Milton Eckelman
In loving memory of Milton Eckelman, born April 25, 1932, who went to be with Jesus on Dec. 29, 2001.
He leaves behind his wife, Norma Eckelman, and children, Julie Eckelman, Patty (Dave) Price, Charlie (Kathy) Huffman, Gilbert Huffman, and Sherry (Tim) Gehm. Also his sisters, Joyce (Edwin) Meyers and LaVerne (Rich) Brueggeman, both of St. Louis; nine grandchildren; on e great-grandchild; nieces and nephews and cousins and many, many friends.
A memorial service will be held at Grace Lutheran Church, 4100 Two Trees Road, Destin, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 5, at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, please send all memorials to Covenant Hospice, 101 Hart St., Niceville, FL 32578.
William Charles Williams
Bill Williams, age 78, passed away Saturday, Dec. 29, 2001.
Mr. Williams lived in the Crestview, Fla., area for 24 years. He attended Lee College in Cleveland, Tenn., and Baptist Bible Institute in Graceville, Fla., where he received a ministerial degree.
A retired barber and pastor of several churches in the area, Bill was a World War II veteran and a member of Woodlawn Baptist Church in Crestview.
Bill is survived by his wife, Nancy of Crestview; son, Ronald and wife Angie of Durham, N.C.; and grandchildren, Kim, Nathan, Sarah, Ryan and Jared.
The family will receive friends at Whitehurst Funeral Home Chapel from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Jan. 3, at Whitehurst Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will be in Live Oak Park Memorial Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to personal charities, or floral contributions are acceptable.
Whitehurst Funeral Home, Crestview, is in charge of arrangements.
Jerry Rogers Daniels
Master Sgt. Jerry Rogers Daniels, age 66, U.S. Air Force retired, passed away early Saturday morning, Dec. 29, 2001, at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center.
Jerry was born on Nov. 13, 1935, in Lorado, W.Va. His loving wife of 39 years, Dorothy Daniels; his father, Carl Daniels; and his brother, C.W. Daniels, preceded him in death.
Jerry is survived by his mother, Amia of West Virginia; daughter, Karen and husband Dan Loisel of Niceville, Fla.; daughter, Sandra and husband John Johnson of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; brothers, Tom Daniels, Doug Daniels, David Daniels, Jimmy Daniels and Charles Daniels; sister, Betty Daniels Delgado; grandchildren, Stephen and Brittney Loisel, Allison, Haley and Rachel Johnson; sister-in-law, Irene Brewer of Manchester, England; lifelong friend, Elmer "Buddy" Cook and wife Mary Etta Cook of Nashville, Tenn .; and a host of wonderful nieces and nephews in England, West Virginia and Virginia.
After being stationed in England, South Carolina, Kentucky, Thailand and Greenland, Jerry and his family moved to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in 1971. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1976 after 22 years of distinguished military service. He then went to work for the U.S. Postal Service in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., where he worked for 18 years. He retired in 1998 to help care for his wife who was stricken with cancer.
For the last 20 months, Jerry served as the Exalted Ruler for the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks 2747 of Valparaiso, Fla., and was also a lifelong member of AMVETS Post 78. When Jerry was not busy caring for his family, working, or promoting Elkdom, he could be found at Eglin Golf Course perfecting his awesome swing and enjoying the game he loved so much - golf.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, at McLaughlin Twin Cities Funeral Home Chapel in Niceville, with a service commencing at 2 p.m., followed by a military honors service at Heritage Gardens Cemetery in Niceville.
Flowers will be accepted, or memorials may be made in Jerry's memory to the American Cancer Society; Florida Elks Youth Camp; or to the Florida Elks Children's Therapy Services.
McLaughlin Twin Cities Funeral Home, Niceville, is entrusted with arrangements.
Timothy Stephens
Timothy Stephens, age 45, of Delray Beach, Fla., former resident of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., passed away Sunday, Dec. 30, 2001, in South Florida, after a lengthy illness.
Timothy was a graduate of Fort Walton Beach High School and graduated from Okaloosa-Walton Community College.
He was preceded in death by his father, Bob Stephens and his sister, Barbara Stainback.
Survivors include his loving wife and best friend, Parrysh Howell Stephens of Delray Beach; his beloved mother, Willie Stephens of Fort Walton Beach; his brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Debbie Stephens of Adelanto, Calif.; his sister and brother-in-law, Lisa and Keith Baker of Niceville, Fla.; his mother-in-law, Carolyn Kesterson of Boynton Beach, Fla.; his nieces Tammy Anderson and Barbara and Hannah Baker; and dear friend Katy Rose.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2002, at the Mary Esther United Methodist Church, with Pastor Mike Roberts officiating. Burial will follow in Beal Memorial Cemetery.
Emerald Coast Funeral Home, 113 Racetrack Road, N.E., Fort Walton Beach, is directing.
Wilbur G. Gates
Wilbur G. Gates, age 76, of DeFuniak Springs, Fla., passed away Sunday, Dec. 30, 2001 in Pensacola, Fla. Mr. Gates had lived here most of his life. He was a retired postal carrier with 20 years of service. Wilbur also maintained radio towers for the state and various radio stations in the area. He was also a licensed electrician currently employed as a maintainance worker at the Super 8 Motel. Wilbur was Pentacostal by faith and a member of Liberty Assembly of God Church. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Esther and Frantz Goestch; one brother, Russell Goestch and one sister, Carolyn Marvin.
Survivors include his wife of 41 years, Kay Gates of DeFuniak Springs; two daughters, Teresa L. Griffin of Gainesville, Fla.,a nd Sheila R. Gates of DeFuniak Springs; two brothers, Eugene Goetsch of Sunlake, Ariz., and Ivan Goetsch and wife Mary of Midland, Texas; two sister, Marylln Bier and husband Don of Normal, Ill.; three grandchildren, Corey Beach, Micha Durrance and Kayla Griffin; two great grandchildren, Carl Haire and Kensley Durrance.
Funeral services for Mr. Gates will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 4, 2002 in the Clary-Godwin Chapel with the Rev. Jeff Cain, George C. Scroggins and James Campbell officiating. Burial will follow in Concerned Christian Church Cemetery, DeFuniak Springs.
A time of visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, 2002 in the Clary-Godwin Funeral Home Chapel, 230 Park Avenue, DeFuniak Springs. Flowers are being accepted.
Serving as pallbearers will be Donald Brown, Johnny Shaw, Wendel Shaw, Billy Shaw, Ronnie Shaw and Danny Shaw. Honorary pallbearers will be Douglass Godwin and Eugene Lons.
Clary-Godwin Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Judy A. Papachristou
Judy A. Papachristou, age 62, of Freeport, Fla., passed away Sunday, Dec. 30, 2001 at her residence in Freeport. Moving here from Gulf Breeze, Fla., Judy had been a resident of Freeport for the past four years. She was Methodist by faith and attended the Bethany Methodist Church in Sylacauga, Ala. Judy was a devoted mother. At the age of 12, she became the church organist and was also a pianist.
Survivors include her mother, Edna Hixson fo Stewartville, Ala.; her husband of 16 years, Tony Papachristou of Freeport; one son, Joel Morris of Atlanta, Ga.; two daughters, Leslie Schroth and her husband Walter of Gulf Breeze and Kelly McMahon of Springfield, Ill.; one sister, Betty K. Robertson of Stewartville; three grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Friends may call on the family from 2-4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, 2002, at the Clary-Godwin Freeport Chapel, 150 East Highway 20, Freeport.
Memorialization is by cremation.
Clary-Godwin Freeport Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
John W. Godbold
A life celebration memorial service for John W. Godbold will be held at Shalimar United Methodist Church at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2002, with Rev. David E. Chunn officiating. Mr. Godbold succumbed peacefully at home early Saturday morning after an extended battle with a rare form of anemia. As was his wish, he was under Covenant Hospice's loving and attentive care, with his family close at hand.
Mr. Godbold was born on Feb. 21, 1918, in McComb, Miss. John's family moved to Jackson, Miss., where he met his future wife, Marguerite Darden. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary Feb. 28, 2001, among many family and friends. Mr. Godbold is survived by his wife, Marguerite; their daughter, Maggie, and her husband, Steve, of Oak Hill, Va.; their son, Tom, and his wife, Shirley, of Shalimar; and their two granddaughters, Amanda and Kate Godbold. John's first-born son, John Godbold, preceded him in death in 1997.
Shortly after graduation from Millsaps College in 1939, John joined the U.S. Army as a buck Private. Army assignments took him to Atlantic City, N.J., and to numerous locations throughout the South. After World War II, he joined the Civil Service Commission in Atlanta, serving later as regional director in St. Louis, Mo. Simultaneously, John served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and was called to active duty at Warner-Robbins, Ga., during the Korean Conflict. He later retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1960, John accepted the calls to Washington, D.C., to become senior personnel officer for the newly formed Federal Aviation Agency. Following retirement from the FAA in 1968, John joined the University of Mississippi faculty in Oxford, Miss., for one year, and then moved to join the faculty of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. There he was instrumental in establishing the master's degree program in public administration. He retired from teaching in 1979. The John W. Godbold scholarship in public administration was established at George Mason University in his honor. John and Marguerite enjoyed extensive travels between his consulting jobs for various U.S. government agencies. After almost 35 years in northern Virginia, the couple moved south to be nearer to family in the Shalimar area.
Cremation has taken place. Interment arrangements are pending. The family will receive friends at a brief reception following the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to Covenant Hospice or to the John W. Godbold scholarship fund at George Mason University.
Clyde E. Sutton
Clyde E. Sutton, a resident of Niceville and Villa Tasso since 1972, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Jan. 4, 2002, at the age of 67.
After serving 24 years in the U.S. Naval Reserve and the U.S. Air Force, including a tour of duty in Vietnam, he retired as a master sergeant in 1981. Upon retiring from the military he worked 10 years as a maintenance supervisor for the Air Force Enlisted Widows Society's Bob Hope Village. After his retirement from Bob Hope Village he volunteered in the Lula J. Edge Elementary School's Media Center until last year.
Clyde is survived by his wife of 45 years, Lady Ann; his daughter, Cynthia Cross; sons, Douglas and Steven; and five grandsons.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, at Bob Hope Village Chapel in Shalimar, Fla.
Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made to the church or charity of your choice.
Cora Delia Pennington
Cora Delia Gunn Pennington, age 72, of Darlington, Fla., died Jan. 5, 2002, in Crestview, Fla.
Delia was preceded in death by her loving husband of 52 years, C.C. "Snooks" Pennington; father, David Gunn; mother, Pauline Gunn Hendrickson; and sister, Polly Gunn Sarvis.
She is survived by her sons and their wives, Robert and Nancy Pennington of Crestview, John and Pam Pennington of DeFuniak Springs, Fla., and Jimmy and Brenda Pennington of Milton, Fla.; daughters and their husbands, Mary and Steve Campbell of Pea Ridge, Fla., Amy and Ray Banks of DeFuniak Springs, and Cathy and Jimmy Lewis of Pea Ridge; 14 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Delia is also survived by her sisters, lovingly known as the Gunn Girls, and one brother: Mary and Al Mascarenhas, Nancy McCaleb, Jo and Bill Sheffield, Marty and Frank Davis, and Phillip and Beverly Gunn.
Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9, in the chapel of Donnie Sowell Funeral Home in Milton, Fla. Dr. Joe M. Bamberg will officiate, with interment in Milton Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Mrs. Pennington's grandsons will serve as pallbearers.
Donnie Sowell Funeral Home, Milton, is in charge of arrangements.
Ross C. Smith Sr.
Ross C. Smith Sr., a longtime resident of Mary Esther, Fla., died Jan. 6, 2002, after a brief illness.
He was born on Sept. 19, 1909, in Birmingham, Ala. He was one of seven children.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Eleanor McDonald Smith of Navarre, Fla.; sons, Ross C. Smith Jr. of Mary Esther, and J. Morgan Smith of Oriental, N.C.; daughter, Glenn S. Rutland of Navarre; and brother, J. Morgan Smith of Marietta, Ga. a daughter, Eleanor S. Jones, preceded him in death. Five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren also survive him.
Mr. Smith served with distinction in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean conflict. He held numerous positions in the automobile industry and ended his career with a long association with Preston Hood Chevrolet. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Church of the Resurrection (United Episcopal Church of North America). He served as the church's first Senior Warden.
He died the way he lived - with dignity, in good humor and with a concern more for his friends and family than for himself. He was a special person and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.
As were his wishes, there will be no funeral service.
Those who wish may make a memorial donation in his name to the Church of the Resurrection, 66 8th St., Shalimar, FL 32579.
