Freddie Lee James
Freddie "Pep" Lee James of Gainesville died Friday at Shands at AGH after a sudden illness. He was 71.
Mr. James was a lifelong resident of Gainesville and was a retired custodian from Shands at AGH. He was educated in the public schools of Alachua County and was a U.S. Army veteran.
Mr. James is survived by a sister, Carrie Mae Griffin of Gainesville; and his companion, Joyce Ramona Sheppard of Gainesville.
Arrangements by Duncan Brothers' Funeral Home.
Lillie M. Jenkins
HIGH SPRINGS - Lillie M. Jenkins died in Gainesville Friday after a sudden illness. She was 89.
Mrs. Jenkins was born in Olester and moved to High Springs from Hastings 58 years ago. She was a cook, a member of Mount Olive Baptist Deaconess Board, Home Mission, AARP Chapter of High Springs, Mission Society of High Springs and Senior Friends of Gainesville.
She is survived by sons George Lewis of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Calvin Lewis of Gainesville; daughters Esther Alexander of High Springs and Isabella Wimberly of Gainesville; 20 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Chestnut Funeral Home.
Evan Dent McGough
OCALA - Evan Dent McGough of Ocala died Tuesday in Gainesville. He was 32.
Mr. McGough was born in Panama City and moved to Ocala from Gainesville in 1996. He graduated from P.K. Yonge and the University of Florida. He was in the U.S. Army Reserves, and enjoyed soccer, volleyball, snowboarding and mountain biking. He worked as a physicians assistant in the ER at Shands at AGH.
Survivors include his wife, Cheri McGough of Ocala; his mother and stepfather, Jeannie and Jim McDonald of Gainesville; his father, Dent McGough of Hallandale; a daughter, Morgan Elizabeth McGough of Ocala; a half-brother, Matt McGough of Hallandale; stepbrothers David Tepley of Gainesville and Phil McDonald of Fort Hood, Texas; a half-sister, Melissa McGough of Hallandale; stepsisters Leslie McDonald and Michelle Uhrbom, both of Seattle; and his grandmother, Ann Riedel of Spring Hill.
Arrangements by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.
Leroy D. Nattiel
Leroy D. Nattiel of Alexandria, Va., died Saturday after a short illness. He was 56.
Mr. Nattiel was born in Archer and moved to Virginia in 1972.
He was a laborer and a graduate of Lincoln High School. He received a Purple Heart while serving in the U.S. Army. He was a Baptist.
Mr. Nattiel is survived by sisters Juanita Watts of Gainesville and Bobbie Harris of Tampa; and brothers Ernest Nattiel of Dayton, Ohio, Ruben Nattiel of Alexandria and Eddie Nattiel of Archer.
Arrangements by Chestnut Funeral Home.
James Michael Pope
James Michael Pope of Gainesville died Wednesday at Shands at AGH from injuries sustained during an assault Nov. 30. He was 51.
Mr. Pope was born in Savannah, Ga., and moved to Gainesville from Archer three months ago. Mr. Pope worked as a block mason. He was a Baptist.
He is survived by his wife, Opal M. Pope of Gainesville; his father, Jimmy Pope of Newberry; his mother, Inez Sheets of Chattanooga, Tenn.; a brother, David Sheets of Panama City; and a sister, Debbie Stonecypher of Spokane, Wash.
Arrangements by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.
Robert A. Swanwick Sr.
CHIEFLAND - Robert Alan Swanwick Sr. died at his home Tuesday. He was 62.
Mr. Swanwick was born in Jacksonville and moved to Chiefland from Tampa 17 years ago. He was a master carpenter. He was a Baptist and a member of the Crane Bay Hunting Club.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Dawn Quilling.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret Swanwick of Chiefland; sons Robert Alan Swanwick Jr. of Chiefland, Howard Povey of Mount Clemens, Mich., Dino Swanwick of Brandon and Greg Quilling of Orlando; daughters Diane Miller and Robin Roessel, both of Tampa, and Reba Jasiecki of Chiefland; a brother, Bobby Owens of Jacksonville; sisters Gloria Trey of Ormond Beach, Coritha Paul of Jacksonville and Shan Jackson of Tampa; 13 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Knauff Funeral Home.
Tyral L. Weldon
ALACHUA - Tyral L. Weldon died Sunday after a sudden illness. He was 4 months old.
He is survived by his parents, Lakenya Guyton and Tony Weldon of Alachua; a sister, Algeria Terry of Alachua; brothers Altavious Terry of Alachua and Tony L. and Tykeim Weldon of Ocala; his grandparents, Ruthie and Willie Rushing of Alachua, Charlene Richards of Ocala and Floyd Johnson of Alachua.
Arrangements by Chestnut Funeral Home.
Melonese Williams Wilson
Melonese Williams Wilson died Thursday at her home in Tampa. She was 73.
She was born in High Springs and had been Headstart director of Alachua County.
Survivors include sisters Annie B. Griffin of West Palm Beach and Edna W. Sheppard of Newark, N.J.
Arrangements by A. Jerome Brown Funeral Home.
Richard Joseph Preston
Preston, geneticist and more, dead at 62
Richard Joseph Preston of Gainesville died Aug. 26 in Gainesville. He was 62.
His birth name was Richard Joseph Pizzolato. The Milwaukee native moved to Gainesville from Palm Beach Gardens four years ago.
He was a Renaissance man. He studied to be a dentist but worked as a geneticist. He was a licensed massage therapist for the Olympic soccer team that went to Barcelona, Spain. He was a shaman (medicine man) for four tribal Indian nations.
He played trumpet and saxophone for numerous groups, including Doc Severinson, Stan Getz and Bo Diddley, and played the yackety sax with Chubby Checkers and the Peppermint Lounge Twisters.
He had worked as a manager for Sears in Chicago, where he introduced "Midnight Madness" and helped make Winnie the Pooh one of the company's icons. And at one point, he was a sculptor and gemologist.
He was a Catholic and a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Survivors include his wife, Lynette M. Preston of Gainesville; daughters Lisa Marie Preston of Hayward, Wis., and Lori Leigh Tamms of Cary, Ill.; a son, Mark Daniel Preston of Chicago; stepdaughters Kira Sue Treaster of Pensacola and Heather Kacy Treaster of Gainesville; his mother, Josephine Preston of Archer; a brother, Don Preston of Brookfield, Wis.; and two grandchildren.
Arrangements by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.
Nadine Marie Durrance
CHIEFLAND - Nadine Marie Durrance of Chiefland died Saturday at Shands at UF. She was 75.
Mrs. Durrance was a homemaker.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, she moved to Chiefland from Virginia Beach, Va., 40 years ago.
She was a Baptist.
Survivors include her husband, James Tom Durrance of Chiefland; daughters Darlene Wolfe of Chiefland and Diane Thigpin of Atlanta; sons Robert Durrance of Bronson, Donald Durrance of Trenton, and Clint, Gregory and Thomas Durrance, all of Chiefland; her mother, Loretta Soncrant of Toledo, Ohio; sisters Nancy Toth and Sally Thompson, both of Toledo; brothers Allen Soncrant of Fanning Springs and Gary Soncrant of Toledo; 12 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Hiers Chiefland Funeral Home.
Margaret C. Healy
Margaret C. Healy of Gainesville died Aug. 30 at St. Lukes Hospital in New Bedford, Mass., after a brief illness. She was 88.
Born in Sharon, Mass., Miss Healy moved to Gainesville from Belle Air, where she resided for 20 years.
She was a member of Our Lady of Sorrows in Massachusetts and Holy Family Catholic in Florida.
She was a statistician for the commonwealth of Massachusetts. She volunteered for cancer patients, the homeless and many Catholic charities, including an Indian mission and a home for unwed mothers.
She was preceded in death by her father, Cornelius J. Healy, and mother, Alberta A. Healy.
Survivors include many nieces and nephews.
Arrangements by Keeling-Tracy Funeral Home.
Helen Mooney Johnson
Helen Mooney Johnson of Gainesville died Aug. 26 at the Alterra Sterling House in Gainesville. She was 86.
Mrs. Johnson was a homemaker. She also volunteered at the Florida Museum of Natural History for 27 years.
Born in Knoxville, Tenn., she moved from New Orleans to Gainesville 41 years ago. She attended Virginia Intermont College and the University of Tennessee.
Mrs. Johnson was a member of Kappa Delta, Mortarboard, the Gainesville Woman's Club. She was formerly the organist and choir director at the University Lutheran Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Loys A. Johnson.
Survivors include a son, Loys F. Johnson of Nashville, Tenn.; daughters Eunice V. Johnson and Dawn J. O'Byrne, both of Gainesville, and Claire J. Baggarly of Rockledge; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Arrangements by Forest Meadows Funeral Home.
