Houston Obie Gilmore

HOUSTON OBIE GILMORE, 83, passed away peacefully on September 11, 2018 surrounded by family at his home in Fort Walton Beach.  Services will be held on Saturday, September 15, 2018, 10:00 A.M. at Mary Esther United Methodist Church in Mary Esther, FL with burial to follow at Poplar Head Methodist Church in Westville, FL at 2:00 P.M.  

Houston was born January 12, 1935 in a farmhouse in Westville, Florida, the first of 6 children of Obie Steiner & Eleanor Gilmore. He grew up on the farm raising cattle, crops, and logging timber. He graduated Ponce De Leon High School in 1953 and worked his way through two years of college at Chipola College, Chipley, FL while serving in the National Guard. In 1956, he started in the insurance business with Interstate Life Insurance Company working in Orlando, Gainesville, and the Lake City area - rising to become supervisor of the North Florida region. He moved back to Ft. Walton Beach in the early 1970’s and in 1978 founded Gilmore Insurance & Bonding, Inc. where he worked until retiring in 1999. After retirement he remained active around the agency until his later years.  During his life, Houston served as Past-President and member of the Ft. Walton Beach Lions Club; the Shriners in Geneva, AL; and The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida (Etna Lodge #202, Westville, FL) achieving the degree of Master Mason in 1960 and receiving his 55 year service pin in 2015.    

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Jean, and his four brothers: Gaston, Dalton, Shelton and Fulton Gilmore.  He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Mary Lou Gilmore of Ft. Walton Beach; two sons: Duane Gilmore of Navarre, FL and Robert Gilmore of Destin, FL; step-son: David Adkins of Ft. Walton Beach; five grandchildren: Mathew Gilmore of Tallahassee, FL; Nicole Gilmore of Navarre, FL; Tami Oliver of Vidalia, GA; Presley Gilmore of Destin, FL; Danny Adkins of Fort Walton Beach, FL; 7 great-grandchildren: Tristan, Cadence, Layton, Dalton and Allyanna, all of Vidalia, GA;  Kaylee Adkins and Kaden Adkins of Ft. Walton Beach, FL; and his sister: Annette Redmon of Ponce De Leon, FL.  

In lieu of flowers expressions of sympathy may be made in his name to the Mary Esther United Methodist Church, 703 Miracle Strip Pkwy, Mary Esther, FL 32569.