Virginia Irene Collins
Virginia Irene Collins of Gainesville died Monday at Shands at AGH after a short illness. She was 87.
Mrs. Collins was a homemaker and a volunteer at the voting polls. She was also a former youth counselor for teen-aged girls in Dade County.
She was born in Wildwood and moved from Miami to Gainesville 27 years ago.
A past president of Extension Homemakers Council and of Waldo Homemakers Association, Mrs. Collins was named Alachua County Extension Woman of the Year in 1987.
She was a former member of the Little House Conference on Education and had served on the state's welfare board.
Mrs. Collins was a member of the First Baptist Church in Gainesville.
She wrote religious and seasonal poems.
Mrs. Collins was preceded in death by her husband, Ernest Collins Sr.
Survivors include two sons, Ernest Collins Jr. of Gainesville and Timothy J. Collins of Laurens, S.C.; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to the Easter Seals Foundation, c/o the Altrusa House in Gainesville.
Hazel Carol Crowley
Hazel Carol Crowley of Gainesville died unexpectedly Sunday at Shands at AGH.
She was 26.
Mrs. Crowley was a cashier at Chevron.
She was born in Hinesville, Ga., and moved from Ohio to Gainesville 15 years ago.
Mrs. Crowley was educated in Alachua County.
Survivors include her husband, Robert Crowley of Gainesville; a son, Devonte DeBose of Gainesville; two daughters, Angel DeBose and Alexis Crowley, both of Gainesville; her mother, Mary C. King of Gainesville; her father, Bob McNally of Florida; four brothers, Tommy Bryan of Gainesville, Danny Bryan and John Bryan, both of Ohio, and Matthew Fultz of Archer; and her grandmother, Rebecca Warren of Ohio.
Gertrude G. Donovan
Gertrude G. Donovan of Gainesville died Sunday at Hospice House after a long illness.
She was 85.
Mrs. Donovan was a home economics teacher in Boston and worked at the Concord Public Library.
She was born in Charlestown, Mass., and moved from Massachusetts to Gainesville in January.
Mrs. Donovan was a Catholic.
Survivors include two sons, Jack Donovan of Gainesville and William Donovan of Amherst, N.H.; a sister, Alice Lavin of Milton, Mass.; a brother, Francis Gallagher of North Conway, N.H.; and four grandchildren.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to Unitarian Universalist Fellowship for Gainesville Community Ministry in Gainesville or to Hospice of North Central Florida.
Marilyne Belle Firth
ST. AUGUSTINE - Marilyne Belle Firth of St. Augustine died Sunday at Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine.
She was 76.
Mrs. Firth was a homemaker.
She was born in Detroit and moved from Gainesville to St. Augustine one year ago.
Survivors include her husband, Robert E. Firth of St. Augustine; a daughter, Diane Ely of St. Augustine; a son, Barry Firth of Keystone Heights; and two grandchildren.
Katherine Kline Gordon
Katherine Kline Gordon of Gainesville and Cedar Key died Friday at her home in Cedar Key. She was 71.
Mrs. Gordon was a registered nurse. She later became a mental health counselor at the University of Florida, the University of South Florida and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals.
She was born in Alabama, raised in Cuba, N.Y., and moved to Gainesville 32 years ago.
Mrs. Gordon received a master's degree in psychology. She co-authored several books on psychology and research with her husband, Richard Edwards Gordon, who preceded her in death.
She was a member of the UF Faculty Club, the Spouses' Auxiliaries of the Florida Psychiatric Society and the American Psychiatric Association.
Survivors include a son, Richard E. Gordon of Gainesville; three daughters, Katherine Reed of London, Virginia Ford of La Canada, Calif., and Laurie Gordon of Orlando; a brother, Edmund Kline of St. Joseph, Mo.; two sisters, Caroline Gibson of Tulsa, Okla., and Elizabeth Brown of Thornton, Colo.; and five grandchildren.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to the American Psychiatric Association Alliance Charitable Fund (for Widows) c/o Margo Adams, Florida Psychiatric Society in Tallahassee.
Annie Lucille Johnson
Annie Lucille Johnson of Gainesville died Monday at her daughter's home in Gainesville. She was 97.
Mrs. Johnson was a homemaker.
She was born in Springfield, Ill., and moved from Miami to Gainesville 18 years ago.
Mrs. Johnson was a Methodist.
She enjoyed gardening.
Mrs. Johnson was preceded in death by her husband, Charles O. Johnson.
Survivors include a daughter, Dorris Marshall of Gainesville; a granddaughter, Susan Brookins of Gainesville; a grandson, Reed Marshall of Gainesville; one great-grandson; and one great-great- granddaughter.
Lester John Leach
STARKE - Lester John Leach of Starke died Monday at Shands at AGH in Gainesville.
He was 69.
Mr. Leach was retired from Du Pont Chemical Co. He also had served in the U.S. Army.
He was born in Alachua and moved from Alachua to Starke at a young age.
Mr. Leach was a Baptist.
Survivors include two daughters, Elaine Miller of Starke and Sharon Leach of High Springs; a sister, Mabel Lewis of Starke; and two grandchildren.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to Hospice of North Central Florida.
Alfred Whiddon Petty
MELROSE - Alfred Whiddon Petty of Melrose died Tuesday at his home.
He was 80.
Mr. Petty was a retired architect for KBJ Inc. in Jacksonville. He also had served in the U.S. Army.
He was born in Pacolet, S.C., and moved from Jacksonville to Melrose more than 22 years ago.
Mr. Petty was a member of the Albert Russell Masonic Lodge No. 126 in Jacksonville.
He was a Methodist.
Survivors include his wife, Anita Wilson Petty of Melrose; three daughters, Yvonne P. Thompson of Warrington, Ga., Betty D. Hinson of Middleburg and Mary E. Stephens of Orange Park; two sons, Charles Petty of East Lansing, Mich., and Patrick S. Petty of Jacksonville; a brother, Jessie Petty of Starke; two sisters, Doris Holloway of Jacksonville Beach and Lucille Spillern of Keystone Heights; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Thomas Fred Wheaton
LAKE CITY - Thomas Fred Wheaton of Lake City died of cancer Monday at his home.
He was 60.
Mr. Wheaton was a medical center director at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lake City from 1987-94. The VA nursing home and the VA outpatient clinic were built during Wheaton's administration. He also worked for the U.S. Veterans Affairs in other states for the past 25 years and taught at several colleges and universities.
He was born in Cheboygan, Mich., and moved to Lake City 12 years ago. He had served in the U.S. Army.
Mr. Wheaton received a bachelor of arts degree in history and government from Jacksonville University, a master's degree in social work from Florida State University in Tallahassee and a master's degree in public health from the University of Pittsburgh.
He received the Presidential Rank Award for Sustained Excellence in Leadership in 1992.
He was a member of the American Hospital Association, the Disabled American Veterans, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, was a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, was on the Board of Directors of the Suwannee Valley Community Blood Bank, and was past president of the Sons of the American Revolution in Lake City.
Survivors include his wife, Nancy Wheaton of Lake City; a son, Thomas A. Wheaton of Spearfish, S.D.; a daughter, Elizabeth Anne Wheaton of Onancock, Va.; his mother, Mae Francisco of Bradenton; a sister, Marilyn Smith of Tallahassee; and a stepbrother, Bernard N. Francisco of Lansing, Mich.
Expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to the American Cancer Society in Lake City or to the Hospice of North Central Florida in Lake City.
