Richard Lorenzo ‘Abe’ Whitfield Jr.

Posted on June 26, 2024

Richard Lorenzo Whitfield Jr., known to co-workers, customers and friends as “Abe,” was born on his father’s 40th birthday, Feb. 22, 1940, at 815 W. Bay Street, to Mary Lou (Malone) and Richard Lorenzo Whitfield. He died April 14, 2024, at his beloved Turkey Roost after a serious stroke. Daughters Renee Wilson, Callie (Greg) Babbitt and Sarah Whitfield; son, Rick Whitfield; and Abe’s wife of 50 years, Diane; shared care-giving with guidance from Big Bend Hospice and kept his nursery running. Parents, older siblings Alda Frances (Whitfield) Higdon, Benjamin Thomas Whitfield and sister-in-law Lynn (Vallella) Brady died previously; as did nieces Christine Vallella and Gay Higdon; and nephew Mark Higdon. Younger sister Penny Whitfield Dixon lives in Leesburg; sister-in-law, Adel (Kennedy) Whitfield. in Arkansas; brother-inlaw, Larry Brady. in Lloyd; and brother-in-law, Mark (Barbara) Vallella. in Orlando. Abe and Diane have four grandchildren, Alison (Scott) Biegert, Jake (Cheyenne) Wilson, Savannah Wilson and Nora Babbitt; and five greatgrandchildren, Reese, Brooks and Baker Biegert, and Adalynn and Luke Wilson. Beloved nieces, nephews include: Mary Harmon, Margaret (Mickey) Tate, Jill (Terry) Doss, Russ (Glenda) Whitfield, Mary Lynne Whitfield, David, Daniel Dixon, Chad Brady, Erin (Jerry) Collins, Tyler and Ryan Vallella. Close first cousins Kathryn (Dominick) Rizzo, Peter (Emilie Condon) Malone, Eugene, aka “Woody,” (Tracy) Woodard and extended family join us in mourning our loss. Abe graduated Taylor County High School in 1958, joined the U.S. Army Reserves and was soon hired by Procter & Gamble’s Buckeye mill. While working shift work in the lab, he completed basic training and Reserve duties. Abe enrolled in North Florida Junior College, scheduled class around work and, seven years later, earned a degree, ranked Summa Cum Laude. Hard work and the pursuit of knowledge characterized Abe’s life. After 17-years with P&G, Abe left to establish Turkey Roost Nursery, named by his mother due to proximity to the Turkey Roost Slough. He and his 75-year old father built a greenhouse; Abe dug and installed outdoor irrigation lines. He learned the best plants for North Florida growers and began taking cuttings and planting seeds (a slow, but economical way to develop sales material.) While outdoor material grew, Abe sold greenhouse plants and cacti at the Webster Flea Market while Diane kept the nursery open on weekends. He worked contract jobs for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and local tree planting managers. In 1993 Bryant Russell hired him part-time as night security at Taylor Technical Institute (TTI). Abe later became certified to teach horticulture to adults attending the SNAP class. For 19 years, Abe started his days early at Turkey Roost and ended them late at TTI. He occasionally fixed flat tires and escorted stranded teachers and students to their homes. Abe was an intelligent, competent man, a critical thinker who thought before he spoke. He read daily, consuming subjects of interest such as astronomy, biology, animal husbandry, science and mystery novels. He read Russian literature, world history and political trends, as well as everything written by William Faulkner, Carl Hiaasen and Baily White. Abe learned and taught us many subjects, including identification of constellations, native plants, birds, weather patterns, daylily hybridization, how to shoot and how to play poker. From 1986 to 1993 Abe studied housing construction. As money was available, he built our home, using a hose to water-level the foundation and cutting his pine trees for sills and joists. He learned plumbing, electrical, insulation, roofing, installation and finishing of pine plank floors. After he framed the walls and ordered trusses, friends, First Presbyterian Church members and relatives helped hammer and cook when time came to erect walls, rafters and a tin roof. Abe selected our homestead in the late 1960’s as it was close to good fox hunting. He bred fine fox hounds and enjoyed nights in the woods listening to them; he could identify each hound he heard. Abe also loved to deer hunt from the family’s Malone Camp until he was shut out by the policy of leasing to hunt clubs. He refused to pay to hunt on land truly owned by “We the people.” He was successful hunting on his own acreage. Prior to the Storm of the Century, a favorite annual recreation was spending time at House #4 at Dekle Beach. Turkey Roost gatherings at Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve with Abe’s Norwegian candles and creatively designed bonfires were favorites with family and friends. He loved birds and kept feeders filled for cardinals and hummers. Customers enjoyed golf cart tours of Turkey Roost and shared his appreciation of Japanese Magnolias and Maples, Camellias, unusual Daylilies and hybrid Cycads, all of which he grew from seed. Abe had an impressive memory and was our Google and YouTube combined. We depended upon him to advise us on any subject and to tell us how to do whatever we encountered. He never failed and never forgot a commitment. We miss him terribly. He planned for a simple burial at his mother’s family cemetery, (Carlton,) which Mr. George Clayton, Mr. Buggs and Mr. White of Trinity Funeral Home capably provided. If anyone wishes to honor his memory, a donation to the Master Gardener Program, 203 Forest Dr, Perry, 32348, c/o Lisa Strange or the Perry or Steinhatchee Garden Clubs would be in keeping with Abe’s desire for folks to learn how to successfully grow plants. A family and friends memorial celebration will be held at Turkey Roost Nursery on the afternoon of Saturday, July 13, from 5-7. Come share your memories of Abe and take home one of his special Daylilies.as a corrections officer with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) and, later, with the Florida Department of Corrections at Taylor Correctional Institution (TCI). He was an avid hunter, especially for coons, and was a trapper by trade for many years. He also enjoyed fishing and collecting antique clocks. A man of faith, he was a Baptist and longtime member of New Home Baptist Church. He took pride in having read the Bible from cover to cover more than 20 times, making notations in his Bible each time he started from Genesis to Revelation once again. He was preceded in death by a son, Louis Blaske. Jerry is survived by: his wife, Theresa Blaske; sons, Richard D. Blaske, Gerald Blaske Jr. and his wife, Cindy, and Kelly Blaske and his wife, Dawn; four grandchildren; and six grandchildren; along with a host of greatgrandchildren. A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 29, at New Home Baptist Church, starting at 2 p.m. with Pastor Dustin Logan officiating. The family will receive friends one-half hour prior to the service, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Tammy Lucille Mathis Collins Tammy Lucille Mathis Collins, 61, died June 21, 2024, in Gainesville. Graveside services will be held on Wednesday, June 26, at 11 a.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery. All arrangements are under the direction of Burns Funeral Home of Perry. Richard Lorenzo ‘Abe’ Whitfield Jr. Richard Lorenzo Whitfield Jr., known to co-workers, customers and friends as “Abe,” was born on his father’s 40th birthday, Feb. 22, 1940, at 815 W. Bay Street, to Mary Lou (Malone) and Richard Lorenzo Whitfield. He died April 14, 2024, at his beloved Turkey Roost after a serious stroke. Daughters Renee Wilson, Callie (Greg) Babbitt and Sarah Whitfield; son, Rick Whitfield; and Abe’s wife of 50 years, Diane; shared care-giving with guidance from Big Bend Hospice and kept his nursery running. Parents, older siblings Alda Frances (Whitfield) Higdon, Benjamin Thomas Whitfield and sister-in-law Lynn (Vallella) Brady died previously; as did nieces Christine Vallella and Gay Higdon; and nephew Mark Higdon. Younger sister Penny Whitfield Dixon lives in Leesburg; sister-in-law, Adel (Kennedy) Whitfield. in Arkansas; brother-inlaw, Larry Brady. in Lloyd; and brother-in-law, Mark (Barbara) Vallella. in Orlando. Abe and Diane have four grandchildren, Alison (Scott) Biegert, Jake (Cheyenne) Wilson, Savannah Wilson and Nora Babbitt; and five greatgrandchildren, Reese, Brooks and Baker Biegert, and Adalynn and Luke Wilson. Beloved nieces, nephews include: Mary Harmon, Margaret (Mickey) Tate, Jill (Terry) Doss, Russ (Glenda) Whitfield, Mary Lynne Whitfield, David, Daniel Dixon, Chad Brady, Erin (Jerry) Collins, Tyler and Ryan Vallella. Close first cousins Kathryn (Dominick) Rizzo, Peter (Emilie Condon) Malone, Eugene, aka “Woody,” (Tracy) Woodard and extended family join us in mourning our loss. Abe graduated Taylor County High School in 1958, joined the U.S. Army Reserves and was soon hired by Procter & Gamble’s Buckeye mill. While working shift work in the lab, he completed basic training and Reserve duties. Abe enrolled in North Florida Junior College, scheduled class around work and, seven years later, earned a degree, ranked Summa Cum Laude. Hard work and the pursuit of knowledge characterized Abe’s life. After 17-years with P&G, Abe left to establish Turkey Roost Nursery, named by his mother due to proximity to the Turkey Roost Slough. He and his 75-year old father built a greenhouse; Abe dug and installed outdoor irrigation lines. He learned the best plants for North Florida growers and began taking cuttings and planting seeds (a slow, but economical way to develop sales material.) While outdoor material grew, Abe sold greenhouse plants and cacti at the Webster Flea Market while Diane kept the nursery open on weekends. He worked contract jobs for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and local tree planting managers. In 1993 Bryant Russell hired him part-time as night security at Taylor Technical Institute (TTI). Abe later became certified to teach horticulture to adults attending the SNAP class. For 19 years, Abe started his days early at Turkey Roost and ended them late at TTI. He occasionally fixed flat tires and escorted stranded teachers and students to their homes. Abe was an intelligent, competent man, a critical thinker who thought before he spoke. He read daily, consuming subjects of interest such as astronomy, biology, animal husbandry, science and mystery novels. He read Russian literature, world history and political trends, as well as everything written by William Faulkner, Carl Hiaasen and Baily White. Abe learned and taught us many subjects, including identification of constellations, native plants, birds, weather patterns, daylily hybridization, how to shoot and how to play poker. From 1986 to 1993 Abe studied housing construction. As money was available, he built our home, using a hose to water-level the foundation and cutting his pine trees for sills and joists. He learned plumbing, electrical, insulation, roofing, installation and finishing of pine plank floors. After he framed the walls and ordered trusses, friends, First Presbyterian Church members and relatives helped hammer and cook when time came to erect walls, rafters and a tin roof. Abe selected our homestead in the late 1960’s as it was close to good fox hunting. He bred fine fox hounds and enjoyed nights in the woods listening to them; he could identify each hound he heard. Abe also loved to deer hunt from the family’s Malone Camp until he was shut out by the policy of leasing to hunt clubs. He refused to pay to hunt on land truly owned by “We the people.” He was successful hunting on his own acreage. Prior to the Storm of the Century, a favorite annual recreation was spending time at House #4 at Dekle Beach. Turkey Roost gatherings at Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve with Abe’s Norwegian candles and creatively designed bonfires were favorites with family and friends. He loved birds and kept feeders filled for cardinals and hummers. Customers enjoyed golf cart tours of Turkey Roost and shared his appreciation of Japanese Magnolias and Maples, Camellias, unusual Daylilies and hybrid Cycads, all of which he grew from seed. Abe had an impressive memory and was our Google and YouTube combined. We depended upon him to advise us on any subject and to tell us how to do whatever we encountered. He never failed and never forgot a commitment. We miss him terribly. He planned for a simple burial at his mother’s family cemetery, (Carlton,) which Mr. George Clayton, Mr. Buggs and Mr. White of Trinity Funeral Home capably provided. If anyone wishes to honor his memory, a donation to the Master Gardener Program, 203 Forest Dr, Perry, 32348, c/o Lisa Strange or the Perry or Steinhatchee Garden Clubs would be in keeping with Abe’s desire for folks to learn how to successfully grow plants. A family and friends memorial celebration will be held at Turkey Roost Nursery on the afternoon of Saturday, July 13, from 5-7. Come share your memories of Abe and take home one of his special Daylilies.