Vernon Courson
PROVIDENCE -- Vernon Courson died Tuesday at North Florida Regional Medical Center after a short illness. He was 71.
He was a Georgia native and moved to Providence from Palm Harbor seven years ago. He was an electrician for the city of Clearwater and was Baptist.
Survivors include his wife, Elsie Courson of Providence; sons Lanny Courson of Atlanta and Wayne Courson of Orlando; sisters Juanita Bullard of Blackshear, Ga., and Nell Prescott of Hilliard; brothers Johnny Courson of Fargo, Ga., and Windell Courson of Washington, D.C.; 16 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Daniels Funeral Home.
Geraldine D. Driggers
WALDO -- Geraldine D. Driggers of Waldo died Tuesday in Ocala. She was 58.
She was born in Bath, N.Y., and moved to Waldo from Gainesville in 1989. She was a cottage parent at Tacachale. She also volunteered to teach Vacation Bible School and was a member of First Baptist Church of Gainesville.
Survivors include a daughter, Ollie Gregory of Gainesville; sisters Marlene Matalone of Houston and Connie Lint of Studio City, Calif.; and a brother, Greg Friedman of California.
Arrangements by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.
Dorothy Evelyn Fulp
Dorothy Evelyn Fulp died Tuesday at the Denton Community Hospital in Denton, Texas. She was 79.
She was born in Gainesville and was a member of the Church of Christ. She was a homemaker and worked in administration at Shands at the University of Florida before retirement.
Survivors include her husband, Aubrey Fulp of Denton; a daughter, Pat Todd of Denton; sons Keith Fulp of Austin, Texas, and Bruce Fulp of Tallahassee; brothers Darwin and Charles "Bev" Walters, both of Florida; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by DeBarry Funeral Directors.
Virginia Mary Kaiser
Virginia Mary Kaiser of Gainesville died Tuesday at the Hospice House of Gainesville. She was 77.
Mrs. Kaiser was born in Batesville, Ind., and moved to Gainesville from Lawrenceburg, Ind., in 1979. She was an interior decorator. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Eugene Hoff.
Survivors include her husband, Col. William Kaiser of Gainesville; daughters Jane Walters of Brandenbury, Ky., and Theresa Dildy of Houston; sons Gary Hoff of Middletown, Ohio, and Ronald Hoff of Clinton, Tenn.; a stepson, Jim Kaiser of Baton Rouge, La.; 10 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.
Charles Wesley Mathews
Charles Wesley Mathews of Gainesville died Monday at Shands at the University of Florida. He was 80.
Mr. Mathews was born in Duluth, Minn., and moved to Gainesville from Kingston, Tenn., two years ago.
He was a retired deputy administrator at NASA and served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves during World War II. He received the Distinguished Service Medal presented by President Lyndon Johnson.
He was a member of Alpha Tao Omega.
Survivors include his wife, Ruby Mathews of Gainesville; a daughter, Elizabeth Mathews Allison of Orange Park; a son, Douglas Craig Mathews of Knoxville, Tenn.; stepsons Gary and Steven VanVelzer, both of California; a sister, Elizabeth Mathews Sykala of Gainesville; a brother, Walter R. Mathews Jr. of Knoxville; and two grandchildren.
Arrangements by Forest Meadows Funeral Home.
Teri Lea Renfroe
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS -- Teri Lea Renfroe died Tuesday at her home. She was 45.
She was born in Mantton, Ill., and moved to Keystone Heights from Bronson five years ago. She was a homemaker and enjoyed fishing and snorkeling.
She was Baptist.
Survivors include her husband, Leonard R. Renfroe of Keystone Heights; her mother, Vera Louise Wilson of Gainesville; a daughter, Kathy Guertin of Gainesville; sons Lenny Renfroe of Newberry and Rusty Lee Renfroe of Camp Pendleton, Calif.; brothers James Beals of Tucson, Ariz., and Jeffrey Beals of Gainesville; sisters Barbara Marks of Archer and Marie Walton of Ocala; and seven grandchildren.
Arrangements by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.
Angus J. Swilley
TRENTON -- Angus J. Swilley, a lifelong resident of Trenton, died Wednesday at his residence. He was 69.
Mr. Swilley was a lineman with Florida Power and Light for 36 years. He served in the U.S. Army and was a member of Pine Grove Baptist Church.
Survivors include daughters Brenda Kornegay of Oxford and Lucy Swilley of Trenton; a son, David Swilley of Gainesville; the mother of his children, Johanna Morris of Inverness; sisters Dessie Crews of Jacksonville, Pansy Robinson of Bronson and Mary Lee Claytt of Belleview; a family friend, Walter Morris of Inverness; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Watson Funeral Home.
Ray Edward Tyson
STARKE -- Ray Edward Tyson died Monday at Shands at Starke. He was 49.
He lived in Starke his entire life and was a telecommunications technician for Sprint. He attended Bradford County schools.
He was a Methodist affiliate member of True Vine Ministries.
Survivors include his wife, Maggie Tyson of Starke; a son, Ray Gerod Tyson of Starke; daughters Cynthia Chapel of New Jersey, Rachel Tyson and Monica Tyson, both of Starke, and Pergina Maxwell of Lake Butler; brothers Olive Tyson of Starke, Gad Tyson of Jacksonville, Vernon Tyson of Gainesville and Clinton Tyson of Cocoa Beach; sisters Gloria Mack, Cynthia Holiday and Hazel Hamilton, all of Starke, and Helen Pitts of Cocoa; and two grandchildren.
Arrangements by Haile Funeral Home.
Horace Young Jr.
Horace Young Jr. of Gainesville died Sunday at Shands at AGH following a sudden illness. He was 59.
Mr. Young was born in Lake Butler and moved to Gainesville in the 1960s.
He was a custodian at the University of Florida and a retired public works employee with the city of Gainesville.
He attended Lincoln High School and was of the A.M.E. faith.
Survivors include his companion, Melissa Jackson of Gainesville; sons Tony and David Young, both of Gainesville; daughters Georgia Mae Young and Vanessa Gordon, both of Gainesville; a stepson, Leartis Holmes of High Springs; stepdaughters Twyla George and Stephanie Holmes, both of High Springs, and Nuquna Thomas of Atlanta; his mother, Elouise Young of Gainesville; sisters Reatha Mae Vickers, Barbara Fisher and Geraldine Young, all of Gainesville, Nettie Mae Pierce of Clewiston and Lillian L. Smith of Belle Glade; brothers the Rev. Harold Young of Gainesville, Charles Young of Live Oak and Stanley Young of Lake Butler; two grandchildren; and six step-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Duncan Brothers Funeral Home.
Margaret Lucretia Thomson Shonbrun
Margaret Lucretia Thomson Shonbrun, a lifelong resident of Gainesville and an award-winning poet, playwright and journalist, died Wednesday at North Florida Rehabilitation and Speciality Care Center. She was 75.
She was a columnist for The Gainesville Sun and worked as an editor at Good Housekeeping, Mademoiselle, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Brides, Seventeen and Ingenue magazines. Her latest book of poetry, "Mazes, " will be published next year.
Mrs. Shonbrun's family lived in Gainesville for many generations. Her maternal great-grandparents were doctors Sarah and Robert Robb, whose home is now the Robb House Medical Museum in Gainesville, which houses the Alachua County Medical Society.
She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Florida State College for Women, now Florida State University. She received a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.
Survivors include daughters Sarah Shonbrun of Sudbury, Mass., Susan Shonbrun of Tampa and Victoria and Anne Shonbrun, both of Brooklyn, N.Y.; a son, Robert Shonbrun of Tampa; and three grandchildren.
Arrangements by Milam Funeral Home.
Robert Henry Carroll Sr.
HAWTHORNE - Robert Henry Carroll Sr., a lifelong resident of Hawthorne, died Wednesday at Shands at AGH following a brief illness. He was 70.
Mr. Carroll was a retired custodial supervisor at Shell Elementary School in Hawthorne and a U.S. Navy Korean War veteran. He was a member of Mount Zion A.M.E. Church and the American Legion Post No. 232.
Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Beulah G. Carroll of Hawthorne; his mother, Emma Carroll of Hawthorne; daughters Elaine M. and Camille Carroll, both of Hawthorne, Robinelle Bernales of Tallahassee, Cynthia Carroll of Jacksonville and Wanda Carroll of Gainesville; a son, Robert H. Carroll Jr. of Hawthorne; and six grandchildren.
Arrangements by Smith Funeral Home.
Rosalia I. Consbruck
Rosalia I. Consbruck of Gainesville died Wednesday at the Southwest Retirement Home. She was 97.
Mrs. Consbruck was born in Hastings, Neb., and moved to Gainesville in 1978.
She was a homemaker and a member of Holy Faith Catholic Church. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America for 25 years.
She was preceded in death by her husband, John N. Consbruck.
Survivors include a daughter, Helen T. Kosa of San Marcos, Texas; a son, Harold E. Consbruck of Gainesville; nine grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.
Myrtle Lina Davis
CROSS CITY - Myrtle Lina Davis died Wednesday in Gainesville.
She was 88.
Mrs. Davis moved to Cross City from Kennett, Mo., in 1959.
She was a member of the Pentecostal Holiness Church of Cross City.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Charlie Davis.
Survivors include sons Bob and Jerry Davis, both of Cross City; a daughter, Barbara Evans of Fanning Springs; sisters Ruby Maxine Crowell of St. Charles, Mo., and Marie Foster and Grace Dennis, both of Kennett, Mo.; five grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Rick Gooding Funeral Home.
