John Boyce Whitesides

WHITESIDES, 88

Florida Dept. of

Agriculture

WINTER HAVEN - John Boyce Whitesides, age 88, went home to be with the Lord on May 24, 2010 due to respiratory failure.

The grandson of one of Polk County's first county commissioners, Mr. Whitesides was born on March 19, 1922 in Winter Haven, Florida. He graduated from Erskine College in 1943 and served in the Army Air Corp 384th Bomb Group piloting a B-17 and flying thirty-three missions during World War II.

He was employed by the Florida Department of Agriculture first as a fruit and vegetable inspector, finally retiring as a Bureau Chief after forty years of service. He was a charter member of Covenant Presbyterian Church where he served as a deacon, elder and elder emeritus. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation with his friends and family.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mary Ann, sons, John Mark and Tom both of Winter Haven, daughter, Mary Beth of Asheville, North Carolina, grandsons, Jason and

Jon and great granddaughters, Cheyenne and Makayla Whitesides.

Visitation will be from 5 - 7 PM on Thursday, May 27, 2010 at Ott-Laughlin Funeral Home located at 645 West Central Avenue, Winter Haven, Florida (phone: 863-293-2133). Funeral services will begin at 9:30 AM on Friday, May 28, 2010 in Bartow, at the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church located at 205 Stanford Street East, Bartow, Florida (phone: 863 533-3366). Interment will follow at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Winter Haven.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Salvation Army at 1898 Highway 17 North, Winter Haven, Florida 33881.

He will be missed and remembered for his love for his family and his zest for life.

Published in Ledger from May 25 to May 26, 2010 Email