Emery Thrift

Emery was born on June 26, 1927 and passed from this life to join his lovely wife, Pamela, in the presence of God in Heaven on July 30, 2023.  They are very happy together again after being almost inseparable for forty years until Pam's tragic death on December 27, 2018 separated them for a time.  He is predeceased by his parents, Mabel and George Thrift, sister Evelyn Thrift Osteen Hughes and daughters Linda Crawford Thrift Ponikvar and Sonya Owens Thrift.  Left with great memories are his children , Emery Glynn  Thrift (Valerie), Sherilyn Wood(Bob), Mark Moore (Lynn), Kelle Moore (Bunny).  There are also numerous wonderful grand and great grand children.  During Emery's preteen and early teen years he worked for Grand's Grocery as  clerk, cashier, stocker, delivery and meat cutter.  He also worked for Newton's Grocery making deliveries for Watts Pharmacy as a clerk, soda jerk and deliveries.  At the early age of fifteen he bought his first car, a 1939 Mercury, and started work for the Seaboard Air Line as a machinist apprentice.  Just weeks before his eighteenth birthday he joined the Navy and after boot camp he was stationed on the US Naval Sub Base in Key West, Florida.  His duty was engineer on a motor launch for a short time before he became the chauffer for the Base Commandant until h is discharge.  He returned to Jacksonville and entered the insurance business with the Florida Inspection Rating Bureau. Two weeks after starting work he married Shirley Robertson.  Eight years later he joined the General Insurance Co. as a Special Agent and moved to Miami traveling Southeast Florida.  Moving back to Jacksonville he worked for several insurance agencies until he moved to Gainesville, FL, to work with Kirkpatrick Insurance Agency, which he later bought and operated and also became a General Contractor until he and then wife Dorothy Norman Kirkland moved to Dublin, California to work with Fry's Supermarket as Store Services Supervisor.  He moved back to Florida and married Pamela Ward Moore in May 1979.  He and Pam moved back to California to resume his position with Fry's.  After several years they moved back to Ocala, Florida, to be closer to family and Emery went to work with the State of Florida Bureau of Worker's Compensation as an Insurance Examiner, traveling anywhere in the United States the insurance company records were located to perform an examination. They moved to Gainesville for daughter, Kelle, to attend college. After Kelle's graduation, Pam started traveling (all by car) full time with Emery and they enjoyed great adventures across the United States while doing his work. In 1992, Emery retired from the State of Florida and signed with them as an Independent Contractor, doing the same jobs. In 2003 he fulfilled his final contract on a special assignment in the offices of the Insurance Commissioner of The State of Colorado. State Insurance Departments changed their guidelines for examination of companies, making the job less available so Emery retired at the age of 76. Pam and emery volunteered at NFRMC for almost 11 years, Pam in NICU and Emery transporting people on the golf cart. They enjoyed 15 very good and happy retirement years together. Emery was a dedicated Christian spending many years in Church leadership and service roles. Then due to numerous life changes, continuous work travel and health, Church has been TV living room services. 

If you desire, please make a memorial donation, in memory of Pamela W and Emery W Thrift to Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, Humane Society of North Central Florida, The Salvation Army of Gainesville, or Westside Baptist Church.