Obituaries for the week of May 10

Edward Armitage
Earned a purple heart
Edward Thomas Armitage, 78, of Williston, died May 6, 2012.
He was born Aug. 17, 1933, in Colrain, Mass.
 He served our country in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict and was a Purple Heart recipient.
 He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Bonita (Clark), of Williston; son  Thomas of Beckett, Mass.; daughters Joanne (Arthur) Perry of Westfield, Mass., and Judith (Robert) McCarthy of Williston; grandchildren Donald Provo Jr., Melyssa Taylor and John Armitage and great-grandchildren Skyla Buck and Roman Viess; sisters Dorothy Harris, Julia Clark, Barbara Cadran; brothers, Pat Wrisley, James Wrisley and Lyman Wrisley.
He was preceded in death by sister Peggy Johnson; brother Raymond Wrisley; mother Ellen Wrisley and his dog, Holly.
A graveside service will be held Monday, May 21, at 12:30 p.m. at Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell.  
Memorials may be sent to Haven Hospice of Levy County, or the American Cancer Society, Franklin County Relay for Life.  
Online condolences may be left at www.hiers-baxley.com.  
Arrangements are under the care of Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, Belleview.  

Nancy Jean Waters

Ruth Folks
Worked in grocery industry
Ruth Maxine Folks, 81, died Sunday, May 6, 2012, at her residence in Trenton.
She was born Aug. 6 1930, in Blaine, Miss., to Henry Alexander Liles and Pearl Alice Collins Liles.
She moved to Trenton in 1974 from Ft. Lauderdale. She worked in the grocery industry for Publix most of her life, and she was a member of Union Baptist Church in Trenton.
She is survived by her daughter, Beverly Brown, of Trenton; a son, Michael D. Folks, of Margate; a sister, Edna Mae Chiles, of Louisiana; a brother, Jimmy Liles, of Tampa; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Roger Folks; three sisters, Doris Heatwole, Delores Blessitt and her twin, Ruby Tilson; and a brother, Buddy Liles.
Graveside services were held Thursday, May 10, at Lauderdale Memorial Park in Ft. Lauderdale with George Blessitt officiating. Internment will follow the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in the memory of Ruth Folks to Haven Hospice of the Tri-Counties, 311 N.E. 9th St., Chiefland, FL. 32626.
Online condolences may be sent at www.watsonfhtrenton.com.
Arrangements were under the care of Watson Funeral Home, Trenton.

Edna Mahaley
CB radio enthusiast
Edna May Mahaley, 93, died Monday, May 7, 2012.  
She was born in Salisbury, N. C.,  Sept. 7, 1918, to James and Sara Hoffner.  
She lived most of her life in Florida and worked as a pharmacist technician. She was also an EMT driver, belonged to a CB Radio Club and Ski Club.  In her spare time she enjoyed taking care of her grandchildren and camping.
 She is survived by her sons, Jerry (Martha) Goodnight and Norman (Sandra) Goodnight; her daughter, Linda Kuczer; 13 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.
 She will be buried in Scenic Memorial Gardens in Wilkesboro, N.C.
Arrangements are under the care of Knauff Funeral Home in Williston.

Rose Neeley
Enjoyed gardening
Rose Leigh Brown Neeley, 92, died Saturday, May 5, 2012, in Williston.  
She was born in Bell and lived her life in the Tri-County Area. She was of the Protestant faith and worked as a waitress in area restaurants for more than 50 years.  She enjoyed fishing, gardening and reading.
She is survived by her daughters, Sara Leigh (Willie) Tedder, of Bradenton, Eva D. (Bryan) Erwin, of Bell,  Elizabeth ‘Bobbie’ D. Peterson, of Old Town; her son, Larry E. (Karen) Peterson of Bell; sisters, Edith Kight, of Hawthorne, and Nell McAllister, of Wellborn; brothers, Edward Brown, of Tampa, and James Kight, of Trenton, and seven grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held May 19 at 3 p.m. at Butler Cemetery in Horseshoe Beach.
Online condolences may be sent through at www.hiers-baxley.com.
Arrangements are under the care of Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, Chiefland

Pete Peterson
Big Brother
Ferney Bruce “Pete” Peterson, 70, of Mt. Crawford, Va., died Sunday, April 29, 2012, at Rockingham Memorial Hospital.
He was born Aug. 8, 1941, in Morriston, to Lawton Peterson and Flossie Lee Urquhart. His siblings were Mario, Nancy, Mary Francis and Carolyn.
He graduated from Williston High School in 1959. He spent 35 years in the U.S. Army, mostly in the White House Communications Agency and the Secret Service. He provided the telecommunications and logistical needs of presidents from Johnson to Clinton, and received numerous commendations and decorations.
In retirement, he remained close with his colleagues and continued service to the community through volunteer work, including advocacy for children in legal difficulties and serving as a Big Brother.
He participated in the founding of the Freedom Museum in Manassas, Va. His community involvement also included memberships in VFW Post 7589 and Ruritan. He enjoyed bowling.
Survivors include his wife, Phyllis; children Peter, Keri, Pam and Katie; five granddaughters Julia, Emily, Abby, Emma and Sophie; sister Carolyn and nephew Darrell.
A funeral service was held May 3 at Dayton Church of the Brethern with the Rev. Marty Doss officiating. Burial  will be at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Dayton Church of the Brethern, Building Fund, P.O. Box 236, Dayton, VA. 22821.
Online condolences may be made to  www.johnsonfs.com.

Edward Vanlenten
Enjoyed hunting and fishing
Edward Vanlenten, 61, died  May 1, 2012, in Williston.
He was born Oct. 24, 1950, to Richard and Rose Marie Vanlenten in Paterson, N.J.
Coming from New Jersey, he has lived in this area for about 15 years.  He was an instructor for the telephone company and enjoyed hunting and fishing.  He was of the Catholic faith.  
  He is survived by his brother, Richard Vanlenten.
 Arrangements are under the care of Knauff Funeral Home in Williston.

Nancy Jean Waters
First in her family to go to college
Nancy Jean (Willets) Waters, 65, died April 13, 2012, in Trenton following a long-term disability and illness.
She was born March 10, 1947, in Jamestown, N.Y.
She was the first in her family to attend college and earn a degree.  Her grade average point was almost a perfect 4.0.  She had many talents and skills that she shared with others daily. She was also an energetic working mother who advanced in her administrative career in more than 15 years of public service to the state of Florida.
She is survived by sons Johnny III and Jimmy; daughter Jeannie; sister Mary and her husband Jerry Gardener; brother Clyde and granddaughters Stormy Waters, Kayla Waters, Brianna and Kyliegh Waters, Melissa, Kristin and Amanda West, Kinlee Olive and former husband, John Waters Jr.
A Celebration of Life was held at Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services on May 7.
Online condolences may be left at www.hiers-baxley.com.  
Arrangements were under the care of Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, Chiefland.