BRIAN KEITH SONS SR.
Mr. Brian Keith Sons Sr., age 30, of 156 Gaskin St., Blountstown, Fla., died Thursday, May 11, 2000, at a local hospital as the result of an automobile accident. He had been a resident of the area for 11/2 years, coming here from Jacksonville, Fla. Mr. Sons was an assistant superintendent of Centurion Construction Co. He is survived by his wife, Melissa Sons of Blountstown; daughters: Krystal Sons of Jacksonville and Jessie Harris of Blountstown; sons, D.J. Forshee of Lebanon, Tenn., and Brandon Sanders of Jacksonville; mother, Glenda Sons of Jacksonville; sisters, Cindy Olsen and Mary Gibson, both of Jacksonville, Lurline Rogers of Tampa, and Melinda Botto of Jacksonville; and a brother, Brad Sons of Callahan, Fla. He was preceded in death by his children, Brian and Brittany Sons; his father, Thomas Leo Sons; a sister, Christine Sons; and two brothers, Curtis and Dwight Sons. Funeral services will be held at a later date in Jacksonville with Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, Jacksonville, Fla., ( 904) 641-9755 handling the arrangements.
Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home
Panama City, Fla. 32405
JERRY E. TATUM
Funeral services for Jerry E. Tatum, 62, of 112 Jenks Circle, Panama City, who died Wednesday, May 10, 2000, in a local hospital will be held today at 2 p.m. in St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church with Father Marty Bratek officiating. Interment will follow in Evergreen Memorial Gardens with full military honors conducted at graveside. Those desiring to may make a donation to your favorite charity in memory of Jerry Tatum.
Wilson Funeral Home
Panama City, Fla.
DONNA BRAGG
Donna Bragg, 42, of 2506 Clemson Drive, Panama City, passed away Friday, May 12, 2000, at the home of her parents on Panama City Beach after a long fight with lung cancer. She was born in Elba, Ala., and upon graduating from high school she moved to Panama City to pursue her lifelong career in the nursing field. She attended Central Assembly of God, where she accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior in 1998. She loved and enjoyed her Pastors, Don Shoots, Mike McFatter and Brother Green, as well as the staff and church family at Central Assembly. She especially enjoyed the choir and music ministry of Sister Shoots. She is survived by her loving 5-year-old daughter and love of her life, Lydia "Mandy" Cooper; her parents, Wyeth and Gloria Bragg of Panama City Beach; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. She is also survived by her longtime friend, companion and father of her daughter, Jimmy Cooper of Panama City. Funeral services will be held Monday at 10 a.m. in the Wilson Funeral Home Chapel with Brother Shoots and his staff officiating. Burial will follow in the Greenwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 6 to 8 p.m. today. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations in Donna's name be made to Hospice of Northwest Florida, who was so comforting in her passing.
Wilson Funeral Home
Panama City, Fla
PAUL LESLIE BRENT JR.
Dr. Paul Leslie Brent, Jr. passed away April 28, 2000, at Long Beach Community Hospital in Long Beach, Calif. Dr. Brent had lived in southern California since 1959, having moved with his family from Oklahoma. He was born July 3, 1916, in Douglas, Okla. After receiving his BS degree from Central State College in Edmond, Okla., in 1938, he taught school in Adair, Okla., and was the high school principal in Alden, Okla. He joined the Navy in 1943 and achieved the rank of lst Lieutenant while teaching navigation. After World War II ended, he taught at Cooperton and Washita, Okla., and was Superintendent of Schools in Alden, Okla. He received his Masters in Education in 1949 from the University of Oklahoma and his Doctorate of Education in 1959. From 1959 to 1989 he was a professor of instructional media at California State University at Long Beach. He was a member of Kappa Delta Phi, Phi Delta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Delta, the California Faculty Assoc., of California College and University Faculty Assoc., California Media and Library Educators' Assoc., California State University Emeritus and the Retired Faculty Assoc. He was also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Jamestown Society, the Baronial Order of Magna Charta and the Order of the Crown of Charlemagne. Dr. Brent served as a deacon at Truett Memorial Baptist Church and was a trustee at California Baptist University at Riverside. He was predeceased by his wife of 37 years, Aledo Render Brent. He is survived by his wife, Ferne McCoy Brent, Cerritos, Calif.; his daughter, Carolyn Ingram and husband, Jesse Ingram of Lakewood, Calif.; his son, Paul R. Brent and wife, Lana Jane Lewis-Brent of Panama City, Fla.; grandson, Brent Ingram and wife Chastity of La Mirada, Calif.; grandsons, Jensen and Anders Brent, both of Panama City.; and great-grandson, Andrew Ingram. He is also survived by one sister, Virginia Pallady; and nephew, Steve Pallady, of Oklahoma City, Okla. Services were held May 3, 2000, at Truett Memorial Church in Long Beach, Calif., and a graveside service was held at Forest Lawn in Cypress, Calif. For those wishing to contribute to his memory, donations may be made to the Paul Brent fund at the Califomia State University at Long Beach 49er Athletic Association, 1250 Bellplower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840, or to Bay Arts Alliance, PO Box 1278, Panama City, FL 32402.
RUBY GORLEY BROWN
Ruby Gorley Brown, 60, of Panama City, died Friday, May 12, 2000, in a local hospital. She was a retired bookkeeper. She had been a resident of Panama City for 22 years moving here from Moultrie, Ga. She is survived by her husband, James Brown of Palatka; son, Louis A. Gorley; daughter, Monique Chestnut; two grandchildren, T.J. Poole and Jason Cropper, both of Panama City; mother, Irene Strickland of St. George Island, S.C.; three brothers, John Smith, Jimmie Smith and Randy Smith; and a sister, Sue Griswold. Services will be held at a later date in Moultrie, Ga., with burial in the Pineview Baptist Church Cemetery, Moultrie, Ga.
Wilson Funeral Home
Panama City, Fla.
ALVIN PERCY FENNELL
Mr. Alvin Percy Fennell, 80, of Pensacola, and formerly of Lynn Haven, died Thursday, May 11, 2000, at the University of West Florida Hospital in Pensacola. He was a resident of Lynn Haven since 1956 and served his country in the U.S. Army. He managed the Trailways and Greyhound bus stations from 1973 until 1990. Mr. Fennell was a former member of the Missionary Baptist Church of Kynesville, and a member of the Florida Firefighters Association. He is survived by his wife, Doris G. Fennell of Pensacola, formerly of Lynn Haven; two granddaughters, Elizabeth Dagen and her husband Dan of Pensacola and Michele Holmes of Panama City; a great-granddaughter, Morgan Lucille Dagen; and a sister, Myrtle Padgett of Marianna. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Kathy Fennell; and a son, Bob Fennell. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today, May 14, 2000, at the Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Charles Key officiating. Interment will follow at Lynn Haven Cemetery. Asked to serve as active pallbearers are, Dan Dagen, Chris Dagen and Billy Joe Padgett. The family will be staying at the home of his grandaughter, Michele Holmes, 1429 W. 10th Court, Panama City, Fla., 763-3053.
Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home
Panama City, Fla. 32402
MARTHA E. 'BETTY' HUGHES
Mrs. Martha E. "Betty" Hughes, 71, of 704 W. 17th St., Lynn Haven, went to be with Jesus, Friday, May 12, 2000 due to injuries sustained from an automobile accident. Born in Holmes County, she relocated to Bay County in 1951. She was the owner of Hughes Tax and Bookkeeping Service for over 45 years. Mrs. Hughes was a member of Sandhills Assembly of God Church. She was preceded in death by the true love of her life of 53 years, William "Buddy" Hughes and one grandson, Kent Jeffrey Hughes. She is survived by her six children, Janet Mitchell and her husband Jerry, Bill Hughes, Jr. and his wife Angie, Bruce Hughes and his wife Marsha, Greg Hughes and his wife Toni, Becky Curti and her husband Carl, and Cindi McGuire and her husband Gene, all of Panama City; 13 grandchildren, Mark Mitchell, Rita Santana, Bill Hughes III, Dustin Hughes, Jon Hughes, Brandi Hughes, Greg Hughes Jr., Jennifer Hughes, Robert Curti Jr., Karen Curti, Kathy Adams, Chase Curti and Gene McGuire III; 11 great-grandchildren; one brother, Olin Sutton of Phoenix, Ariz.; numerous nieces and nephews; and a very special friend, Nancy Ward. Funeral services will be held 4 p.m. today, May 14, 2000, at the Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Nixon Miller, Warren Wright and Darwin Glass officiating. Interment will follow at Lynn Haven Cemetery. Asked to serve as active pallbearers are Mrs. Hughes' grandsons, Mark Mitchell, Bill Hughes III, Robert Curti Jr., Dustin Hughes, Greg Hughes, Jr., Jon Hughes and Chase Curti. Honorary pallbearer will be Gene McGuire III. The family will be staying at 2606 Parkwood Dr., in Panama City.
Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home
Panama City, Fla. 32402
C.T. 'RUNT' JOHNSON
Mr. C.T. "Runt" Johnson, 75, of 4108 W. 17th St., Panama City, died Friday at the Glen Cove Nursing Facility. Mr. Johnson was born in Wing, Ala., but spent his childhood in Altha. He lived in Panama City for 40 years, and was the owner and operator of the St. Andrew Gulf Service Station for 25 years. He was of the Holiness faith. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Barbara Johnson of Panama City; two sons, Sammy Joe Johnson and Tim Wilson; two daughters, Judy Lynn Hicks and Sharon Elaine Manley; one sister, Myrtle Smith; two brothers, Theo and Cecil Johnson; and six grandchildren. He also leaves his extended family, James and Ruth Pate, Thad and Mittie Ruth Pate, Choyce and Vera Pate, Christine and Bill McDaniel and Viola Cain. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Kent-Forest Lawn Chapel with the Rev. James Brogdon officiating. Burial will follow in Forest Lawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday, at the funeral home.
Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home
Panama City, Fla. 32402
BARBARA MAHONEY MARZILLI
Mrs. Barbara Mahoney Marzilli, of 3133 W. 20th Court, Panama City, Fla., passed away on Thursday, May 11, 2000, at Gulf Coast Medical Center. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Lorraine Mahoney; and three nieces, Lori Mahoney and Erin Mahoney of 3133 W. 20th Court, and Kelly Hodge; her husband Ted and daughter, Morgan of Tampa. She was the daughter of the late Frederick J. Mahoney and Marion Burge Mahoney. Mrs. Marzilli leaves one brother, Kenneth Mahoney and his wife Margie of Vernon; and Ann Louise Di Biasoio of West Warwick, R.I. She was the sister of the late Frederick Mahoney, Jr. of Cranston, R.I. and John W. Mahoney of Panama City, Fla. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews and several great-nieces and nephews of Rhode Island. Memorial services will be held 10 a.m. Monday, May 15, 2000, at the Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Charles Key officiating. The family wishes to thank Dr. Ketan Patel, Margie Agressott and the step-down nursing unit of Gulf Coast Medical Center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Family Service Agency, 890 W. 11th St., Panama City, FL 32401, (850)785-1721.
Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home
Panama City, Fla. 32402
MARY PEARL TRENT
Mary Trent of Kernersville, N.C., died Sunday, April 30, 2000. She was a resident of Panama City for 15 years. She was a volunteer at Gulf Coast Hospital for 11 years and won the outstanding volunteer award for several years. She attended the First Church of the Nazarene. She was preceded in death by her husband, Zack Trent. The remaining family is two sons, Lee Trent and wife Ann, of Panama City and Doug Trent and wife Besty, of Stokesdale N.C.; granddaughter, Andrea Hoss and husband Art, of Madison, Miss.; great-grandson, Zackary; brother, Paul; and sister, Hazel of North Carolina. A memorial service will be held, Wednesday, May 17, at Smith Grove Methodist Church in Colfax, N.C.
EARL EUGENE BAILEY
Earl Eugene Bailey, 73, went peacefully home to his Heavenly Father on Sunday, May 14, 2000, after a valiant 13-year battle with cancer. He was born in Shreveport, La., on April 16, 1927, to William Henry Bailey Sr. and Essie Crowell Bailey. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, William Henry Bailey Jr.; and mother-in-law, Elizabeth Crocker. He leaves behind Doris, his loving bride of 54 years; two daughters, Marilyn Elizabeth Lewis and husband Albert III of Panama City, and Margaret Cecilia Neustaedter and husband, Terry of Pace, Fla.; two grandsons, Albert M. Lewis IV of Los Angeles, Calif., and Michael Patrick Lewis of Austin, Texas; four stepgrandchildren, Greg Gill and wife Sidney of Pace, Julie Pierly and husband Dennis of Cantonment, Fla., Dana Williams of St. Louis, Mo., and Jan Flores and husband Kerry of Milton, Fla.; and eight great-stepgrandchildren; brother, George Randall Bailey and wife Gerri of Shreveport; and sister-in-law, Mary Lou Bailey of Spring, Texas. He had been a resident of Panama City since 1966. Mr. Bailey was educated in the public schools of Shreveport. He graduated from Louisiana College with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, and received a Master of Arts in Music from Ouachita Baptist University. From 1946 to 1966, he served as Minister of Education and Music in various Baptist churches in the southeast before moving to Panama City to become Minister of Education and Music at First Baptist Church of Panama City. In 1971, he was invited by Dr. Richard Morley and Dean Earl Cochran to come to Gulf Coast Community College and establish a Religion Program in the Social Sciences Division. Mr. Bailey was professor of religion at Gulf Coast Community College for 23 years before retiring in 1994 with the rank of Professor Emeritus. His peers at GCCC honored him in 1986 by being chosen "Outstanding Professor of the Year." He hosted a Sunday morning TV talk show here for eight years on WMBB and for over 20 years he wrote a weekly religion column in the Panama City News Herald. He is listed in "Who's Who in Religion in America," "Who's Who in Religion in the Southeast," "Who's Who in American Christian Leadership" and was recently named as one of "2000 Outstanding Scholars of the 20th Century" in a biographical dictionary published in Cambridge, England. He was a Paul Harris Fellow in the Downtown Rotary Club, where he was an Honorary Member. One of his great loves had been organizing tour groups to travel to various locations overseas. The most meaningful trips had been made to the Holy Land with Christian friends and relatives. For the past 18 years, he had taught the LLL Bible Study Class at First Baptist Church. He considered the members of that class as his dearest friends. Mr. Bailey was a gifted teacher and Bible scholar, but his greatest asset was that he was a caring person who genuinely loved people. A private interment is planned for Tuesday May 16 at Greenwood Cemetery, followed by a public memorial service at 1 p.m. in the First Baptist Church of Panama City. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 6 to 8 p.m. this evening. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to one of the following, Earl Bailey Scholarship Fund, Gulf Coast Community College Foundation, Attn: Jan Gould, 5230 W. Hwy 98, Panama City, FL 32401, the Earl Bailey Memorial Therapy Fund for Underprivileged Children at Speechcare Inc, First American Bank, Attn: Mike Leonard, 2315 Hwy 77, Lynn Haven, FL 32444. Special thanks goes to Dr. Syed Mahmood and the staff of Bay Oncology Center and Traci Petrie and Kelly Putnam Meyer, therapists at Bay Medical Center. Thanks also to Margie at Outpatient Infusion Center at Gulf Coast Medical Center, and respective staffs of Gentiva (Olsten) Home Health Care and Hospice of the Emerald Coast.
Wilson Funeral Home
Panama City, Fla.
