wellborn my hometown

Loretta Barker Jarvis



April 29, 1936 - Aug. 23, 2011



Loretta Barker Jarvis, 75, a resident of Wellborn, Fla. passed away early Tuesday morning, Aug. 23, 2011 at The Health Center of Lake City, Fla. after an extended illness. She was born in Madison, Fla. April 29, 1936. She moved from Madison to Lake City, Fla. in 1959 and later moved to Wellborn in 1963 and had been a resident there for 48 years. She was the daughter of the late Emory and Helen Barker. She was a caring wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and foster mother. She loved to sew, read, travel and spend time with her family. She was an excellent cook and loved to serve big meals to her family & friends. Everyone loved her coconut cake. She held several jobs outside the home. In the late 70s she started providing childcare in her home until 1991 when she retired. She and her husband are still referred to as Granny and Papa Jarvis by several of them. She and her husband were foster parents from 1967 until 1978. During this time they provided a loving home and care to about 35 children of whom several continue to be an extended part of their family. Caring for children was her passion. She was a Christian and a member of Wellborn Baptist Church for 48 years. During this time she volunteered for many positions in the church. She was Sunday school director, vacation bible school director, nursery worker for the bed babies as well as Sunday school teacher and AWANA worker. She received her 10 year AWANA pin for leader of the Sparky Club. She and her husband were trained in disaster relief through the Florida Baptist Convention. They participated in several relief missions in South Florida after hurricanes in 2004 & 2005. She worked with the meal programs. She also participated in the Suwannee Baptist Association mission trips in 2006 & 2007 to West Virginia. She was preceded in death by her daughter Debra Jarvis Hutto and her brother Howard Barker. Survivors include her loving husband of almost 57 years, Walter Pasco Jarvis of Wellborn; son, Wendell Scott Jarvis of Wellborn; daughters, Suellen Jarvis Skinner (Ronnie) and Lori Jarvis Mercer (Leroy) of Live Oak; Tracy Jarvis Osburn (Jeff) of Lake City and her extended family of foster children; Linda Batten Schmidt (Richard) of Macclenny, Fla.; Velma Batten Spruell (Jim) of Gresham, Ore.; Brenda Johnson Bagan (Toby) of Lake City; Brian Johnson of St. Augustine, Fla. and Bruce Johnson of Layton, Utah; two sisters, Ann Barker Brooks of Greenville, Fla. and Joan Barker Johnson (Frank) of Navarre, Fla. She is also survived by 19 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25, 2011 at the Wellborn Baptist Church with Rev. Don Minshew and Rev. Virgil Lovett officiating. Interment will follow at 2:30 p.m. in the Concord Baptist Cemetery, Madison, Fla. Visitation was held 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday evening at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers family wishes donations to the Children’s Ministry at Wellborn Baptist Church.

Daniels Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., Live Oak, and Branford, Fl is in charge of all arrangements.

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Your blogger/reporter exchanged her hometown reporter role for Grand Aunt Jinny role.
The wedding of my nephew,Brett, was in Skaneateles, New York. I flew Jacksonville to Syracuse where family met me and we drove us to Lake Skaneateles, a beautiful place.
Time away was wonderfully cool and delightful, but just like it always is, There Is No Place Like Home.

I am sorry to have missed Loretta Jarvis funeral but can imagine a full sanctuary at her beloved Wellborn Baptist Church
Her end of life travail was long and hard, but now she has no more sorrow, nor tears and her many beloveds are glad for her to be home free with her Lord, Jesus Christ.

Even though grief is acute and "going forward" without Loretta physically present will be hard, we who are left behind can celebrate her life, admire it, and thank God that her God given number of days coincided with our own in this place.

The obituary was in the Suwannee Democrat. She and Pasco did so many good things for their family, extended family and our hometown and for Wellborn Baptist Church. She was a compassionate, caring friend, always volunteering and ready to help whose smile I remember gratefully.

On Wednesday August 10, 2011 twenty Wellborn people spent 3 hours at the Budget Workshop, Suwannee County Commission at the Live Oak Seaboard-ACL Union Passenger Depot, 210 Ohio Avenue North, Live Oak, Florida 32064 (386) 364 3450.
Civics Class 101 revisited, and I was reminded how slowly the wheels turn in our democratic system when there is need for change. Fire Assessment has a shortfall and exemption loopholes were under scrutiny as was padding a category so as to move excess money as needed.
Our paid commissioners spend hours and hours working on THE BUDGET, the dividing up of our paid taxes fairly. Trick is to match the requests with funds available. Converting Wish List to Budgeted Items is hard and then comes mandated public hearings.
Greg Scott, Parks and Recreation, had just been denied special funds as we arrived for our 2:30 appointment. Danny Hale's library budget sailed right through. Wellborn's request for consideration as a site for EMS station came under the time allotted to Charlie Conner, Suwannee County Fire and Rescue. District Commissioner Phil Oxendine made the presentation. All the commissioners had the WCA letter. Wendell Snowden, Tim Williams, Pat Bezaire, Bobbi Fenderson, Dee Hart, Jack Allred were among those defending the proposition of an EMS station in Wellborn. We learned that crossover training is mandated so that the
idea of starting with just an ambulance station in Wellborn was not feasible.
Linda Gaylord said it for us all when she thanked the Commission for their time with us and promised them that we don't just disappear. The need is real and we will be back"

G>P>S> map showing land under consideration

Letter from Wellborn Community Association to Suwannee County Commission

IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT

NOW HEAR THIS

The Board of County Commissioners will be considering an EMS station in downtown Wellborn. The special meeting is August 10th, Wednesday, at 2:30pm. It will be held in the new meeting place in the Train Museum at the Train Depot which is located across from the new Chamber of Commerce office whose address is 212 North Ohio Avenue.
Any questions -- give me a call.

Thanks --- Wendell

Wendell Snowden
3302 - 104th Street
Wellborn, FL 32094
Phone 386-963-1157
Cell 386-590-0002

GOOD NEWS FROM WELLBORN WATER SYSTEM
Wellborn Water is safe to drink.
The Health Department carefully tested Wellborn's water sample taken after the break in the main on Friday.
Good quality water is guaranteed again to all of Wellborn System Customers.
Pasco Jarvis breathes easy :-)
We are all indebted to Pasco, one more time, and to his staff, and to the volunteers involved.
www.wellbornwhisper.blogspot.com enjoyed being part of information dissemination.