Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 466
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...
Life in Lake Wales has changed dramatically since early March 2020. Many more people are now truly struggling with making ends meet financially. More people are battling with mental and physical health challenges. Many non-retirees are inconvenienced with the new way of children "going" to school, and "going" to our job (if we are fortunate to still have employment). Many retirees are inconvenienced with getting around stores, or the new methods for getting medicine....
Pastors, church leaders and other concerned people plan to assemble near the gazebo at Lake Wailes Lake at 7 a.m. Tuesday, June 9 to pray for the city, state and nation. Lake Wales City Commissioner Curtis Gibson presented the idea to Pastor Walter Nelson of IMPACT Church, who immediately started spreading the word. Rather than choose specific people to offer prayers, Nelson sent out an email, providing a corporate prayer for all assembled to use. He suggested bringing the...
Sharon Price Dawson Dube, 69, of Frostproof passed away Thursday, May 28, 2020 at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. She was born December 19, 1950 in Valdosta, GA to the late Aaron and Pauline Dawson; she moved to Frostproof in 2012 from Orlando. She was a retired business manager. Sharon graduated from Frostproof High School with the class of 1969. She was a retired staff sergeant of the U.S. Air Force, earning numerous ribbons and commendations, including Commendation Medal...
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,...
Lake Wales City Commissioners at their May 19 meeting approved hiring a Clearwater consultant to determine the feasibility of building a sports and recreation complex that might attract tournaments and other special events. The city will pay Sports Facilities Advisory (SFA) $42,500 plus travel expenses for the study, which would be one element of an overall recreation master plan funded by recreation impact fees. Rather than do its own request for proposals the City...
Robert E. Waring, 93, passed away peacefully on May 2, 2020 at the Oxford Veteran's Home in Oxford, NY. Bob was born May 3, 1926. He was a gentle man who treasured everyone and every moment. A humble baseball loving kid who liked cars, he grew up too fast. Leaving high school to join the Marines, his 19th birthday was during a literal life and death battle against the Japanese, where he earned the Purple Heart. That experience shaped his next 75 years. When he returned to the...
For those of us who've called Lake Wales home, for many decades. For those of us who've had moms, dads, grandparents who've made the Lake Wales Public Library a part of their family's routine since the 1960s, Mrs. Frances Prescott would have been part of your happy place in a pre-internet world. From the bottom of our hearts, we are so sad. Fran was an amazing public servant. She was the library staff member who knew what a child needed. There were no....Accelerated Readers, n...
Billy L. Smith, 84, of Lake Wales passed away peacefully at Advent Health Orlando on Saturday, April 18, 2020. The COVID-19 virus took him from us very quickly. Bill was born in March 20,1936 to Thomas and Ruby Bunch Smith of Carrollton, IL. His beloved sister, Ethel Mae (Babe) was born two years later, and although times were tough during the Depression, Billy and Babe had a wonderful childhood. Just when Bill started high school, the family moved to Cheyenne, WY where they h...
Frances B. Prescott, age 97, passed away peacefully at Palm Garden in Gainesville, FL on April 26, 2020. Frances was born in Detroit, MI and graduated from Holly High School. In August 1943, Frances traveled by train to Santa Fe, NM and married her high school sweetheart, U.S. Army Cpl. Jesse A. Prescott, who was stationed at Los Alamos. In October 1944, Frances traveled by troop train with her infant son back to Michigan, where she lived with family until Jesse's return from...
The University of Florida has announced plans to honor attorney and Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson for a lifetime of exceptional accomplishments related to his law career and his support for education. An Evening of Excellence presented by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida was originally planned for April 17, but due to coronavirus concerns will be rescheduled once people can safely gather again. In announcing the recognition,...
Edward Earl Pilkington, 81, passed away and joined the Lord on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. Edward was born on June 18, 1938 and raised in Miami, where he graduated from Jackson High School and started his career as an architect. He opened his own architectural firm, Edward Pilkington, A.I.A., Architect, P.A. in 1973 in Miami, before moving to Lake Wales in 1982. He continued...
Since September Raymond had been living in his car. The music education major at Polk State College said he had two blankets for cold nights, but if he didn't remember to tape his car's door gaps on rainy nights the water poured in and woke him. Raymond stayed committed to his studies despite spending most nights in a WalMart parking lot. Two weeks ago he left the ranks of the homeless and moved into the new Lenfestey Scholarship House at the Manse on Avenue Q in Winter...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools system is offering to buy the city's old high school property north of Seminole Avenue for $575,000 to turn it into a permanent site for Bok Academy North. The City Commission in its capacity as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will consider the proposal at an April 14 meeting. Due to coronavirus concerns the meeting will be held online beginning at 6 p.m. via video teleconference and live streamed on the city's website at...
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was first published in April 2019. We are re-publishing it on Palm Sunday 2020 as we enter into Easter Week. Easter Week always brings fond memories of the three months each winter that the Lake Wales community came together to participate as "extras" to help dramatically depict the last seven days of Jesus Christ on Earth. I don't remember exactly how many years I participated in the Black Hills Passion Play winter productions – so many Tuesdays, T...
Friends say when 22-year-old Kaitlyn Kinard smiled the atmosphere grew happier and more positive. "She had such a contagious type of personality - whenever she walked into a room you could feel an energy change - just the positivity she brought," explained Elise Coon, Kinard's longtime friend and co-captain of the color guard at Frostproof Middle-Senior High, where the two graduated in 2016. Coon is now mourning the loss of her friend, who died March 22 along with her dog...
Edward Kurt Rappold Jr., 57, of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, March 17, 2020 at the AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born September 21, 1962 in Ridley Park, PA; He graduated from Sun Valley High School in Aston, PA and after graduation, moved to the Lake Wales area 40 years ago. He was a welder in the citrus industry and was raised in the Episcopal church. He loved the outdoors and spent many hours air boating on the local lakes in central Florida Edward was preceded in...
Louise A. Sheffer, 88, of Lake Wales went to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. Born on June 26, 1931 in Crestline, OH in her grandparent's home, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Mary (Gearhart) Yaichner. She graduated from Crestline High School and Mansfield Business College located in Mansfield, OH. She worked at the Mansfield General Hospital and Neese Insurance both in Mansfield; and the former ITT-North...
Renowned Lake Wales artist, Tom Freeman and his companion, Marcia Pennington, have released a new book, Tom Freeman's Florida. Freeman has selected one of his paintings that is representative of each of Florida's 67 counties. The paintings and background stories are featured in Tom Freeman's Florida. Also included is poetry written by Freeman. Tom Freeman's Florida is a beautiful collection of Mr. Freeman's works, featuring text by Ms. Pennington. Tom Freeman was the Lake...
Eugene H. "Gene" Schedler, 85, of Lake Wales entered into glory with the Lord Monday, March 9, 2020 at Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale. He was born May 30, 1934 in Hamburg, WI to the late Pastor Herman and Lilly Schedler. Gene grew up in Hamburg, WI where he attended the Maple Grove one room schoolhouse. He then attended Concordia Lutheran College in Milwaukee, WI where he completed his high school and two years of college. Gene joined the U.S. Air Force after college...
In addition to his wife Jean, Robin Gibson has two major loves – the Lake Wales Charter Schools system he helped create and historic downtown, which he is committed to help redevelop. It was a tough choice, but Deputy Mayor Gibson announced at the March 3 city commission meeting he will give up his job as general counsel for the charter schools to avoid an ethical conflict. His resignation takes effect March 15. Gibson said the potential sale of the city's 1919 school p...
Lake Wales lost a special friend when Jerry Miller passed early in the morning of Feb. 24 after a lengthy battle with cancer. The community and government relations manager with what is now Duke Energy, Miller touched countless lives throughout Central Florida and left a lasting imprint. Faith, family, friends and service were Miller's top priorities. His smile, some might call it an impish grin, lit up a room, and he loved to dance. The 61-year-old Miller fought cancer...
Jerry Miller, 61, of Lake Wales passed Monday, Feb. 24, 2020 at his residence surrounded by his loving family. He was born December 25, 1958 at Lake Wales Hospital to the late Clarence and Helen Miller; he was a proud 5th generation Floridian and lifelong resident of Lake Wales. He had a great love for his hometown. Miller played on the tennis and baseball teams at Lake Wales High School, where he graduated in 1976, and remained active in sports until he could no longer play...
Lake Wales Breakfast Rotary Club's mission is "to be a service club that focuses on caring for the youth of our community while participating in Rotary's global efforts". Our Rotary Club held an annual Boys' Camp for 27 years, but needed enough women in the club to band together to organize a Girls' Camp. Girls' Camp was created in 2011 with the theme "I AM Smart, Unique, Important, Beautiful, and Fun." Girls' Camp is an annual event, held at Lake Aurora Christian Camp in...
Lake Wales pilot Greg Love officially hung up his wings and rotors Friday, Feb. 7 after a 25-year aviation career with the Polk County Sheriff's Department. Turning just 60 this year Love actually will continue flying as a sheriff's reserve deputy and as a pilot with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The sheriff who hired him, Lawrence Crow, and current Sheriff Grady Judd showed up to recognize Love's service along with family, friends and co-workers at a luncheon held insid...
