Honoring their service
A semi-annual memorial ceremony paid tribute to 48 local military veterans.
Members of the Marion County Memorial Honor Guard attended the semi-annual memorial ceremony on Jan. 10 at the Marion County Commissioners auditorium in Ocala. The ceremony honored veterans who passed away from June to November 2025 and was hosted by the Marion County Veterans Service Office. [Photo by Andy Fillmore/Ocala Gazette]
The Marion County Veterans Service Office hosted a semi-annual memorial service on Jan. 10 to honor the service and sacrifice of a number of local veterans who died from June to November 2025.
The veterans memorialized included one who later served as a missionary, another who served as president of a local veteran’s group for multiple terms and a man who met his future wife through correspondence while in serving in the Vietnam War.
Daisy Diaz, director of the Marion County Veterans Service Office, opened the ceremony, which took place in the Marion County Commissioners Auditorium at the McPherson Governmental Complex in southeast Ocala.
The keynote speaker, retired U.S. Army colonel Gorem Black, spoke of the impact of the lives of veterans who give to the military and to their community.
“We remember not only military achievements but also the lives they built here at home. They were fathers (and mothers), neighbors and friends, mentors and leaders,” he said.
David Bice, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, rang a ceremonial bell after each veteran’s name was read during the memorial event. [Photo by Andy Fillmore/Ocala Gazette]
Tanya Hart’s husband, the late Nathaniel Hart Sr., 78, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, from 1968 to 1972, was one of the veterans honored. Tanya Hart and her sister, Shante Busby, came to pay tribute to him. According to a Sellers Funeral Home obituary, he joined the Army in 1966 and served for 20 years, including two tours in Vietnam, and was awarded the Purple Heart. He passed away Nov. 8, 2025. He was a missionary to countries including the Honduras and Panama and served as pastor of Sanctuary of Hope Church in Citra.
The Hart’s son, Nathaniel Hart Jr., 29, died while serving in Iraq. According to thefallen.militarytimes.com, he died as the result of a vehicle crash on July 28, 2003, while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Hart’s grandson, Nathaniel Hart III, 26, is currently serving in the Army,
Among those honored were retired Army lieutenant colonel Frank Rasbury, who died July 24, 2025. Rasbury enlisted in the Army and served for 20 years, including service for which he was decorated in Korea and Vietnam. He served two terms as president of the Kingdom of the Sun Military Officers Association of America, his robertsfunerals.com obituary states.
Wayne Mc Call, 78, died June 23, 2025, according to his robertsfunerals.com obituary. McCall, a former University of Florida Gator football team captain in Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl victories, served as an Army 1st Lieutenant and earned the Joint Services Commendation Medal. McCall served as a trail lawyer and “specialized in personal injury, wrongful death and complex civil litigation. He was respected statewide for his integrity, intellect, and passionate advocacy for justice,” the obituary states.
Gary Fye, 77, an Army veteran, passed away Aug. 21, 2025, according to his Baldwin Brothers Funeral and Cremation Society online obituary. His wife since 1970, Helen Fye, whom he met through “pen pal” correspondence during his service in the Vietnam War and their daughter, Diana, attended the memorial. Fye also has another daughter, Michelle.
During the memorial service, Carolyn Smith, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and chaplain of the Marion County Veterans Council, offered an invocation and benediction. Hannah Stuckey sang the national anthem and “Amazing Grace.” Vanguard High School Navy Junior ROTC members posted the colors and Alexa Ayala, a Senior Patrol Leader with Scouting America Troop 9692, led the pledge of allegiance. The Marion County Memorial Honor Guard provided a rifle salute and taps.
To learn more, go to marionfl.org/agencies-departments/departments-facilities-offices/veterans-services
Those honored during the ceremony were:
US ARMY
| Juan Adames | |
| Guillermo Aviles | |
| Startle D. Barnes | |
| Eric R. Boone | |
| Donald F. Bowman | |
| Michael Busse | |
| Thomas E. Fennessy | |
| Nathaniel Hart | |
| Lee S. Hayward | |
| Michael D. Jackson | |
| Edward H. Johnson Jr. | |
| Nancy Koch
John K. Lee |
|
| Jeffrey M. Leiman | |
| Michael G. Madigan | |
| Wayne C. McCall | |
| James V. Palmieri | |
| Frank M. Rasbury | |
| Michael P. Sausaman | |
| Deborah A. Savage | |
| Raymond W. Tafilowski | |
| Phillip W. Trice | |
| John A. Trudell, Il | |
| Raymond H. Waldron |
US ARMY RESERVE
Doug Green
US MARINE CORPS
| Gary Brown | |
| Richard L. Jones | |
| Anthony L. Lucas | |
| Craig G. Russell | |
| John J. Teehan |
US NAVY
Bruce B. Bissonette
Raymond S. Charnley
Landris V. Curry Jr.
Robert W. Jandrew
O.J. Joyce
Edward L. Morgan
Danny R. Morris
Ralph Spiller
Abhan Wesley Stewart
US AIR FORCE
Frederick G. Day
Ray Dunn
Sherman E. French
Robert L. Hart
William Janssen
Linda McFarland
NATIONAL GUARD
Carl E. Burkhart Jr.
Eugene E. O’Connell
Lanas C. Yandle
Support community journalism
The first goal of the Ocala Gazette is to deliver trustworthy local journalism so corruption, misinformation and abuse are not hidden from the public or unchallenged.
