Obituary of Lancy Gayle

Lancy Gayle, affectionately known as Richard or to his siblings as "Bull" was born in Quickstep, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on December 29, 1949 to Richard and Beatrice Gayle. He was the 10th of 17 children born to this union. At the age 15 he left home and moved to Old Harbour, where he lived and worked until he migrated to the United States in the early 1970s. He worked with U.S. Sugar on the Okeelanta estates for a number of years. He lived in Dade City, Florida working on the farms which is what he loved to do. He worked in every state from Florida to New York on various crops: apples in NY, watermelons in GA, and beans and cucumbers in the Carolina's just to name a few. He finally settled down in LaBelle in 1979 being a crew leader picking oranges for A. Duda and Sons. He started L&M rentals in 1981, where many migrant workers lived during the orange season, but farming was in his blood and he never gave up. He worked at A. Duda and Sons until his dream of being a farmer came to fruition. He purchased the property on G road and began his own farm. He farmed produce such as okra, collard greens, sweet potatoes, cabbage and pumpkin. He reaped and delivered to many stores in the tri-county area. Stores such as Bravo, Save A Lot, the farmer market in Immokalee and many more, just to name a few. Richard as he was called by many was loved by many, there was not one person who met him, who didn't love him. He gave of himself to everyone, even to those he didn't know. Everyone knew the man who sold the greens even when they didn't know his name, if you had money, you got greens but if you didn't have money, you got it just the same. Richard knew the Lord, he devoted his life to the Lord and insisted he wanted to be baptized before the end of the year 2013, and he was baptized in September of 2013. He leaves to mourn his passing: Wife Joyce, sons: David, Charlie and Selvin, Daughters: Shelvaunda, Stacy and Eleanor. Twenty-one grandchildren, five brothers: Frederick, Abraham, Melrose, Winston and Cordel, six sisters: Adel, Joan, Miriam Ambriozine, Maxine and Idie, a host of nieces, nephews, friends and well-wishers. He will be greatly missed, May his soul rest in peace.