Leon Griffis
STARKE - Leon Griffis, a lifelong resident of Starke, died at his home Wednesday. He was 57.
Mr. Griffis was a carpenter and a member of the Starke Church of God.
He attended the Bradford County schools.
Survivors include his wife, Rosa Lee Padgett Griffis of Starke; three daughters, Joyce Elaine Jackson of Lake City, Susan Brown of Lawtey and Cynthia Hill of Hawthorne; four sisters, Doris King of Lawtey, and Wanda Corbett, Diana Moody and Rosemary Vanzant, all of Starke; six brothers, Woodrow Griffis Sr., Leroy Griffis, James Griffis and Riley Griffis, all of Starke, Monroe Griffis of Jacksonville and Billy Griffis of Lawtey; and six grandchildren.
Thelma V. DeSenso
Thelma V. DeSenso of Brooklyn, N.Y., died Monday in Brooklyn. She was 80.
Mrs. DeSenso was born in Kentucky.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur DeSenso.
Survivors include two daughters, Sandra DeSenso of Brooklyn and Linda Schultz of Gainesville; two sons, Clyde DeSenso of Elizabethtown, Pa., and Eldon DeSenso of Howell, N.J.; a stepdaughter, Edna Cullen of Ocala; a stepson, Arthur DeSenso Jr. of Long Island, N.Y.; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Lawrence Jenkins
CHIEFLAND - Lawrence Jenkins, a lifelong resident of Chiefland, died Monday at North Florida Regional Medical Center following a brief illness. He was 55.
Mr. Jenkins was a logger and a member of the True Gospel Mission.
He attended Levy County schools.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Lee Jenkins of Chiefland; three daughters, Joyce Jenkins-Patterson, Marlene Jenkins and Tammy Jenkins, all of Gainesville; two sons, Fredrick Jenkins of Gainesville and Edwin Jenkins of Chiefland; two sisters, Bernadine Gent and Bernice Mitchell, both of Chiefland; two brothers, Edward Jenkins of Gainesville and James Jenkins of Chiefland; and 15 grandchildren.
Hazel McCormick
Hazel McCormick of Gainesville died Wednesday at North Florida Special Care Center. She was 96.
Mrs. McCormick was born in Tacoma, Wash., and moved to Gainesville from Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1978.
She was a businesswoman and a member of Grace United Methodist Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Betty Owens of Gainesville; a sister, Ruby Pearl Adams of Long Monte, Colo.; four grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Nancy Kolbohn Olney
Nancy Kolbohn Olney of Gainesville died at home Wednesday. She was 76.
Mrs. Olney was born in St. Louis, Mo., and moved to Gainesville from Augusta, Ga., in 1971.
She was a homemaker. She also worked for Bell Telephone Co. and Shands at University of Florida. She was a member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. She volunteered at Santa Fe Community College and Westwood Middle School.
Survivors include her husband, Charles R. Olney of Gainesville; two daughters, Leah Dorocke of Springfield, Ill., and Sara Olney of Gainesville; and a son, Peter Olney of Gainesville.
Leland K. Peek Sr.
Leland K. Peek Sr. of Fitzgerald, Ga., died Wednesday at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Decatur, Ga. He was 79.
Mr. Peek was born in Hall County, Ga., and moved to Fitzgerald from Vero Beach in June.
He was a dry-wall finisher and he served in the U.S. Navy. He was an associate pastor of the Baptist Tabernacle in Irwin County, Ga.
Survivors include two daughters, Patsy Good and Linda Peterson, both of Vero Beach; eight sons, Earl Peek Sr. of Vero Beach, Leland K. Peek Jr. of Pennsylvania, Walter Fulwood, Johnny Fulwood and Elvis Fulwood, all of Marietta, Ga., Stanley Fulwood of Fort Pierce and Gordon Fulwood and Raymond Fulwood, both of High Springs; a sister, Jurell Stephenson of Maysville, Ga.; a brother, Harold Peek of Fitzgerald; 28 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
Frank L. Schwartz Sr.
Frank L. Schwartz Sr. of Gainesville died Tuesday at Shands at AGH. He was 93.
Mr. Schwartz was born in Harrisburg, Pa., and moved to Gainesville from Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1962.
He was a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Florida and the University of Michigan.
He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, the Perseverance Masonic Lodge No. 21 F & AM in Harrisburg, Pa., and the Gainesville Chapter No. 2 of R.A.M.
Survivors include two daughters, Margaret E. Richardson of Houston and Mary C. Mills of Paso Robles, Calif.; two sons, Frank L. Schwartz Jr. of Lexington, Mass., and William W. Schwartz of Fremont, Calif.; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Carrie Vaughn
HIGH SPRINGS - Carrie Vaughn of High Springs died Wednesday at North Florida Regional Medical Center. She was 89.
Mrs. Vaughn was born in High Springs and lived in Tampa before returning to High Springs in 1975.
She was a telephone operator.
She was a member of the First Baptist Church of High Springs, the High Springs Garden Club and the High Springs Woman's New Century Club, where she served as a past president.
Survivors include a son, Colson H. Meggs Jr. of Flowery Branch, Ga.; three sisters, Louise Thomas of Gainesville, Aileen Singletary of Gainesville, Gladys Chapman of Columbia, S.C.; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
James William Fisher
James William Fisher of Gainesville died Tuesday at the VA Medical Center. She was 48.
Mr. Fisher was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., and moved to Gainesville 20 years ago.
He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
Survivors include his mother, Hazel Wilkerson of Fort Wayne; two sisters, Linda Fisher of Port St. Lucie and Nancy L. Thompson of Tennessee; and four brothers, Kevin Fisher, Louis Fisher, Richard Allen Wilkerson and Bryan Thomas Wilkerson, all of Fort Wayne.
Juanita Arline Whitfield Brinson
Juanita Arline Whitfield Brinson of Gainesville died Thursday at Vencor Hospital in Green Cove Springs following a brief illness. She was 65.
Mrs. Brinson was born in Indianapolis and moved to Gainesville from Detroit in 1974.
She was a retired licensed practical nurse with North Florida Regional Medical Center.
She was a member of the Pentecostal of Gainesville. Mrs. Brinson was preceded in death by a son, Michael McGuire.
Survivors include her husband, Deacon Willie W. Brinson of Gainesville; three daughters, Sunshine Dobbs of Detroit, Karyne Banks of Winston Salem, N.C., and Donna Banks of Gainesville; a stepdaughter, Marian Johnson of Ocala; six sons, Dennis McGuire of Rutledge, Tenn., Keith McGuire of Winston Salem, N.C., Samuel Banks and Steven Banks, both of Detriot, Captain Mark Banks of Alexandria, Va., and Don Banks of Rockledge; three stepsons, Charles Smith and Cosvia Smith, both of Miami, and Willie Brinson Jr. of Micanopy; a sister, Janet Manning of Detroit; two brothers, Morris Whitfield and Millard Whitfield, both of Detroit; 34 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Lois Beville Cone
Lois Beville Cone, a lifelong resident of Gainesville, died Thursday at the Hospice House of Gainesville. She was 87.
Mrs. Cone was a homemaker.
She was a member of First United Methodist Church. She was a former president of the Women's Society of Church in Service and the Junior Welfare League. She was a member of the Founder's Circle; the Gainesville Woman's Club; the Daughters of the American Revolution; the Daughters, Founders and Patriots of America; the Gainesville Golf and Country Club; the Heritage Club; and a life member of the Alachua General Hospital Auxiliary and the League of Women Voters.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Fred M. Cone Sr.
Survivors include two daughters, Susan C. Anderson of Leesburg and Celia M. Cone of Melrose; two sons, Fred M. Cone Jr. of St. Augustine and Thomas J. Cone of Gainesville; seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to the First United Methodist Church or to the Hospice of North Central Florida.
Ona Gracie Stern Jacobsen
STARKE -- Ona Gracie Stern Jacobsen, a lifelong resident of Starke, died Wednesday at North Florida Regional Medical Center following a brief illness. She was 63.
Mrs. Jacobsen was a homemaker and a commercial insurance writer for Roberts Insurance Agency.
She was a member of Kingsley Lake Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bernard J. Jacobsen Jr. Survivors include two daughters, Cheryl Boyer and Christa Huddleston, both of Starke; a son, Joel Jacobsen of College Station, Texas; a sister, Ina Mott of Brooker; a brother, Roland Stern of Starke; and seven grandchildren.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to the Kingsley Lake Baptist Church Building Fund.
Elsie V. Kirby
DOWLING PARK -- Elsie V. Kirby of Dowling Park died Wednesday. She was 98.
Mrs. Kirby was born in Chicago and moved to Dowling Park from Boston in 1963.
She was a member of the Woman's Home and Foreign Mission Society, where she served at various levels including organizer, treasurer, program writer and president.
She traveled to Japan, Mexico and Nigeria with her husband while he was director of Advent Christian World Missions. She taught a large Sunday school class in the nursing home at the Advent Christian Village for 11 years and continued an active personal ministry past the age of 90.
Mrs. Kirby was a member of Bixler Memorial Advent Christian Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Voncile Modlinger of Free Port, Ill.; a sister, Lillian Smerz of Dowling Park; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
