Willa Dean Hughey

Willa Dean (Jill) Hughey, 81, passed away on March 10, 2015 in her Jacksonville home. Willa Dean was born July 28, 1933 in Downing, MO to parents Martha Opal (Phelps) Rood and Franklin Dumont Rood. She possessed a charismatic personality, love of nature and animals and an unfailing loyalty, faith, and love in God, family and friends. Willa Dean enjoyed painting landscapes, writing fiction, reading, traveling and playing golf with her grandsons. One of seven girls, the family moved to Abingdon, IL and opened a family diner. She attended Abingdon High School where she was a varsity cheerleader for four years, President of her Sophomore and Senior class, member of the Homecoming Court her junior/senior years and graduated Valedictorian of her class. She was very active in numerous other organizations and received the 1952 Col. Jonathan Latimer Chapter of D.A.R. award. Willa Dean attended Browns Business School, Cottage Hospital Nursing School and Carl Sandburg College all in Galesburg, IL. She worked for the Knox County School System Special Education program supporting the school psychologists, the Knox County Housing Authority, Outboard Marine Corporation, and The State of Illinois Board of Vocational Education and Rehabilitation. Willa Dean later moved to Charlotte, NC to be near her daughters and worked as an accountant/bookkeeper for Patton’s Inc, Joe Wills Insurance and D. Mac Willett, CPA. In 1998, she relocated to Jacksonville, FL to help with the care of her grandsons. She is survived by her daughters, Susan H. Walker of Jacksonville, FL. and Christine A. Wilkie of Huntersville, NC ; her grandsons, Zachary V. Walker of San Diego, CA and Nicholas F. Walker of Jacksonville, FL; and sisters, Corene Koller of Avon, IL, Elaine Johnson of Altona, IL, Melba Onion of Abingdon, IL and Barbara Myers of Marshall, AK. A memorial service will be held on Monday March 23, 2015 at 11:00am at the Mandarin Presbyterian church on Mandarin Road. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to The Salvation Army of Northeast Florida; www.salvationarmynefl.org/, The City Rescue Mission of Jacksonville; www.crmjax.org/, The Jacksonville Humane Society; www.jaxhumane.org/, and Community Hospice of Northeast Florida;www.communityhospice.com/.