Gladys Payne Powell
STARKE - Gladys Payne Powell of Starke died Saturday at the Hospice House in Gainesville after an extended illness. She was 74.
She was born in Piedmont, Ala., and moved to Starke 15 years ago.
Mrs. Powell was a retired bookkeeper for Montgomery Ward and Rome Broadcasting Co. WRGA in Rome, Ga.
She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Starke. At the time of her death, she was director and teacher in the preschool 5-year-old department at First Baptist Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Anne Davidson of Rome, Ga.; two sisters, Dot Hamer of Barnesville, Ga., and Bert Colston of Starke; and three grandchildren.
John G. Witherspoon
HIGH SPRINGS - John G. Witherspoon of High Springs died Saturday at North Florida Regional Medical Center. He was 84.
Mr. Witherspoon was a native of Palatka. He graduated from High Springs High School in 1933, and attended the University of Florida for one year. He returned to High Springs from Jacksonville 29 years ago.
Mr. Witherspoon was chief engineer of the signal bureau for the city of Jacksonville for 26 years before retiring. He then served as head of communication at UF for 10 years.
He received his ham radio operator's license in 1940 and was among the oldest active amateur radio operators in Florida.
He was a member of the Amateur Radio Club in Jacksonville and in Gainesville.
Mr. Witherspoon was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of High Springs.
Survivors include his wife, Beulah C. Witherspoon of High Springs; a son, John G. Witherspoon Jr. of Huntsville, Ala.; a daughter, Julia E. Tracy of Miami; a brother, Paul Witherspoon of High Springs; a sister, Mary H. Haley of Atlanta; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
John H. Yarborough
CHIEFLAND - John H. Yarborough of Chiefland died Sept. 20 at the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center in Lake City. He was 82.
Mr. Yarborough was a native of Athens, Ala. He had lived in Chiefland for 23 years and attended the First Baptist Church there.
Mr. Yarborough was a retired steel fabricator.
He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.
Mr. Yarborough was cremated and will be inurned on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, Cherokee, N.C. Memorial services will be announced at a later date.
Florence Lerline Bowman
Florence Lerline Bowman of Gainesville died Friday at North Florida Rehab and Specialty Care Center. She was 89.
Mrs. Bowman was born in Nashville, Ga., and lived in Palatka before moving to Gainesville in 1947. She was a retired telephone operations supervisor for the American Telephone & Telegraph Co. and had worked as a switchboard operator for the General Services Administration.
Mrs. Bowman was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America and volunteered as a Pink Lady at Alachua General Hospital. She was a Baptist.
Survivors include her son, James Thomas Bowman of Alpharetta, Ga.; a brother, Bill Bishop of Rome, Ga., and a sister, Romealee Hudson of Marietta, Ga.
Robert Edward Reynolds
FAIRFIELD -- Robert Edward Reynolds of Fairfield died July 22 at Shands at the University of Florida. He was 63.
Mr. Reynolds was a clerk for a video store and an avid hunter and fisherman.
He is survived by a brother, Clyde Reynolds of Gainesville; and a sister, Violet Mixson of Williston.
The Rev. John L. Renew
LAKE CITY -- The Rev. John L. Renew of Lake City died Thursday at his home after a long illness. He was 69.
Mr. Renew was a minister of the Church of God of Prophecy.
Born in Sylvester, Ga., he moved to Lake City five years ago from DeLeon Springs.
Survivors include his wife, Gertrude Renew of Lake City; a daughter, Jane Driscoll of Bradenton; two sons, Wesley Renew of Lake City and Bruce Renew of Bartow; three sisters, Thelma Conley of Kissimmee, Mary Jones of Winter Garden and Viola Conley of Moultrie, Ga.; three brothers, Erman Renew of Hudson, Eugene Renew of Clermont and Rufus Renew of Gotha; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Casey Lamb
Casey Lamb of Brunswick, Ga., died Thursday at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville due to injuries suffered when she was struck by lightning. She was 11.
Casey was a sixth grader at Jane Macon Middle School in Brunswick.
She was born in Brandon and moved from Live Oak to Brunswick six years ago.
Casey was a member of Northside Baptist Church in Brunswick.
Survivors include her parents, Randy and Ginni Lamb of Brunswick; her maternal grandmother; her paternal grandparents, Jimmy and Susan Lamb of Live Oak; and her paternal grandmother.
Bernard Thomas Davis
BRONSON -- Bernard Thomas Davis of Bronson died Wednesday at Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville after a long illness. He was 76.
Mr. Davis was a machinist for Maddox Foundry. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He was born in Campbell, N.Y., and moved from Hornby, N.Y., to Bronson 22 years ago.
He was a member of American Legion in Williston and the National Rifle Association. He was an honorary member of the Florida Sheriffs Association and he attended Bronson First Baptist Church.
Survivors include two sons, Theodore R. Davis and Ronald T. Davis, both of Corning, N.Y.; three daughters, Sandra L. Davis of Ardmore, Okla., Cheryl A. Skelly of Bronson and Carol E. Gillette of Painted Post, N.Y.; three sisters, Louise Spiros of Penn Yan, N.Y., Beulah DeCamp of Painted Post and Wanda Bliss of Delaware; 12 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.
Erwin Dean Bass
Erwin Dean Bass of Gainesville died Thursday in Gainesville. He was 62.
Mr. Bass was an electrician.
He was born in Alachua and was a lifelong resident of Alachua County.
Mr. Bass was a member of Countryside Baptist Church and of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
He played the steel guitar in the Alachua County area and enjoyed country music.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Ann Bass of Gainesville; four daughters, Elizabeth Marie Wilkes and Brenda Sue Kirkland, both of Macclenny, Tameracq Denise Iddingscq of Ocala and Anita Lynn White of Gainesville; three sons, Erwin Dean Bass Jr. of Macclenny and William Glenn Bass and Jimmy Charles Bass, both of Gainesville; two brothers, Ernest Wayne Bass of Milan, Ga., and Charles Eldon Bass of Anthony; 31 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Norma Wentworth Mathis
PINETTA -- Norma Wentworth Mathis of Pinetta died Friday at Shands at the University of Florida due to congestive heart failure. She was 77.
Mrs. Mathis was a homemaker and a school volunteer. During World War II, she worked with her husband on the development of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos. She was born in Shady Grove and moved to Pinetta 23 years ago. She attended Florida State College for Women. Mrs. Mathis was a member of Pinetta Methodist Church.
She enjoyed reading, flowers and birds.
Mrs. Mathis was preceded in death by her husband, Gil Mathis.
Survivors include two daughters, Linda Cowles of Tolland, Conn., and Rhonda Royston of Gainesville; and six grandchildren.
Roy Patten Perkins Jr.
WILLISTON -- Roy Patten Perkins Jr. of Williston died Friday at North Florida Regional Medical Center after a short illness. He was 79.
Mr. Perkins was a former president, vice president and board member at the Perkins State Bank in Williston, which his father, R.P. Perkins, founded.
He was born in Archer and moved to Williston 64 years ago. He was a graduate of Williston High School.
Mr. Perkins enjoyed the outdoors and was a gun collector.
Survivors include a brother, James Paul Perkins of Holly Hill; and two sisters, Virginia P. Whitener and Ella May Cory, both of Williston.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to the Roy Patten Perkins Jr. Scholarship Fund at Perkins State Bank.
