Gerald Eubanks

Gerald Eubanks of St. Augustine, Fl., passed away On Thursday, July 5, 2019, at the age of 77. He was a loving son, brother, uncle, and friend to many. Gerald was born on November 1, 1941 in St Augustine, to the late Clifton and Georgia Hancock Eubanks. He was also preceded in death by his brothers, Clifton L. Eubanks and Richard A. Eubanks and niece, Tamara L. DeBerry. He leaves to mourn five sisters; Sandra Stokes (Nathaniel), Marva Saulsby, Tampa, Fl., Beverly DeBerry, Sarasota, Fl., Gail Eubanks, Jacksonville, Fl., Artrelle Eubanks, Tampa, Fl. and one brother, Kenneth Eubanks, Tampa, Fl., nephews; Clifton Eubanks, Jr (Tanjee), Dwayne Eubanks, Kevin Stokes (Sharonda), Nathaniel Stokes Jr. (Dr. Tara), Keith Gerald Eubanks, (Ruth), nieces; Dr. Mikelle Phillips, (James), Erica Eubanks, Arielle Eubanks, and a host of great nephews, great nieces and cousins. Special brother and sister, Ken and Joyce Rich, Viera, FL. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday July 13, 2019 at Trinity Episcopal Church. Entombment will follow in Craig Memorial Park. A visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday July 12, 2019 at St. Johns Family Funeral Home. Gerald grew up on Palmo Street and attended Palmo Street Church of God. Living across from the Church of God provided one of the first interesting awareness’s of his life- Faith and the importance of family; having to attend church four times on Sunday and twice weekly. It, provided his first encounter with his rather large family of uncles, aunts and cousins as there were more than forty of them living on Palmo Street and most attended that church. Gerald played the piano for some of those church services, of which he was very proud. Gerald was a 1959 graduate and Valedictorian of Richard. J. Murray High School. He attended Morehouse College, graduated from Florida Memorial College, and received a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of North Florida. While at Morehouse he encountered the civil rights movement and saw Dr. Martin Luther King. Of recent, Gerald was a faithful member of Trinity Cathedral Parish, and was a lay-reader and a (occasional) vocalist, something he loved dearly. Professionally, he was a 30 year veteran of the St. Johns County School System, having served as a teacher, vice principal and principal. He was also an adjunct Supervisor of Interns at Flagler College for 24 years. Gerald liked to discuss that his first employment adventure was as a newspaper boy-marketing from door-to-door in the Lincolnville community, where he acknowledged that he never made much money and had to be bailed out by his father several times to pay the bill for the newspapers when he was unable to collect from his customers. He noted that his route number was #25. Gerald was considered a Civil Rights Icon and was proud of the role his family played locally in contributing to the passage of the national 1964 Civil Rights Bill of 1964. He also heralded the contributions of the many foot-soldiers that served fearlessly during that era. He served as President of the NAACP Youth Council during that period. Gerald was largely involved in the community throughout his life and was actively involved in area and local theater, the Cultural Review Board of St. Johns County, St. Johns County Library Board, and the Rotary Club of Hastings. He appeared in many commercials and in the television serial, The Safe Harbor. He recently appeared as Frederick Douglas in the unveiling of a downtown marker and in the re-enactment of African American history at Flagler College. He served as a member of Florida Memorial University Board of Trustees and was a past National Alumni President. He was president of the St. Augustine Community Theater and founder and artistic director of Arielle Productions, a non-profit organization which gave him the opportunity to share many of his creative plays and visions in theatric performances, and endeavored to provide culturally diverse entertainment to the community. He was instrumental in producing multiple versions of the lip-sync show Mo-Town and ‘Mo and very proud of his role in Driving Miss Daisy. Gerald became an author of a civil rights history oriented book entitled The Dark Before Dawn - (From Civil Wrongs to Civil Light.) Gerald lived a rich, full, and vibrant life. He had stellar academic success, vital and creative artistic exposure, and a brilliant career in education. Gerald was a trail-blazer and a natural born leader of a depth and magnitude that transcended age, race, and ethnic culture. He would often say, “This is life-this is not a dress-rehearsal.” St. Johns Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Gerald Eubanks

November 1, 1941 - July 5, 2019