisters-in-law, Doris Combs and Mary Combs; plus, a whole host of nieces and nephews, and many special and dear friends.
A service for him was held on Friday, Feb. 18, at Archer-Milton Funeral Home. He was laid to rest at Sapp Cemetery in Raiford immediately following the service. Services were officiated by Bro. Larry Thornton. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the building fund at Raiford Calvary Temple Church of God, 5289 NW CR 125, Lawtey, FL 32058.
Arrangements were under the care and direction of Archer-Milton Funeral Home, Lake Butler. 386-496-2008 www.archerfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY
Kenneth Crawford
STARKE Kenneth Mitchell Crawford, 57, of Starke passed away in Gainesville on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022. He was born in Tifton, Georgia on Jan. 25, 1965 to Mitchell Wayne and Elaine “Harris” Crawford. For 35 years he worked as a lineman for IBEW in the Atlanta area. During his free time, he enjoyed playing games with his sister Brentley. fishing, and helping anyone he could. He also enjoyed spending time around the grill with family and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Mitchell Wayne Crawford.
Survivors include his mother, Elaine “Harris” Crawford; daughter, Nicole (Neil) Patton of Covington, Georgia; son, Kenneth Kirk (Hailey) Crawford of Social Circle, Georgia; sisters, Brentley Hudson of Starke, and Lisa Owenby of Sumter, Georgia; and three grandchildren, Liam, Roy, and Baelynn.
Funeral services were held in the DeWitt C. Jones Chapel on Wednesday, Feb. 23.
Arrangements were by Jones-Gallagher Funeral Home, 620 E. Nona St., Starke. www.jonesgallagherfh.com
PAID OBITUARY
Jessie DuBose-Geiger
Jessie Kathryn Green DuBose-Geiger passed away peacefully at Suwannee Valley Care Center on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, at the age of 93. She was born Jan. 3, 1929, in Callahan to the late Robert and Rosa Futch Green. She was a lifelong resident of Union County and enjoyed various jobs around the community; most notably was Jessie’s Dress Shop, which she owned and operated for many years. She was a strong-willed, sharped-tongued woman with a heart as big as the ocean. She loved interacting with people and had a wonderful sense of humor. Her ultimate joy in life was her family, whom she loved and would do anything for. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Jasper Clayton DuBose and Tony Geiger; and her son, Roger Eugene DuBose.
She is survived by her children, Kathryn Carolyn (Fred) Graves, Janet Matthews (John) Ennis, Keith (Sandy) DuBose Sr., Daphne (Darin) DuBose, Diana (Craig) Shadd; 14 grandchildren; and a multitude of great- and great-great-grandchildren.
A service to honor her was on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Archer-Milton Funeral Home. Services were officiated by John Ennis. She was laid to rest next to her son at Elzey Chapel Cemetery immediately following the service.
Arrangements were under the care and direction of Archer-Milton Funeral Home 386-496-2008 www.ArcherFuneralHome.com
PAID OBITUARY
Marklee Harris Jr.
STARKE Marklee John Harris Jr, 62, of Starke, passed away on Friday. Feb. 18, 2022, at Haven Hospice Roberts Care Center in Palatka. He was born in Gainesville on Oct. 28, 1959, to the late Marklee John Harris Sr, and Betty Tetstone Harris. He graduated from Bradford High School and has been a lifelong resident of Starke. After graduating high school he began working at Winn-Dixie and was promoted to produce manager. He was employed by Winn-Dixie for close to ten years. Then he and his brother James opened their own produce stand on 301 called Harris Produce, which they owned and operated from 1994-1997. He also had a career at Publix as a meat cutter where he truly enjoyed working until he retired. He was an avid Florida Gator fan, and he had the best sense of humor. He was a simple man who enjoyed hunting, fishing, and horseback riding. Most of all, he loved his family and will be missed by all who knew him. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Debra Hardy Harris; and sister, Linda Faye Harris.
He is survived by his children, Marklee John Harris III of Starke, Edward Clarke of Callahan, and Stacy Bressee of Starke; brother, James Harris of Starke; five grandchildren; two great- grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life was held on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at Archie Tanner Memorial Chapel with pastor Jim Cox officiating. Interment followed at Elzey Chapel Cemetery.
Arrangements were under the care and direction of V. Todd Ferreira Funeral Services and Archie Tanner Memorial Chapel, Starke. 904-964-5757. Visit www.ferreirafuneralservices.com to sign the family’s guest book.
PAID OBITUARY
Edwin Mawyer
GRANDIN Edwin Eugene Mawyer, 87, of Grandin died on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. He was born in Grandin on May 25, 1934. He was preceded in death by his mother and step-father, Beryl and Mary Pugh.
His survivors include his daughter, Deborah Mawyer (Perica) Lazic of Keystone Heights; son, Evan (Janet) Mawyer of Minnesota; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
No services are scheduled at this time.
Arrangements are by Jones-Gallagher Funeral Home, 340 E. Walker Drive, Keystone Heights, 352-473-3176. www.jonesgallagherfh.com
Daniel McInnis Sr.
STARKE Daniel “Dan” Lee McInnis Sr. 82, of Starke, died Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, at Orange Park Medical Center in Orange Park. He was born in Midland, Michigan on July 6, 1939, to the late James McInnis and Bernice Beem McInnis. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife; brothers, Bob McInnis and Jim McInnis; sister, Phyllis Leck.
A Celebration of Life was held on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at Archie Tanner Memorial Chapel with Pastor Jim Cox officiating. Interment followed at Santa Fe Cemetery.
Arrangements were under the care and direction of V. Todd Ferreira Funeral Services and Archie Tanner Memorial Chapel, Starke. 904-964-5757
Betty Murray
Betty Horne Murray passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022 after a short illness. She was born in Capitola in Leon County on April 30, 1929, a daughter of James Wagner Horne Sr. and Ellen Pearl McAlhany Horne. She was raised and educated in Hampton. She attended Florida State University and received a master’s degree from the University of Florida. She moved to Saint George, South Carolina in 1964 and began teaching at Saint George Elementary and Williams Memorial Elementary schools. She retired in 1998. She was a member of St. George United Methodist Church. She and her husband, Oliver, spent a year in the Solomon Islands as missionaries for the United Methodist Church. She was a member of various organizations; Mary Baily Circle, The Little Book Club, and, most special to her, The Rose Garden Club. She loved flower shows, designing the member’s year book, and planning the Holiday Tour of Homes. She was predeceased by her parents; mother and father-in-law; and sons-in-law, David Keith Patrick and Christopher M. Pinckney.
She is survived by her husband of 59 years, James Oliver Murray; daughter, Melody M. Pinckney; granddaughter, Jennifer (Derrick) Patrick Messex; great-grandsons, Landon Keith Messex and Owen Bryant Messex of Saint George, South Carolina; sister, Barbara (Robert) Barksdale of Starke; brothers, James W. Horne of Gulf Breeze, and William (Billy) Horne of Hampton; sisters-in-law, Martha M. Murray of Grover, South Carolina and Betty P. Murray of Holly Hill, South Carolina; a special friend, Paula (Jerry) Loftis of Saint George, South Carolina; and special cousins, Cynthia Carlson of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and Ann (Eddie) Nine of Columbia, South Carolina. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews who loved spending summers with their Aunt Betty and Uncle Oliver.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorials can be made to Saint George United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 506, St. George, SC 29477.
Arrangements under the care of Bryant Funeral Home, St. George, South Carolina.
PAID OBITUARY
Marilyn Norman
LAWTEY Marilyn Norman, 86, of Lawtey, died on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. She was the wife to the late Garland Norman Sr.
She is survived by her two sons; one daughter; a sister; six grandchildren; and eight great- grandchildren.
Arrangements are under the care and direction of V. Todd Ferreira Funeral Services and Archie Tanner Memorial Chapel, Starke. 904-964-5757.
Ron Patray
For two years and during very poor health, Ron just ‘wanted to go see Jesus’! With his wife by his side, Wednesday evening, Feb. 9, 2022, about 6 p.m., he received that most cherished wish and prayer when he stepped into Heaven to see his Lord and Savior.
Ronald Terry Patray was born on Feb. 5, 1937, in Norton, Virginia, to James William Patray and Nora Terry Patray. When he was six weeks old the family moved to Starke, where he grew up. He graduated from Bradford High School in 1954, and enlisted in the Air Force where he
served until December 1957. The he took a job with Otis Elevator. In May 1957, he came home on leave from Japan and Guam and looked up Bobbie, whom he had known when she was a freshman and when he was a senior. She was now a senior about to graduate from high school. They started dating and were married in Starke, on Feb. 28, 1959, then they moved to Jacksonville. During this time he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and was baptized in Kingsley Lake just outside Starke. In September of 1960, he and Bobbie moved to Gainesville so he could
start school at the University of Florida. Bobbie took a job at the university to support his efforts as he earned a BS and MS in electrical engineering. In May 1965, he and Bobbie moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where he took a job with IBM. There they welcomed their precious daughter, Sherri. He was so devoted to her; he loved taking care of her and watching her grow up. He managed several development projects for NASA, including a test system for the Saturn/Apollo space program, flight software development labs for the space shuttle and space lab, and three space shuttle crew trainers for training astronauts. These projects were all completed on schedule and under budget. He also managed vendors on a $10 million procurement, including significant customization of their systems. Cost and delivery schedules were achieved as planned. It was during these years that he and Bobbie became very active in University Baptist Church, where they did visitation for the church and taught Sunday school; he started a bus ministry and served the Lord in a number of ways. In 1975, they moved their membership to Highlands Baptist Church where he served as a deacon and continued the bus ministry. He really enjoyed working with the children. In 1979, they moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where he managed the development of a plastic injection molding manufacturing plant for making printer and typewriter covers and parts. After staring with a vacant lot he achieved goal to be in production in nine months. This included constructing a building, implementing systems, procuring, modifying and overseeing development. installing 31 plastic injection molding presses, and installing an automatic production tracking system. He also managed the definition and development of a test case system, which was used successfully in integration testing of new microprocessor-based typewriters and printers on a six- month schedule. But more importantly, as a member of Porter Memorial Baptist church, he continued to faithfully serve the Lord; witnessing to those who needed to hear from the Lord. In 1986, the family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where they quickly joined Two Rivers Baptist Church. He served as a deacon, did church visitation, and continued to be an eager witness to others about Jesus and invite them to church. He retired from IBM in 1992 and began private project management/consultation, doing work for a number of entities including Thompson Caterpillar, Tridon, TVA, the state of Tennessee, and others. In 2012, the family joined Forest Hills Baptist Church. It was about this time that his health began to fail, but he continued to be a faithful witness for his Lord and Savior. He enjoyed coming to church and loved our Sunday school class and the wonderful, loving fellowship we had there. Many times while he was in the hospital, he would ask his caretakers: “Do you know Jesus?” He was always very supportive of the time-consuming legislative, public policy and speaking work that Bobbie did with Eagle Forum. In 2019, he received the Fred Schlafly Eagle Forum award ‘recognizing the crucial role of supportive husband’ (that he always played) from Eagle Forum and The Eagles. He was delighted; it was a well-earned and well-deserved award. He talked often of wanting to ‘see Jesus.’ We are confident that he did that last Wednesday, and he heard, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” He was preceded in death by his father, James William Patray; mother, Nora Terry Patray; brothers, Dr. Bill Patray, Don Patray, Gene Patray.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Bobbie Patray, beloved daughter, Sherri Patray; grandchildren, Stephen (Nicole) Simpson, Caitlin Simpson, and Jacob Simpson; great-grandsons, Alexander Simpson and Maverick Simpson; sister, Joanne Gassett, and brother, Art Patray: plus numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, at Forest Hills Baptist Church, 2101 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, TN 37215. Visitation will be from noon until 2 p.m. Military honors will be rendered at the church. Interment will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 28, at Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 7931 McCrory Lane, Nashville, Tennessee, 37221. Memorials are suggested to the Forest Hills Baptist Church Building Fund, 2101 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, TN 37215.
Services under the direction of the Taylor Funeral Home, 214 N. Main Street. Dickson, TN 615-446-2808 TaylorSince1909.com
PAID OBITUARY
Laverne Paulk
STARKE Laverne H. Paulk, 81, of Starke died Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022 at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville. She was born on May 23, 1940 in Reidsville, Georgia to the late Nathan and Mary (Brazelle) Hutcheson.
Survivors are her son, James Paulk of Starke; siblings, Annette Luning of Perry, Norma Killam of Starke, Allen (Jean) Hutcheson of Quitman, Georgia; three grandchildren; four great- grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson.
There are no services scheduled at this time.
Arrangements are by Jones-Gallagher Funeral Home of Starke 904-964-6200. www.jonesgallagherfh.com
Edmund Thompson
Edmund Harry Thompson Jr. passed away on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Lubbock, Texas, while working as a long-haul truck driver. He was born June 22, 1956, in Key West, to Edmund Sr. and Betty Jean Summerall Thompson. He grew up in the Florida Keys, but has made Union County his home for the past five years. He was a simple man with a great sense of humor. He also enjoyed fishing and cabinetry work in his spare time. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Glen Thompson; and great-grandson, Brayden Davis.
He is survived by his wife, Ronda Thompson; sons, Edmund “Buddy” (Alaina) Thompson and David Thompson; daughter, Veronica McGuinness; grandchildren, Lyndsey, Jonathan, Natalee, Jessica, Ashley, Riley, Pierce, Lincoln, Maddie, Peyton, and Sophia; great-grandson, Grayson; and his sisters, Cathy (Gene) Cavanaugh and Edith (Russ) Hall.
A service for him was held on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at Archer-Milton Funeral Home, Lake Butler. He was laid to rest at Ft. Call Cemetery immediately following the service.
Arrangements were under the care and direction of Archer-Milton Funeral Home, Lake Butler. 386-496-2008 www.ArcherFuneralHome.com
PAID OBITUARY
