Fall kills former Gainesville man

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - A former Gainesville man, who spent most of his life here, will be buried Friday after falling to his death in Florida last week in a work-related accident.

Willie Wesley Pethel, 58, of St. Augustine, worked for the St. John's County school system.

According to the St. Augustine Record, Pethel was pressure washing the roof of a school building when he lost his footing and fell through a skylight onto the floor of the two-story building.

A spokesman for the school system tells AccessNorthGa.com, Pethel was a maintenance worker and had worked for the school system for a "little less than six years."

Pethel had a long career in automobile sales in the north Georgia area, according to his obituary.

Private graveside services will be held in Gainesville Friday.

(A complete obituary can be found on the AccessNorthGa.com obituary page.)