Gertrude Dayton Worthington

Gertrude Dayton Worthington
Lanier Village Estates
Gainesville GA 30506

Widowed

Born Wheeling, WV, September 20, 1916.

She was a resident of Daytona Beach area from 1947-2005 and moved from Ormond Beach, Florida to Lanier Village Estates in Gainesville, Georgia in 2005.

Member of First United Methodist Church of Gainesville, Twenty Century Study Club, and Gainesville Symphony Society.

Married to Howard Dayton, Sr. until his death in 1984, and to Tom Worthington until his death in 1993.

Five children: Barbara Smith (deceased), Don Dayton, Howard Dayton, Jr., Hazel Gunn and Deborah Thorburn. Nine grandchildren. Five great grandchildren.



Education

Graduated from Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio. She was the Class Historian, Student Graduation Speaker, a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, elected to the honorary Tau Pi Phi (business society), a member of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities, and a member of the debate team for four years and captain her senior year.



Business

She served as Vice President of Howard Dayton Hotels from 1941-1969 and was a partner in Howard Dayton Enterprises from 1970-1987. She joined husband, Howard Dayton, Sr., on eight International Executive Service Corps assignments in Panama, Mexico, the Philippines, and Ghana from 1970-1978



Honors and Activities

She was listed in Who's Who of American Women, 1966-1974 and Two Thousand Women of Achievement in 1970. She served as Trustee Emeritus of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and received the "Champions of Higher Independent Education" in Florida from the Independent Universities of Florida, 1989. She founded and chaired Harvesting History of Daytona Beach area City Island Library.

She was President of the Daytona Beach Library Board 1969-1971 and 1976-1978 and received Outstanding Citizen Award from the Florida Library Association, 1990 and the Florida Library Friends and Trustees Award in 1981.



Memorial Service

Saturday, August 25 at 3 pm at Lanier Village Estates

Mason & Ward Funeral Home, 1190 McEver Road, Gainesville, Ga. 30504 is in charge of arrangements.