Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Greater love has no man than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13. Memorial Day is a day to remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country. Those who serve are certainly cut from a different cloth and while I was at the Lake Wales History Museum today, I decided to go and actually read the plaque that has been there for, well, I don't actually know how long it has been there. What is says is, "BLUE STAR...
Burton Coy, 89 of Lake Wales, died Dec. 18, 2020 at Good Shepherd Hospice House in Sebring, FL. He was born April 18, 1931 in Mankato, MN. He was a U.S. Army Veteran. Services are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home in Lake Wales is handling arrangements....
Dennis George Gross, 69, of Nalcrest passed away Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020 at Advent Health Lake Wales. He was born June 25, 1951 in Jamestown, NY to the late Philip and Lillian Howe; he came here from Jamestown, NY four years ago. Dennis was a retired U.S. Postal Service Carrier and was a veteran of the United States Marines, serving from 1970 until 1974. He liked basketball, football, baseball, swimming, track and field; and he enjoyed history, going to museums and trains....
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...
Thomas Leroy Hosack, 69, of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020 at Advent Health Lake Wales. He was born January 5, 1951 in Denver, CO to the late Harry and Dorothy Hosack; he came here from Colorado 16 years ago. He was a retired Ford mechanic and was a veteran of the Vietnam war, serving in the United State Army. Thomas is survived by his wife of 25 years, Kathleen Hosack; daughters, Nikki Hosack of Colorado, and Anna Hosack of Colorado; sons, Thomas Hosack of Colorado, Willie Goertzen of Colorado, Michael Bryant...
Since his appointment June 2, Interim City Manager James Slaton has worked closely with Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez to address commissioner and city concerns. Slaton recently emailed an update to commissioners along with a more detailed report from Velasquez, which he said described "positive changes and improvements that are now taking place." Slaton also said he would in the near future be bringing forward for commission consideration an agenda item with costs an...
Jackie D. “Jack” Hatten, Sr., 73, of Lake Wales passed away Monday, Sept. 14, 2020 at his residence. He was born July 27, 1947 in Wheeling, WV to the late Effie Hatten. He moved to Lake Wales from West Virginia 30 years ago. Jack was a retired truck driver and attended the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Lake Wales. He was a Vietnam veteran, serving in the U.S. Marines. Following his initial career as a truck driver, Jack became interested in coaching and he went back to college and earned his bachelor’s degree in socia...
Franklin James Thomas, 77, of Lake Wales passed away Thursday, Sept. 9 at his residence in Lake Wales. He was born August 2, 1943, in Middleburg, FL to the late Lafayette “Fid” and Ellen (Matschat) Thomas. He has been a resident of this area since the late 1970s moving here from Eagle Lake. He was a production manager for a canvas manufacturer. He was an Army Veteran in Vietnam and was on The Grand Ol’ Opry circuit as the front man for the band Arkansas Travelers. He played with gospel groups and was a very talented songwrite...
Gov. Ron DeSantis' recently signed budget includes a multimillion-dollar hit to Polk County Public Schools - and district administrators caution the fiscal future could be even more dire. "The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted unprecedented damage to our state's economy. We are moving forward cautiously, knowing that later this year, or next, we could face major cuts," said Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd. PCPS will have to pay an additional $9 million this year in required co...
Richard Jay “Dick” Blacksmith, 82, of Lake Wales passed away Saturday, June 27, 2020 at his residence. He was born July 22, 1937 in Novinger, MO to the late Jack and Mary Blacksmith. He moved to Lake Wales from Seattle, WA over 10 years ago. Dick was a self-employed florist. He was a veteran of the Army, serving from 1957-1961. Dick was very crafty, and a great seamstress. He was active in the community and clubhouse activities. Dick was preceded in death by his husband, Robert Rowse in 2016; five sisters; and two bro...
Isaac Lee Fuller, Sr., 68 of Lake Wales, died June 15, 2020 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa. He was born July 8, 1951 in Pelham, GA and was a corrections officer and U.S. Army Veteran. Visitation will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Epps Memorial Funeral Home chapel in Lake Wales. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 20 at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, 1017 S. Delaney Ave., Avon Park....
About 125 peaceful protesters gathered Sunday afternoon at the Lake Wales Police Department, but unlike groups around the country their issue was not the killing of a black man by a white Minneapolis police officer. Instead, they were calling for racial justice at the local level and demanding the firing of a Lake Wales police detective, who ironically was named 2019 Officer of the Year. The Poor and Minority Justice Association, a Winter Haven-based civil rights group,...
Douglas P. Lee, 75 of Lake Wales, died May 24, 2020 at Winter Haven Hospital. He was born July 7, 1944 in Elba, Alabama. He was a veteran of U.S. Armed Forces. Services are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home in Lake Wales is handling arrangements....
John Francis Findley, 88, of Lake Wales passed away Saturday, May 16, 2020 at his residence. He was born February 9, 1932 in Newburgh, NY to the late John Findley and Mary (Green) McBride and was raised by James McBride. John worked as a salesperson at Sears. He was a veteran of the Korean War, serving in the Army. John was preceded in death by his sister, Jean Paquette. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Millie Findley. Their 65th wedding anniversary would have been on...
Edward Williams, 68 of Babson Park died May 9, 2020 in Sarasota, FL. He was born Oct. 19, 1951 and was a U.S. Army veteran. Services are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home in Lake Wales is handling arrangements....
Maurice Lee Piper, 73, of Lake Wales, Florida passed away Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at his residence in Savannah Court. He was born October 3, 1946 in Kalamazoo, MI to the late Maurice and Marie Piper. He lived many years in the Augusta and Galesburg, Michigan area. He moved to the Lake Wales area from Jacksonville after retiring to be closer to family in 2009. He had been a clerk for CSX Railroad for 33 years. Maurice was a veteran of the Vietnam war, serving in the U.S. Army. He was a member of Joy’s Angels Crochet Group m...
Philip Robert Coopy, 80, of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, April 19, 2020 at his residence. He was born April 27, 1939 in Plattsburgh, NY to the late Lester and Mary Coopy; he moved to Lake Wales from Virginia in 2000. Philip worked as an Information Management Supervisor for the Department of Defense for 36 years. He was a veteran of the Navy, during Vietnam War. Philip played the banjo for the John Skilman Band, Saints and Sinners. He was known as one of the best banjo players around. Philip was preceded in death by his...
Charles Herbert Fugate, Sr., 90, of Lake Wales passed away Thursday, March 26, 2020 at his residence. He was born Oct. 4, 1929 in Weaubleau, MO to the late David and Mamie Fugate. He was retired from the U.S. Postal Service as a Postal Clerk, the National Guard, and the Polk County School Board. Charles was a veteran of Korea, serving in the United States Army. He was a lifetime member of the VFW and the American Legion in Lake Wales. Charles was preceded in death by his...
Kathryn "Kat" Gates-Skipper from Lake Wales, along with 16 fellow Floridians, was inducted Monday, March 9 into The Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame at the Capitol Building in Tallahassee. The Florida Veterans' Foundation joined with the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs to recognize these Military Veterans that have made a significant contribution to the State of Florida. The Medal Ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. in the Cabinet Meeting room. The medal was presented by CFO...
Fred Bailey, Jr. , 93, of Manito, IL, a winter resident of Lake Wales, passed away Monday, March 16, 2020 at Grace Health Care. He was born February 7, 1927 in Waverly, IL to the late Fred and Flora Bailey. He was a retired distribution manager in the transportation industry, worked at Pekin Distributing for 40 years ending his career as a warehouse manager. Fred was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army Air Corp. He was a member of the Moose Lodge, Elks Lodge,...
George Clayton Shirkey, 88, of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, March 17, 2020 at Advent Health Lake Wales. He was born August 25, 1931 in Clothier, WV to the late John and Stella Shirkey. He came to Lake Wales from West Virginia in May of 1994. George was a retired miner and a veteran of the Air Force. George loved baseball, especially watching the Cubs. He also enjoyed playing pool. George is survived by his wife of 63 years, Louise H. Shirkey; daughter, Michelle Shirkey Gay and husband Edwin Timothy of St. Simons Island,...
Carroll W. Downing, Sr., 72, of Frostproof passed away Tuesday, March 17, 2020 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born May 16, 1947 in Qulin, MO to the late Rufus and Bessie Downing; he moved to Frostproof in 2004 from Belleville, IL. He was a veteran of Vietnam War, serving in the U.S. Army. Following his military service, he began his career working for McDonnell-Douglas, later Boeing airline manufacturer and was later a service station owner in Cahokia, IL. He was the...
Just under 316,000 Polk County residents are eligible to vote Tuesday, March 17 in Florida's Presidential Preference Primary. As of the Feb. 18 registration deadline, Polk had 160,589 Republicans and 155,335 Democrats. Florida is a closed primary state so those registered as independents or with no party affiliation are not eligible to vote in the primaries, which are held to help major parties select their candidates for president. As of Jan. 31, Florida had 4,793,897...
William A. “Bill” Roberts, Jr., 74, of Nalcrest passed away Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020 at the Winter Haven Hospital.| He was born May 13, 1945 in Patterson, NJ to the late William and Lillian Roberts; he came here from New Jersey in 2006. He was a retired letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and a veteran of Vietnam, serving in the U.S. Army. He was a member of the Postal Union #38. He was an avid bowler and Nascar fan. In his younger years, he raced midget cars Survivors include his wife, Jean C. Roberts; daughter, Caroly...
Dr. Eugene John Landry, 94, of Lake Wales passed away Monday, Feb. 17, 2020 at the Palm Gardens of Winter Haven. He was born April 14, 1925 in Dexter, ME to the late Louis and Olivine Landry; he came here from Moline, IL in 2000. He was a retired surgeon and served as a deacon at the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Winter Haven. Dr. Landry was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army as a medic under George Patton. He was a member of the American Legion, V.F.W.,...
