Peter Spero
CHIEFLAND - Peter Spero died Friday in Green Cove Springs. He was 79.
Mr. Spero was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and moved to Chiefland from Lake County in 1998.
He was a press foreman for Lewis Porkorny and Sons Manufacturing and served in the Army during World War II.
Survivors include one sister, Theresa Santelmo of Staten Island, N.Y.; and one brother, Michael Spero of Long Island, N.Y.
Arrangements by Hiers Funeral Home.
Minnie Kliger Covin
HIGH SPRINGS - Minnie Kliger Covin died Saturday at the High Springs Care Center. She was 93.
Mrs. Covin was born in Chelsea, Mass., and moved to Gainesville from Boca Raton in 1992. She was a legal secretary for an insurance company and an avid bridge player. She was Jewish.
Mrs. Covin was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Harry Covin.
Survivors include daughters Barbara Cassin of Gainesville and Audrey Maltz of Delray Beach; sons Gerald Covin of Lakeport, Calif., and Howard Covin of Gaithersburg, Md.; 10 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.
Betty Dekle Gainey
SEFFNER - Betty Dekle Gainey died Wednesday at Tampa Health Care in Brandon. She was 70.
Mrs. Gainey was born in Tallahassee and lived in Raiford for many years. She was a homemaker and a Methodist.
Mrs. Gainey was preceded in death by her husband, J.C. Gainey.
Survivors include sons Mike Gainey of Ocoee and Randall Gainey of Durant; a daughter, Brenda Gainey Cox of Seffner; brothers Robert, Richard and Billy Dekle, all of Lake City; sisters Pat Johns of Lake Butler, Donna Coleman of White Springs and Mary Frances Lewis of Lake City; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Archer Funeral Home.
James Douglas White
CHIEFLAND - James Douglas White died Thursday in his home. He was 89.
Mr. White was born in Alabama and moved to Chiefland from Mansfield, Ohio, in 1978. He was a factory worker for Westinghouse.
Mr. White was preceded in death by his wife, Ada Mae White. Survivors include one cousin, Betty Getz of Kansas.
Arrangements by Hiers Funeral Home.
Annie Mae Lamar
Annie Mae Lamar of Gainesville died Sept. 7 at North Florida Specialty Care Center following an extended illness. She was 82.
Mrs. Lamar was born in Williston and moved to Gainesville from St. Petersburg eight years ago.
She was a sales clerk and a Baptist.
Survivors include a brother, Lindburg Pitts of Williston; sisters Susie Nichole and Charlene Washington, both of Williston, Roberta Jenkins of St. Augustine, and Mamie Marble of Washington, D.C.
Arrangements by Chestnut Funeral Home.
William Martin Sr.
OTTER CREEK -- William "Clayton" Martin Sr., a lifelong resident of Otter Creek, died Thursday at his residence. He was 74.
Mr. Martin was the owner of Martin's Country Store and a member of First Baptist Church of Inglis. He served as a medic in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a Mason.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Martin of Otter Creek; a daughter, Alesia Bell of Inglis; sons James Harold Martin and William C. Martin Jr., both of Newberry, and Mark Biggs of Homosassa; sisters Mary Watson of Inglis and Molly Purtee of Gainesville; brothers Russell and Edsel Martin, both of Newberry, George Martin of Chiefland, Lewis Martin of Gainesville and Richard Martin of Texas; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Hiers Chiefland.
Betty Joyce Myers
Betty Joyce Myers of the Gainesville area died Wednesday in Jacksonville following complications of heart surgery. She was 77.
Mrs. Myers was born in Hudson, Ind., and moved to the Gainesville area from Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1994.
A graduate of Purdue University, she was a dietitian and nutritionist, retiring in 1989 from the Indiana State Board of Public Health.
She was a Methodist. She volunteered with the Red Cross.
Survivors include her husband of 51 years, Laurence Myers of the Gainesville area; daughters Marcia Kay Myers Gootee of Hampstead, N.H., and Kathleen Ann Myers Letro of Jacksonville; brothers Dr. Wendell Dean Hughes of Hamilton Lake, Ind., and Dale Hughes Jr. of Hudson; and four grandchildren.
Arrangements by Forest Meadows Funeral Home.
Theorail Pace
LAKE BUTLER -- Theorail "Dolly" Pace died Thursday at North Florida Regional Medical Center following a brief illness. She was 86.
Mrs. Pace was born in Waverly, Tenn., and moved to Lake Butler from Raiford in 1965.
She was a seamstress with Lake Butler Apparel until 1983. She was a member of Lake Butler Church of Christ and the Order of the Eastern Star in Lake Butler.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Leland W. Pace; and a son, Thomas Calvin Pace.
Survivors include a sister, Eula Viola Hagood of Jacksonville; three grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Archer Funeral Home.
Julius Parrish
LAKE BUTLER -- Julius "J.C." Parrish, a lifelong resident of Union County, died Wednesday in North Florida Regional Medical Center after surgery. He was 65.
Mr. Parrish was a retired supervisor with Clay Electric for 33 years. He and his wife owned and operated Skip's Deli in Lake City and Lake Butler. He attended Primitive Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Myrtle Padgett Parrish of Lake Butler; a daughter, Julie Williams of Lake City; sons James R. Parrish of Gulf Hammock, Clayton D. and Ronald D. Parrish, both of Lake Butler; three brothers, Lowell and Charles Parrish, both of Lake Butler, and Samuel Parrish of Boone, N.C.; sisters Christine Hester of Gainesville, Armontine Osborne of Lake Butler, Mildred Everett of Trenton, and Nancy Parrish of Jacksonville; 12 grandchildren; and four great- grandchildren.
Arrangements by Archer Funeral Home.
Leo F. Yarbrough
FORT MYERS -- Leo F. Yarbrough died Wednesday in Fort Myers. He was 73.
Mr. Yarbrough was born in Raiford and moved to Fort Myers 50 years ago.
He worked as the superintendent of water and sewer for the city of Fort Myers for 33 years. He was a Christian.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Ann Yarbrough of Fort Myers; a son, John H. Yarbrough of Fort Myers; an adopted daughter, Susan Eppler of Oklahoma; his mother, Ruby Rickerson of Lake Butler; a brother, Cliff Yarbrough of Lake Butler; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Arrangements my Fort Myers Memorial Gardens.
Lt. Col. Ervine Button
Lt. Col. Ervine "Jerry" Button, U.S. Air Force, retired, died Wednesday at his residence in Gainesville. He was 85.
A native of Chittenango, N.Y., he moved to Gainesville from San Antonio, Texas, in 1967.
Lt. Col. Button received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star Medal during his career in the U.S. Air Force, which spanned World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He was a staff member of the secretary of defense and a member of the Retired Officer's Association.
He also worked as comptroller at the J. Hillis Miller Heath Center for 14 years.
He was a past president of the University City Kiwanis and a member of the Sullivan Masonic Lodge and Northwest Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Martha Mercer Button of Gainesville; daughters, Deborah Field of Valrico and Nancy Schenewerk of New Boston, Texas; and five grandchildren.
Arrangements by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.
Kathleen Packham Dennison
Kathleen Packham Dennison died at her residence in Gainesville. She was 93.
Mrs. Dennison was born in Echols County, Ga., and moved to Gainesville 62 years ago.
She was a homemaker and a member of the Northwood Gainesville Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.
She was preceded in death by her husband, L.R. Dennison; and a daughter, Edith Veatch.
Survivors include a son, Earl Dennison; sisters, Hazel Van Epps and Ethel Jarrell, both of Theressa; a brother, Herbert Packham of Jacksonville; eight grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Worth Cremation Service of Florida.
