Mary Kathryn Minshall
Mary Kathryn Minshall of Gainesville died Thursday at Park Place of Gainesville. She was 92.
Mrs. Minshall was born in Kansas and lived most of her life in Tulsa, Okla. She moved to Gainesville from Pensacola 15 years ago.
She was a homemaker and a Christian Scientist. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She attended the University of Kansas and Tulsa University.
She is survived by a son, Bill Minshall of Gainesville.
Arrangements by Milam Funeral Home.
Ralph Edgar Moon
BELL -- Ralph Edgar Moon died Friday at his residence. He was 67.
Mr. Moon was born in Pierre, S.D., and moved to Bell from Winter Garden 10 years ago.
He was a retired fisherman and truck driver. He served in the U.S. Army.
Survivors include his wife, Ruby Moon of Bell; daughters LaVaughn Locke, Margaret Kimberlin and Kristina Hall, all of Old Town, Geraldine Barker of Ocoee and Gayle Reyes of Apopka; sons Ralph and F. Joseph Moon, both of Ocoee; brothers Raymond, Joseph, Richard and Gerald Moon, all of Ohio; sisters Barbara Moon of Ohio and Myrta Kay Moon of Bell; 26 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Tri-County Cremation Society.
Arthur J. Olsen
LAKE GENEVA -- Arthur J. Olsen died Saturday at his residence. He was 78.
Mr. Olsen was born in Union County and moved to Lake Geneva from Summerland Key in 1981.
He was a retired electrician and a member of St. William Catholic Church. He retried from the U.S. Navy after 33 years of service.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosemary C. Olsen.
Mr. Olsen has no local survivors.
Marilyn Regina Turchik
ALACHUA -- Marilyn Regina Turchik died Sunday at her daughter's residence following a lengthy illness. She was 66.
Mrs. Turchik was born in Ashtabula, Ohio, and moved to Alachua three years ago.
She was a retired Realtor and a member of Trinity United Methodist Church.
Survivors include daughters Kathy Thrash of Clermont and Jill Arnold of Alachua; her mother and stepfather, Evelyn and Lyle Rose of Ashtabula; and sisters Kayette Beckwith and Margaret Beaver, both of Ashtabula.
Arrangements by Forest Meadows Funeral Home.
Robert L. Barfield Sr.
Robert L. Barfield Sr. of Gainesville died Saturday in Gainesville. He was 89.
Mr. Barfield was a retired paint contractor.
Born in Worth County, Ga., he moved from Albany, Ga., to Gainesville 23 years ago.
He was an avid fisherman.
Survivors include a daughter, Bobby Ann Barfield of Owings Mills, Md.; three sons and two daughters-in-law, Robert L. and Karen Barfield Jr., John Wayne and Pat Barfield and Russell L. Barfield, all of Gainesville; two sisters, Myrtie Mae Roberson and Odell Roberson, both of Live Oak; and four grandchildren, Jerri L. Barfield, Gene Daugherty, Jennifer Daugherty and Brandi D. Barfield.
Lena E. Bridges
Lena E. Bridges of Gainesville died Wednesday at her home. She was 95.
A native of Blocton, Ala., she moved to Gainesville in 1993 from Stuart, where she had lived for 25 years. Previously, she lived in Miami for more than 40 years.
Mrs. Bridges was of the United Methodist faith and a homemaker.
Survivors include a son, Albert Milford of Cooper City; one daughter, Joyce Buff of Gainesville; a stepson, Robert W. Bridges of Cape Cod, Mass.; a brother, Glen Griffin of Sharon, S.C.; two sisters, Beulah Lee of Trenton and Juanita Rose of Pinson, Ala.; seven grandchildren and eight great- grandchildren.
Oliver R. Cobb Jr.
Oliver R. Cobb Jr. of Gainesville died Saturday in Gainesville after a long illness.
He was 81.
Mr. Cobb retired as a Master Sergeant E8 in the U.S. Air Force.
Born in Brunswick, Maine, he moved from Elmore, Ala., to Gainesville 10 years ago.
He was a member of Antioch Baptist Church in LaCrosse.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret T. Cobb of Gainesville; a daughter, Lorna Hayes of Elmore; a son, Larry Cobb of Elmore; and five grandchildren.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to Hospice of North Central Florida or the Alzheimer's Association.
Marian Vera Downing
Marian Vera Downing of Gainesville died Friday in Gainesville after a brief illness. She was 84.
Mrs. Downing was an administrative professional with the Social Security Administration and the University of Florida Agriculture Department.
Born in Tioga, Pa., she moved to Gainesville 50 years ago.
She was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church, the UF Alumni Association, the Order of the Eastern Star, the American Association of Retired Persons, the Alachua County Volunteer Program, and was district president of the American Legion Auxiliary.
Survivors include four daughters, Jannette Murray of Newberry, Carol Law of LaCrosse, Nancy Taylor of Eustis and Sue Sharp of Brevard, N.C.; a son, Roger Chapman of Altamont, N.Y., 14 grandchildren; and 16 great- grandchildren.
Belinda Yelton Griswold
Belinda Yelton Griswold of Gainesville died Friday in Gainesville. She was 49.
Mrs. Griswold was a program specialist at the University of Florida.
Born in Gaffney, S.C., she moved from Hollywood to Gainesville 27 years ago.
She was a soccer mom at the YMCA.
Mrs. Griswold was a Southern Baptist.
Survivors include her husband, Michael J. Griswold of Gainesville; a son, Benjamin M. Griswold of Gainesville; her parents, Billy and Louise Yelton Sr. of Hollywood; two brothers, Billy D. Yelton Jr. of Columbus, Ga., and Stuart C. Yelton of Whitehouse, Tenn.; two sisters, Vickie Y. Hodge of Gainesville and Donna Y. Luquire of Greenwood, S.C.; and her grandmother, Ethel M. Wisher of Blacksburg, S.C.
Maheshi Deborah Sue Smith
Maheshi Deborah Sue Smith of Gainesville died Friday from complications of multiple sclerosis. She was 40.
Ms. Smith was preceded in death by her mother, Sara E. Smith.
She is survived by her companion, Pam DeWitt of Gainesville; her father and stepmother, Fredric M. Smith and Deborah Gilbert Smith of Maplewood, N.J.; a sister, Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz of Millburn, N.J.; a grandfather, Dr. John D. Shinberg of Boca Raton; a stepsister, Susan Gilbert Cohen; a stepbrother Douglas B. Gilbert; and seven nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of North Central Florida.
Val Valenzuela
HAWTHORNE - Val Valenzuela of Hawthorne died in Gainesville on Friday.
He was 77.
Born in Pueblo, Colo., Mr. Valenzuela came to Hawthorne from Guyton, Ga., in 1984. He was retired from the U.S. Army and was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4225 in Kissimmee.
He was also a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Interlachen.
He is survived by his wife, Mary R. Valenzuela of Hawthorne; two daughters, Rosemary Valenzuela and Barbara Valenzuela, both of Savannah, Ga.; two sons, Dennis Valenzuela of California and Robert Valenzuela of Savannah, Ga.; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Pauline D. Ward
CROSS CITY - Pauline D. Ward of Cross City died Friday after a lengthy illness.
She was 92.
Mrs. Ward moved to Dixie County in 1923 from Lafayette County. She was a member of the Central Baptist Church of Cross City, a homemaker and a mother.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Clarence Ward; a son, Roy Ward, and a daughter, Catherine Crawford.
Mrs. Ward is survived by three sons, Wesley Ward of Sebring, Carol Ward of Hatchbend, and Noel Ward of Cross City; two daughters, Wanda Lee and Retta Reed both of Cross City; four sisters, Mattie Williams and Carris Williams, both of Perry, Myrtle Conlper of Panacea, and Sally Pinner of Maua, Ga.; six brothers, James Driver of Eustis, Jack Driver of Fort Valley, Ga., Edgar and R.A. Driver, both of Paisley, Claude Driver of Bell, and Rayburn Driver of Orlando; 16 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
