Winford M. Connatser

Winford Connatser passed away peacefully on July 2nd, 2024 at Sarasota Memorial Hospital with his wife and daughters by his side. He was a resident of Sarasota, Florida, most recently of Sarasota Center for Nursing & Rehab. Winford was born May 30th, 1941 and raised in Sevierville, TN where he attended the University of Tennessee and worked as a surveyor. As a Christian, he was of the Baptist faith. He was a Viet Nam Vet who proudly served in the United States Navy. He was stationed in San Diego, CA and was a flight deck aviation tech on the USS Hancock and the USS Bonhomme Richard Aircraft carriers. He married his wife Linda with whom he had been married for 59 years. November 26 would have been their 60th year anniversary. They moved to Sarasota in 1967 where he began his career with GTE/Verizon soon after, as an Equipment Installer before retiring in 1995. He then began his Handyman business, working at Computer Associates and then independently before officially retiring, and yet continued to help others with projects and home repairs. Winford spent his life helping others, giving his time, knowledge and resources to help those in need. He loved the outdoors, hiking in the Smokies, and whitling. He had a vast array of hobbies and woodworking projects he was always creating and had a love of gardening. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed cheering on his Tennessee Volunteers! There wasn’t much he couldn’t do, as he was happiest learning new things and keeping busy working on projects and ideas. He loved helping his grandchildren discover the great outdoors, looking for good walking sticks, hiking and making things. Tennessee was home to him, and always spoke so fondly of his time growing up there and many memories of his wonderful childhood. He is survived by his wife Linda, daughters Kim Van Meter of Sarasota/Joe of Illinois, and Karen Borah of Gainesville. Grandchildren Jeremy Van Meter of Illinois, Adam Van Meter/Michelle of Sarasota, Heather Borah/Darius of Tennessee, Megan Kirkley/Kevin of Ocala and Devin Borah/Trish of Tennessee, 9 great-grandchildren, and his sister Evelyn Sandlin of Tennessee. He was preceded in death by his parents, Leonard and Trula Connatser, his sister Eleanor McCarter of Tennessee and his great-grandson Xavier Van Meter of Missouri. Toale Brothers Funeral Home is officiating. Visitation will be at Toale Brothers Funeral Home, Colonial Chapel, 40 N Orange Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236, on Sunday July 7th from 12-2 pm. Burial service will be at Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Road 72, Sarasota, FL 34241, on Monday July 8th at 9.30 Am.

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Winford M. Connatser

May 30, 1941 - July 2, 2024