Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 249
Gerald Wayne Garrard, 66, was born in Frostproof, FL on June 21, 1955 to Marie (Stanton) and G.K. Garrard. He grew up in Frostproof and graduated from Frostproof High School. Upon graduation, he joined the U.S. Army. When completing basic training, he met his future wife, Dorinda Morrison of Fort Leonard Wood, MO. They, married on Nov. 22, 1975 in Detroit, TX. He had a successful Army career for 13 years, serving in Fort Hood, TX; Kaiserslautern, Germany; Turkey; and Fort...
Charles H. "Charlie" Fitts, Jr., 60, of Babson Park passed away Thursday, May 27, 2021 at Advent Health Orlando. He was born January 7, 1961 in Orlando to Charles Henry and Erika Fitts; he moved to Babson Park from Orlando in 1990. Charlie retired in 2015 as a State Trooper for Florida Highway Patrol and was a veteran of the United States Army. He attended Christian Fellowship of Frostproof. Charlie was an avid motorcycle enthusiast and enjoyed going to car shows and motorcycl...
Lake Wales commissioners will be tackling a big issue in the coming months, looking to ensure the city has an adequate supply of water for decades to come. City leaders recently heard a presentation from representatives of the Polk Regional Water Cooperative, which has settled on a plan to drill into the lower Floridan aquifer to provide a new alternative water source for local municipalities. Those wells will be up to 1,800 feet deep – about three times deeper than wells i...
April Dawn Hartman, 53, passed away Monday, May 3, 2021 at Advent Health of Lake Wales, Florida. She was born June 20, 1967, in Frostproof to Danny Hartman and the late Sharon Horne; she has been a resident of the area for five years coming from South Charleston, OH. She was a caregiver in health care and loved gardening. Survivors include her sons, Nathan Finley of Frostproof, FL and Ryan French of Springfield, OH; father, Danny Hartman of Pompano Beach, FL; sister, Kim...
Ronald Lee Richards, 79, of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at Advent Health Lake Wales. He was born June 10, 1941, in Edinburgh, IN to the late Ernest and Lucille Richards; he moved to Lake Wales from Indiana in 2005. Ron received his high school diploma from Edinburgh High School, his bachelor's degree in biology from Ball State University, and his master's degree in education from Indiana University. He was a retired teacher and business owner. He loved...
Mary Ellen Scott, 73, of Lake Wales went to be with Jesus on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. She was born May 24, 1947 in Holmes County, FL to Willard A. and Mary (Pennington) Sims. She was a personnel director working for Ben Hill Griffin, Inc. and other citrus agencies. But, for the last 35 plus years, she has been pursuing her lifelong passion of singing and piano playing gospel music along side her husband as members of “Simple Faith Music Ministries.” She is also a past member of D.A.R. Mary is survived by her husband – Ronal...
Deborah Wingate Dill, 59, of Lake Wales passed away Monday, March 1, 2021 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. She was born January 6, 1962 in Lake Wales and has been a lifelong resident. She was the property manager at Enchanted Grove Mobile Home Park and attended The Lord's Temple and Golfview Church of God. Deborah was preceded in death by her father, Troy Wingate and stepfather, Mike Fenby. Survivors include her sons, Jonathan Bush (Stephanie) of Port St. Lucie, Daniel Bush...
James Douglas Babington, 29, of Frostproof passed away Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. He was born on Feb. 19, 1992 and came to Frostproof with his family 14 years ago from Indiana. James graduated from Frostproof High School in 2011. He was a cashier at the Town Star Gas Station in Frostproof, prepared food at Little Caesars in Lake Wales, and most recently was a sales associate at Rural King. James was an avid online and tabletop role-playing gamer. He enjoyed locksmithing,...
Rose Lanier, 68, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, Feb. 26, 2021 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. She was born September 28, 1952 in West Branch, MI to the late Roy and Fonta Richmond; she moved to the area in 1972. Following her nursing career, she became a truck driver. She was a member of the Apostolic Church in Eagle Lake and a fan of the Tampa Bay Bucs. She loved spending time with her family, was an avid reader and enjoyed fishing, hunting, and jig saw puzzles. Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Alfred...
Shellie Lanier Castle, 50, of Babson Park passed away Thursday, February 11, 2021 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. She was born November 20, 1970 in Bartow to James Lanier and Claire McLemore; she was a lifelong resident of the area. Shellie was a Hospice Nurse. She loved all things ocean and her family, especially being a honey to her grandchildren. Shellie was preceded in death by her father Dewey Lanier; and son, Cody Douglas Castle. She is survived by her mother, Ann...
The Lake Wales Public Library has received "blessing bundles," courtesy of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a community conscious, action oriented organization. The Gamma Phi Zeta Chapter of Polk County, through service within the community and the international initiative of Zetas Helping Other People Excel (Z-HOPE), provided 175 blessing bundles to Polk County libraries to include masks, sanitizer, gloves, tissues and wipes. In addition to the Lake Wales Library in Zone 4, the...
The Ramon Theatre in Frostproof will feature a tribute to Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $27 and can be purchased at the door or online at www.ramontheater.com. Seating is spread to allow social distancing. The theater is located at 15 E. Wall St. in Frostproof....
Ken Tibado, 64, of Fort Meade passed away Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 at his Lake Wales residence. He was born February 22, 1956 in Lake Wales to the late Kenneth Tibado and Imogene Stone. He loved spending time with his dogs and grandchildren. Ken is survived by his daughter, Kassandra Brewer of Fort Meade; sisters, Gala Tibado of Titusville, and Betty Shacreaw of Frostproof; brothers, Keith Tibado of Frostproof, and Kyle Reath of Orinda, CA; grandchildren, Kyler, Kaden, Karlee...
(Editor's Note: Lake Wales High School is not included in this report, since it is part of the charter system and not considered a traditional Polk high school. Its graduation rate will be reported separately.) Polk County Public Schools' graduation rate jumped to 86.5 percent last year - a new record high - even as seniors faced unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic. The district's latest graduation rate was a 5.3 percentage point increase from the previous year (81.2...
Fran (Parrish) Caraway, 81, of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020 at Advent Health Heart of Florida surrounded by her loving family. She was born July 2, 1939 in Fort Meade to the late William and Lucy Parrish; she has been a resident of Lake Wales since 1979. Fran was a homemaker, and a paraprofessional at Frostproof Middle/Senior School for 22 years before retiring. She spent her time bowling, reading, and fishing and she loved to dance, sing, and sew. She was...
Norma J. Fisher, 93, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, Jan. 8, 2021 at Savannah Court of Lake Wales. She was born March 2, 1927 in Noblesville, IN to the late Charles and Ursula Millikan; she came here from Indiana in 1980. She was a homemaker and attended Winter Haven Worship Center. Norma was an avid reader, enjoyed crocheting and making afghans. She was a past member of Keenagers and the Homemaker Club in Indiana. Norma was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Fisher...
Rhoda Jean Choate, 66, of Babson Park passed away Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 at Advent Health Lake Wales. She was born January 29, 1954 in Wauchula to the late Mearl and Frances Choate. Rhoda was a homemaker; she loved her nieces and nephews and they loved her. She enjoyed watching television, playing games on her IPad, and she loved to knit. Rhoda is survived by her siblings, Joan Hazel Fairall (William) of Polk City, Mearl Clyde Choate, Jr. of Indian Lake Estates, and Martha...
Fortunately for Angela Lopez, her 6-year-old daughter Esperanza knew to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. On Oct. 21 Lopez fell at her Frostproof home and couldn't get up or call for help. When Esperanza couldn't find anyone to help, she retrieved her mother's phone and called 9-1-1. Polk County Fire Rescue personnel on Nov. 18 honored the Spook Hill Elementary first-grader, designating her a "9-1-1 hero." Fire Rescue public educator Rosa LaLonde used the special recognition event...
Mattie R. Bailey, 86 of Frostproof, Florida, died Nov. 8, 2020 at The Groves Center Nursing Home in Lake Wales. She was born July 18, 1934. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20 at Epps Memorial Funeral Home chapel. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 at the funeral home. Masks are required and visitation is limited to 10 at a time....
Faye Wells Baker, 90, of Indian Lake Estates passed away Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 at Bartow Regional Hospital. She was born January 13, 1930 in Cutshin, KY to the late Noah and Bessie Wells. Faye was a retired teacher and member of the Church of Christ in Frostproof. She worked for both Singer Sewing Center, and on a farm. Faye was preceded in death by her husband, Dennis Baker in 2012. She is survived by her sisters, Fern Day of Keavy, KY, Jewell Baker of Orlando, KY, and Bonnie Irvin of Keavy, KY; and friend JoAnne O’Neil of I...
Supporters of President Donald Trump will host their second parade starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1 - just two days before the General Election. Participants will line up at Crooked Bass Grill and Tavern, 1010 Scenic Highway North. Special guests include Polk County Commissioner Bill Braswell, Frostproof Vice Mayor Austin Gravley and Republican candidates Fred Hawkins for Florida State Representative Seat 42 and Bill Olson for U.S. House of Representatives District 9. More...
John R. McCullough, Sr., 66, of Lake Wales passed away Monday, Oct. 26, 2020 at Advent Health Heart of Florida in Davenport. He was born September 18, 1954 in Frostproof to the late Horace and Louise McCullough. John was the owner and operator of John’s Appliance Repair Store for over 40 years. He was a veteran of the United States Army, serving during Vietnam, and was of the Baptist faith. John was dedicated to his family an running his business. He was a compassionate, loving person, and a FSU and Nascar fan. John was p...
Ed Palmer officially became the Lake Wales Police Department's community liaison officer on Sept. 14. But if you ask James "Perly" Sermons, it's been Palmer's calling for a lifetime – Sermons' lifetime. The two first met when Palmer served as the School Resource Officer at Hillcrest Elementary when Perly was a student there. As luck might have it – others might call in Divine guidance – Palmer followed Sermons as an SRO when the youngster went to Roosevelt Academy and to La...
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. is a community conscious, action oriented organization. The Gamma Phi Zeta Chapter of Polk County, through service within the community and the international initiative of Zetas Helping Other People Excel (Z-HOPE), have identified five (5) schools for their Adopt-A-School initiative. • Zone 1 – Greater Lakeland – Kathleen Middle School • Zone 2 – South Lakeland/Mulberry/Bartow – Gibbons Street Pre K Center • Zone 3 – Davenport/Haines City – Sandhil...
Thomas (Tom) Ancil Freeman, 94, of Lake Wales passed away on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, at Palm Garden Health and Rehabilitation Center in Winter Haven. He was born in Lawrenceburg, TN on October 19, 1925 and lived a very full and active life. He will always be known for his magnificent artwork of Florida landscapes, nearly 1,000 originals, and his murals throughout Polk County in Lake Wales, Frostproof, and Lake Placid. Those who knew him personally, remember him as a...
