1999
Wavie Schwander Junior
1912-1999
Mom called and told me that Grandma Junior had died. It was not unexpected for she had been getting slowly worse for years from Parkinsons disease and for the last year she was completely bed ridden in a nursing home. It had been a couple years since I last saw her and when I did, she looked so frail, thin, and weak that I hardly recognized her, it made me sad. I never went to visit her when she was in the nursing home, I could not bring myself to do so, I wanted to remember her the way she was in my memories, not the way she looked now. The last year she had become a considerable burden to her children, including my mom, who took turns going to the nursing home every day to feed her which became increasing difficult the last few months. Mom later told me that near the end Grandma had refused to eat and her will to live faded until she passed.
Obituary
Wavie Schwander Junior of Gainesville died Thursday at North Florida Rehab and Specialty Care Center in Gainesville. She was 86.
Mrs. Junior was a homemaker and former dean of women at Trinity Bible College in Dunedin. She was born in Burnips, Michigan and moved from Zephyrhills to Gainesville 44 years ago. Mrs. Junior was a member of Westside Baptist Church and the church’s Guiding Light Sunday School class.
She was preceded in death by her husband, the Rev. Fred J. Junior.
Survivors include four daughters, Barbara Mixson, Sue Mixson and Dixie Guinn, all of Gainesville, and Carole Williamson of Palm Harbor; two sons, Gary R. Junior and F.J. “Cork” Junior, both of Gainesville; two sisters, Betty Mecoines and Helen Linnington, both of Zephyrhills; two brothers, Charles Schwander of Harriman, Tenn., and Robert “Bob” Schwander of Zephyrhills; 20 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
Aunt Dixie wrote the following in her memoirs:
January 28, 1999 – Mother died at the Nursing Home in Gainesville, Florida when she was nearly 87 years old. All of her children were with her when she passed away. Mother was one strong willed, spit-fired German woman. She was a classy dresser, and work beautiful hats. She cleaned her face with Ponds Cold Cream before bed and then used Oil of Olay moisture, Vicks Vapor Rub in her nose, Vaseline on her lips, and pink sponge rollers in her hair. (I do the same thing to myself every night except add one more thing: a pair of silk panties over the rollers so they won’t fall out.) Mother also drove fast even though she was not a good driver. She got many speeding tickets (like Sally and Michael). Mother was a wonderful cook plus everything she baked was delicious. She taught each one of us to keep a clean house – “cleanliness is the next thing to godliness” she said. Mother instilled in us a desire for reading and all of her children and some of the grandchildren are addicts. Mother never stopped praying for me – Thank-you Mother.
Mixson Family
Me, Brenda, Mom, Dad, Beth, David
At Steve's Resturant
<click to see more photos
from dinner>
I took a couple days off work and flew down to Gainesville for Grandma’s funeral. Grandma was laid to rest in the Shiloh United Methodist Church Cemetery in Flemington next to Grandpa Junior. After the funeral, all of Grandma’s children and many of the grandchildren went to Steve’s Restaurant in Gainesville.
Updated: 03-21-2024
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