Wilmar "Randy" Randall McDavid's Obituary
Wilmar Randall “Randy” McDavid passed away on 4/21/2026 at Hospice in Gainesville, Florida.
He was born on December 3, 1949, in Gainesville, Florida, to Claude Rudolph and Nora B. Knight McDavid.
Randy attended local schools and graduated from Gainesville High School, class of 1967. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Masters Degree from the University of Florida.
Randy worked for the State of Florida in Vocational Rehab and HRS. He also worked as an interpreter for the deaf and blind for over 33 years in Gainesville and then for many years in Jacksonville. After retiring from the State, he moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where he worked for the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind as a full-time staff interpreter. He also worked for the Florida Registry of Interpreters for the deaf (FRID) as a state chair for apprentice interpreter testing from 2002-2008. Randy was a good friend to his clients and helped them in any way he could.
Randy loved to garden and grow vegetables and flowers. He loved cats and had many over the years. He also loved sci-fi movies and classic rock music. Randy played bass guitar in a band during his college years.
Randy is survived by his uncle, Ken Knight (Mary), cousin, Kathleen Bryan, and close friends Tony and Patty Andress, Becky Pierce, Dawn Burgess-Krop, and Don and Sandy Barnes.
He was proceeded in death by his partner, David Gerard (2014), his husband, Ron Baden (2025), his parents, and a brother, Gary Michael McDavid.
A Gathering to Celebrate Randy’s life will be held Saturday, May 30, 2026, from 10am-12pm at Williams-Thomas Westend, 828 NW 143rd St., Newberry, Florida.
For those who wish in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Haven Hospice https://havenhospice.com/donate or charity of your choice.
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