Wingate - James E. "Dutch" Wingate, 93, of Callahan, Florida passed away October 14, 2022. He was born on August 23, 1929, in Decatur County, Georgia to Ed & Ellen Wingate. Dutch was a graduate of Climax High School, Class of 1947. He proudly served in the United States Navy during the Korean War on the USS Washington in 1948-49. After leaving the service, Dutch worked in Civil Service at NAS Jax, and retired in 1990. From a little boy, he was always known as "Dutch," and he said he almost got in trouble when he joined the Navy because they called "James," and he didn't know who they were talking about. Dutch married Lee Pitts in 1952, and they made their home in Jacksonville, Florida.  He enjoyed visiting his cousin Jack at Lake Seminole and would come up and help out at the restaurant.  You could find Dutch in the kitchen peeling potatoes or cutting up other vegetables. After the death of Lee, Dutch married a classmate from high school, Gwendolyn King. They enjoyed travelling and visited all 48 states. They were always up for a road trip, and even served on mission trips with their church.  Dutch had a servant's heart and was always willing to give to others. He was a faithful member of Climax Baptist Church, and you could find him on the left side back pew. Dutch would greet you, saying, "I don't want a handshake, I want a hug." Another favorite saying of his was "gettin' old ain't for sissies" and he proved he wasn't one. Dutch didn't back down from hard work, and at the age of 93, he was still mowing his own grass. "Papa," as he was known to his grandchildren, had a sweet tooth, and he never turned down a piece of cake or pie.  You could always find a bag of candy beside his chair, usually containing Snickers or M& M's but if you asked him if he needed anything, he would always say, "cool water and kind words." "Be careless and unconcerned" was how he would say goodbye as you left. Those that knew him never doubted his love for his family. Dutch was preceded in death by his parents; wives, Lee Wingate, Gwen Wingate; son, Paul Hogan.

Dutch leaves behind his daughters, Sherry (Billy) Wheat, Nina (Roger) McMillan; grandchildren, Valorie (Danny) Beam, Melanie Kelly, Justin Williams, Blair Williams, and Abigail (Tyler) Beaty; great-grandchildren, Kayla, Jason, Amber, Ryan, Corey (April), Summer, Emma, Thomas, Adriana, Lucas, Brian, and Gracelyn.

Pallbearers will be Jason Wheat, Corey Chaney, Justin Williams, Tyler Beaty, Ryan Lazzaro, and Jeff Suttle. s pallbearers.

A Celebration of Dutch's Life will be held on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. at Nassau Funeral Home with Pastor Steve Poppel officiating.  Family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment will be held on Thursday, October 20, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Riverside Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Samaritan's Purse, PO BOX 3000, Boone, North Carolina 28607. The arrangements are under the care and direction of Nassau Funeral Home. 541720 US-1, Callahan, FL 32011, 904-879-1770. Visit www.nassaufh.com to sign the family's guest book.