Andrew "Buddy" Gill

NOTICE: DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS: BUDDY GILL'S SERVICE IS CHANGED TO FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH. 
Mr. Andrew "Buddy" Gill, age 55 of Paxton and Defuniak Springs, Florida went to be with the Lord early Saturday morning, September 12, 2020. His loving mother and two sisters were by his side.
Funeral services will be held 11 a.m., Friday, September 18, 2020, at Keahey Funeral Home of Lockhart. The family will receive friends 30 minutes prior to services. Rev. Curtis Manning and Rev. Jack Thomas will officiate. The eulogy will be given by Kymberly Keahey. Interment will follow in the Caney Creek Baptist Church Cemetery with Keahey Funeral Home directing. Serving as pallbearers will be Lester Johnson, Jerry Barbaree, Wayne McCord, Caleb McCord and Danny Glidewell. The Keahey Funeral Home family of employees will serve as honorary pallbearers.
A "Time of Remembrance" will be held 3 p.m., Monday, September 14, 2020, at Keahey Funeral Home in Andalusia. Friends and family will share memories of Buddy, a casual reception will follow with some of Buddy's favorite snacks. Attendees may wear Florida State Seminole colors for Buddy.
Buddy was born March 8, 1965 in Florala, Alabama; he attended Walton High School in Defuniak Springs; at the age of 16, the school's work-study program gave him his introduction to the funeral profession with a part time position with McLaughlin Funeral Home in Niceville, Florida. That passion to serve grieving families remained in Buddy's heart for 39 years. He was an extremely talented restorative and cosmetic artist.
Through the years, Buddy had worked with McLaughlin Funeral Home, Commander Funeral, Bottom's Garden Chapel in Geneva, Jerry Evans Funeral Home in Defuniak Springs, Gilmer Funeral Home in Mobile, and for a brief time for a large corporate funeral home in Pennsylvania, which Buddy returned home very quickly because he hated the snow! When he joined the Keahey's over 10 years ago, Buddy said he had found his "forever place" where he would one day retire.
His short stints of not working with a funeral home placed him working as a police officer with the City of Defuniak Springs and a Deputy Sheriff with Walton County Sheriff's Department. He had served as a assistant coroner at one point in his career.
In his younger years, one of his leisure activities was performing as a professional wrestler, being the "antagonist" named "The Grave Digger", mostly in the Mobile area. He enjoyed what he described as "the simple life" of grilling on weekends with family and friends, sitting on the beach watching the ocean, cooking at church socials with his mother and aunts and dotting on his dog.
Left to cherish his memory, "the love of Buddy's life" his mother,
Esther Edwards of Defuniak Springs; his son, Jeremy Gill of Pasco, Washington; sisters, Kris Carroll (Brandon) of Eucheeanna, Florida; Yvonne Wildes (Donnie), Uncle Lester Gill (Shilla); Aunt Anice Franklin, Aunt Adice Mathews, all of the Caney Creek Community; numerous nieces and nephews. The family express that they would like to name each person who was so special to Buddy, but they might leave someone's name out. "You know who you are, and we "the family" appreciates the love and prayers you have shown and the phone calls to encourage Buddy as we and he knew the departure was near.
Buddy was preceded in death by his father, Doug Edwards; grandparents, Andrew and Ruth Gill of the Caney Creek Community and other aunts and uncles that he loved dearly. Buddy's simple life filled with service to others will always be remembered by those who will always truly cherish his memory. The family stated Buddy's final words as, "Tell people not to lay up their treasures on Earth, I have never hooked a U-Haul to a hearse!" Buddy was right with God and ready to go.
 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Andrew "Buddy" Gill, please visit our floral store.