Remembering ‘Nita’

Long-time Drakes Branch Mayor Juanita Hamlett dies at age 81

By April Hall, Staff Writer

DRAKES BRANCH – Long-time Drakes Branch Mayor and public servant, Juanita Hamlett, passed away on August 1, 2016. Affectionately known as “Nita,” she served her community as Mayor of Drakes Branch from 1986-2002 and served on the Town Council from 2002-2014. Along with her duties as Mayor and Council Member, Nita also represented the Town of Drakes Branch for more than 25 years on the Charlotte County Planning Commission.

In a resolution passed upon her retirement from the Planning Commission it was stated that “Juanita Hamlett carried out her duties as a Planning Commissioner with dedication and care and also used her time and talents to support and assist local organizations that benefit the citizens of Charlotte.”

A funeral service will be held for Nita today (Thursday, August 4, 2016), at 2 p.m., at the Browning Duffer Funeral Home in Keysville, with interment in the Drakes Branch Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Drakes Branch.

Nita was born October 11, 1934, the eldest daughter of Charlie Marion and Eleanor Tharpe and was predeceased by her husband Garland H. Hamlett Sr. She leaves to cherish her memories, her son, Garland H. “Butch” Hamlett Jr. and wife, Julie of Drakes Branch; her daughters, Rhita H. Reebals and husband, Donnie of Appomattox and Gwendolyn H. Pillow of Phenix. (See full obituary inside today’s edition).

*Writer’s note: “As a friend of Nita Hamlett, it is a privilege and an honor to recognize her in this format. Nita was a good friend and she loved her community. Drakes Branch and Charlotte County are much better places because she was a part of them. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.”