Lucille Agnew Below's Obituary
Lucille Agnew Below, 104, of Gainesville, FL passed away Saturday, September 17, 2022, surrounded by her family. She was born November 18, 1917, in Decatur, Georgia to the late James K. and Bernice Berryman Agnew.
She was the 6th of 7 children and her early childhood and school years were spent in Colquitt, Georgia. She was the Valedictorian of her high school graduating class and then attended secretarial school where she mastered skills such as shorthand and stenography. Lucille had a long career as an Administrative Assistant in the UF College of Engineering until her retirement. She had many avocational interests including sewing for her family and singing in her church choir for decades. Upon retirement, she enjoyed mastering new hobbies such as working with stained glass, studying Spanish, mastering the internet, and emailing well into her 90’s! Lucy also enjoyed knitting, gardening, singing with the Sweet Notes singing group, and working on mission projects. She was a long-time faithful member of Northwest Baptist Church in Gainesville.
Lucille met the love of her life when she was working as a civil servant at Cecil Field in Jacksonville and was set up on a blind date with a tall, handsome Marine. She married Charles C. (Chuck) Below on April 25, 1943, and they were married for 42 years. She was widowed on July 24th, 1985. She was a loving wife and devoted mother and grandmother. Her many years of bible study and teaching were a blessing to many. Lucy was a source of wisdom and guidance for the entire family. She was always a woman of strong faith and prayer. She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, husband, Charles (Chuck) and her daughter, Margaret. Survivors Include her daughters Mary (Art) Heyman and Ruthie (Paul) Dell, and son Kenny (Jeannette) Below, ten grandchildren, sixteen great grandchildren, and six great great grandchildren.
In March 2020, Lucille was living in an ALF when her children were no longer allowed to visit her due to Covid lockdown. Fortunately, her companion caregiver, Yvette Watson, was allowed to be with “Lucy Blue” daily. In late June 2020 she broke her hip, had surgery, and was separated from her family and sitter while in rehabilitation. Only window visits and an occasional patio visit were allowed. At 102 years of age, she was deeply impacted by this separation but kept her typical positive attitude and always had a smile for her kids via many video chats and window visits. Virtually every caregiver that we spoke to said,” she is SO sweet”! Truly she had a graciousness despite this separation that was unusual and apparently much appreciated by her many caregivers. In January of 2021 Lucy was transferred to a skilled nursing facility in Gainesville and thanks to Governor DeSantis’s mandate, her family were deemed essential caregivers and allowed to participate in her care and visit with her in person. Last October she moved to The Windsor of Gainesville where she enjoyed a comfortable new home filled with her personal belongings and her team of companion caregivers, Yvette Watson and Velesia Long were a constant part of her daily life. Our family is forever grateful to these ladies for their unmatched love of our dear mother and grandmother.
Funeral services will be held Friday, September 23, 2022, at 11:00am at Williams-Thomas Funeral Home Downtown, 404 N. Main St. with Art Heyman officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service beginning at 10:00am. Private family interment will follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to one of Lucille’s favorite causes:
Child Evangelism Fellowship: CEF of North Central Florida
2516 NW 6th St. Gainesville, FL 32609
First Care Women’s Clinic
2200 N Florida Mango Rd., Ste. 102, West Palm Beach, FL 33409
Congenital Hand Camp Inc., dba Hands to Love
P.O. Box 140572, Gainesville, FL 32614.
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