Robert C. Walther
Robert C. Walther died Tuesday at his residence in Gainesville following an extended illness. He was 80.
Mr. Walther was born in Corning, N.Y., and moved to Gainesville from Elmira, N.Y., in 1981.
He was a powerhouse engineer for Westinghouse Manufacturing Plant.
He was a member of the Brittany Estates Social Club and the Parkview Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Grace Walther of Gainesville; a daughter, Connie J. Baker of Gainesville; a son, Robert H. Walther of Gainesville; a sister, Elsie Michaels of Elmira, N.Y.; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to the Hospice of North Central Florida.
Margaret Ann Wilkerson
CHIEFLAND -- Margaret Ann Wilkerson of Chiefland died Tuesday at Shands at AGH unexpectedly. She was 59.
Born in Waldo, Mrs. Wilkerson was raised in Cedar Key, lived in Gainesville for 25 years and moved to Chiefland 10 years ago.
Mrs. Wilkerson was valedictorian of Career City College where she received Business Management and Paralegal degrees in 1991. She also attended Cedar Key High School.
She owned her own laundry business in Gainesville for 26 years called the Wash House. She was also a homemaker.
Mrs. Wilkerson was a Webelo Scout leader for six years, an Eastside High School team mom for wrestling for six years and an Eastside Booster Club member for six years.
She was a Methodist.
Mrs. Wilkerson is preceded in death by a son, Christopher Herbert Wilkerson.
Survivors include her husband, James G. Wilkerson Sr. of Chiefland; five sons, James G. Wilkerson Jr. of Rosewood, William Bartley Wilkerson of Gainesville and Woodrow Porter Wilkerson, Charles Darryl Wilkerson and Andrew Douglas Wilkerson all of Bronson; her father, Woodrow Hathcox of Cedar Key; a sister, Louise Tebo of Cedar Key; four brothers, George Hathcox and Clifford Hathcox of Chiefland, Staff Sgt. Patrick Hathcox of Colombia, S.C., and Joe Hathcox of Cedar Key; 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Gracie D. Hancock
CROSS CITY - Gracie D. Hancock of Cross City died Saturday at North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville. She was 75.
Mrs. Hancock was born in Dixie County and was a lifelong resident. She was a seamstress and she attended Suwannee River Baptist Church in Old Town.
Survivors include a son, Gary Hancock of Old Town; a daughter, Gail Keen of Cross City; four grandchildren; and five great- grandchildren.
Edna Lee Hart
MAYO - Edna Lee Hart of Mayo died Saturday in Perry. She was 93.
Mrs. Hart was born in Leslie, Ga., and had lived in Mayo for 27 years. She was a homemaker and a member of Mayo Baptist Church.
Survivors include two sons, Warren Hart of Livingston, Texas, and Tommy Hart of Perry; two daughters, Lois Anderson of Altamonte Springs and Anise Roberts of Bell; one sister, Mary Elizabeth Burnett of Cincinnati, Ohio; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Mary Gaitanis Katehis
VERO BEACH - Mary Gaitanis Katehis of Vero Beach died Saturday in Indian River Memorial Hospital after a long illness. She was 88.
Mrs. Katehis was born in Davenport, Iowa, and lived in Gainesville for many years. She was a retired secretary for the U.S. government and received many awards for employee excellence. She was among the first Americans to enter Berlin after World War II and was a member of St. Elizabeth Greek Orthodox Church.
Survivors include three brothers, Louis Gaitanis of St. Augustine, Mike Gaitanis of Miami and John Gaitanis of Vero Beach; three sisters, Toula Wilson of Venice and Dorothea Gaitanis and Pauline Smith of Vero Beach; and three nieces; four nephews; two great-nieces; and four great-nephews.
Jacqueline S. Kurtz
Jacqueline S. "Jackie" Kurtz of Gainesville died Saturday at North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville. She was 77.
Mrs. Kurtz was born in Miami and moved to Gainesville in 1997 from Ocala. She was a secretary for B&B; Chemical Co. and a member of Fort McCoy United Methodist Church and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary in Fort McCoy.
Survivors include two sons, James L. Kurtz and Michael L. Kurtz, both of Gainesville; a brother, Harry M. Smith of Mulberry; two sisters, Hazel Coles and Lillian Curington; and five grandchildren.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to Hospice of North Central Florida.
Jazmyne Alexandra Plummer
Jazmynecq Alexandra Plummer of Gainesville died of smoke inhalation Aug. 26 in Pleasantville, N.J. She was 2.
Jazmyne was born in Gainesville. She was a member of Tabernacle of Praise and Restoration Outreach Center, Church of God In Christ, in Gainesville.
Survivors include her mother, Karolcq D. Plummer of Gainesville; her father, Jason A. Plummer Sr. of Gainesville; a sister, Shaitoniacq L.C. Black of Gainesville; two brothers, William E. Stewart and Jason A. Plummer II, both of Gainesville; her maternal grandmother, Vanessa L. Lewis of Gainesville; her paternal grandparents, Henry A. and Carolyn M. Plummer of Middleburg, N.C.; and her great-grandparents, Mary and Arthur Black, both of Somerset, N.J.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to help alleviate funeral costs to the Jazmyne A. Plummer Memorial Fund at any branch of the First Union banks.
Kenneth Melvin Stengel
MIDDLEBURG - Kenneth Melvin Stengel of Middleburg died Friday in his home. He was 50.
Mr. Stengel was born in Gainesville and moved to Middleburg from Orange Park 1 years ago. He was a route manager for Merita Bread Co. and was a graduate of Santa Fe High School.
Mr. Stengel was preceded in death by his father, Herbert F. Stengel. Survivors include his mother, Mildred G. Stengel of Gainesville; three sons, Kenneth H. "Corky" Stengel of High Springs and C. Adam Stengel and Jason Stengel, both of Orange Park; one brother, Herbert G. Stengel of Yulee; one sister, Glenda Carroll of Gainesville; and one grandson.
John Christensen
John Christensen of Gainesville died Friday in Gainesville. He was 89.
Mr. Christensen retired as an administrator for the U.S. Department of Forestry. He later worked for Morgan Office Supply in Gainesville.
He was born in Worthington, Minn., and moved from Cleveland, Tenn., to Gainesville 37 years ago.
Mr. Christensen served in the U.S. Army. He graduated from Iowa State University. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church and the Theta Chi Fraternity.
Survivors include several nephews.
George J. Kay
George J. Kay of Gainesville died Saturday in Gainesville after a long illness. He was 73.
Mr. Kay retired as a policeman for the Detroit Police Department and later was a security guard at J.C. Penney Co., Nationwide and Bear Archery in Gainesville. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He was born in Detroit and moved from Detroit to Gainesville 23 years ago.
Mr. Kay was preceded in death by a daughter, Mary A. Kay.
Survivors include his wife, Betty A. Kay of Gainesville; a son, Michael G. Kay of Raleigh, N.C.; three brothers, Al V. Kay of Grosse Pointe, Mich., Richard A. Kay of Lake Mary and Ronald F. Kay of Detroit; and two grandchildren.
Carl Bruce Wipke
Carl Bruce "Coach" Wipkecq of Gainesville died unexpectedly Tuesday in Gainesville. He was 50.
Mr. Wipke was a publisher and a businessman. He owned a baseball Web site and formerly farmed and managed the greens at several Missouri golf courses.
He was a baseball youth coach in Gainesville.
He was born in St. Charles, Mo., and moved from Elsberry, Mo., to Gainesville 15 years ago. He received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia.
Mr. Wipke was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Survivors include his wife, Janet Livesay Wipke of Gainesville; a daughter, Tara Kohl of Gainesville; two sons, Cory Wipke, stationed in Korea, and Flint Wipke of Gainesville; a brother, Todd Wipke of Santa Cruz, Calif.; two sisters, Sydney DelPizzocq of Riverside, Calif, and Deidre Wipke-Teviscq of Columbia, Mo.; and two grandchildren.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to the Flint Wipke Educational Fund at First Union Bank.
Mr. Oetter Jeanette Thelma Dukes
TRENTON -- Jeanette Thelma Dukes died Tuesday at her residence in Trenton. She was 79.
Mrs. Dukes was born in Elfers and moved to Trenton from Hudson nine years ago.
She was a member of Pine Grove Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Charles D. Dukes of Trenton; two sons, Edwin B. Dukes of Trenton and Charles E. Dukes of Clermont; a brother, C.L. Eikel of Dunedin; five grandchildren; and nine grandchildren.
