Sad News

We received this notice from Elsie Oishi, a former JPL manager, who keeps a list of JPL retirees and sends out notices when one of JPL's former employees or his/her spouse passes away.  She informs us, "I am saddened to pass along this information regarding the death of Victor Lee Carnahan on January 16, 2020.The memorial service will be held at the Isle of Faith United Methodist Church, 1821 San Pablo Rd. S., Jacksonville, 32224, on Saturday, February 8th at 11:00 am. You may view the obituary online, arrangements by Integrity Funeral Home and Cremations.

"As a reminder, Mabel Carnahan was the branch manager at the Regency Square Branch and ended her career as the branch manager of the Southeast Regional Library. For anyone who may want to send Mabel a sympathy card, her Jacksonville address is: 316-1 Girvin Rd., 32225."

Ann Winfree Passes Away

Ann Tracy Winfree, 88, passed away, July 19, 2019.  A remembrance service will be held at Adele Grage Cultural Center, Atlantic Beach, 4:00 p.m., Saturday, July 27, 2019.  (Retiree Elslie Oishi said the parking and seating at the venue where the service is being held has very limited parking and seating capacity.)

Ann was a Children’s Librarian at the Regency Square Branch before going to the Beaches Branch as their head Children’s Librarian under then Branch Manager, Sallie Pickard. She retired from the system in 1999.

Deputy Director Julie McNeil remembers being privileged to hear Ann Winfree present storytime at JB when Julie was first hired, and anyone who knew Ann knew she stood for excellence.  For most of 20 years, JPL and its customers benefited from Ann's voracious appetite for learning.

For further information, please access Legacy.com.

Mrs. Mary Ann Johnson Pearson: - March 1932 - February 2017

Mrs. Mary Ann Pearson's funeral service was held March 3, 2017, at Bethel Baptist Institutional Church and about 200 family, friends and former coworkers came to pay their respects.

Honoring her life, mention was made of her many years as a librarian for JPL, her active membership at Bethel Baptist, including serving as a Sunday School teacher for several years and her involvement with the NAACP.  Mrs. Pearson served on the local and state NAACP Executive Committee, the NAACP National Life Membership Committee, and was state assistant secretary for many years. She was also involved in other civic endeavors. Former Governor Bob Graham appointed her to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission.  She received numerous awards for her service.

Mrs. Pearson is survived by her three children, Patricia, Rutledge, Jr. (Brenda), and Roderick Pearson and several grandchildren, step grandchildren, step great grandchildren and her sister, Beulah Marie.

Remembering Mrs. Mary Cardell

                                        Mary and Dick Cardell

Mrs. Mary Cardell, a former JPL librarian, who worked at the old Main Library in the Fine Arts Department,1968-1998, is remembered by fellow employees who knew her as a kind, soft spoken lady who did her job well. 

Here are combined statements from Carole Schwartz and Carol Smith, two of her long-time supervisors, "Mary Cardell was a librarian par excellence with her many years of experience in Fine Arts and Media (FAR) on the 2nd floor of Haydon Burns. She was kind and patient with customers, and a dutiful worker among our team. She and husband, Dick, were loyal patrons of the musical scene in Jacksonville and attended performances of the symphony and other organizations regularly."   

Raymond Neal remembers Mary as a frequent customer of JPL's genealogy department.

Mary's husband, Dick, set Mary's memorial service for 2:00 p.m., Sunday, January 24, 2016, at the Arlington Congregational Church, 431 University Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32211. Mary passed away January 6, 2016.

Mr. Cardell's address, if you would like to send a card to him, is: 1528 Cornell Road, Jacksonville, FL 32207. 

Mrs. Carolyn Votaw Passes Away

Carolyn Votaw served as Executive Secretary for two Deputy Directors, Sylvia Cornell and then Carolyn Williams when Mrs. Cornell retired.  Mrs. Votaw retired when we moved to the new Main Library but her husband, Paul, continued on as a librarian until shortly before his death.

Mrs. Votaw passed away August 19, 2015, and her funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m., August 26, 2015, at Eternity Funeral Home, 4856 Oakdale Avenue, Jacksonville, FL. 

We extend our sincere sympathy to her family.