Gwendolyn Thomas Fort (4/17/41 - 8/30/21)Daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher, mentor, friend.

Gwendolyn Thomas Fort, born in Lacoochee, FL to Ida Lee Massey & William Thomas, was the oldest of four children. In addition, her mother Ida Lee reared six others, the children of two deceased sisters: Callie Pop and Mary Jane Williams. They lived closely and comfortably in house #36 in the Quarters. An early reader, Gwen looked forward to the Bookmobile, which occasionally came thru Lacoochee. She read Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, & other writers who inspired her, revealing "the Lord helps those who help themselves." After graduating as her high schools valedictorian, Gwen was a scholarship student at FAMU. She later moved to San Jose and met the love of her life, Verlee Fort. God has a sense of humor; she went all the way to CA to meet a man from FL. Gwen continued to study & teach, & Verlee worked at Lockheed & finally at IBM. While in CA, she attended UC San Jose, UC Berkeley, & Santa Clara University. In 1968, Verlee & Gwen moved to Boca Raton where they continued to study, work, love life and each other. In 1970, they were blessed with their only child, Verlee Marcara (Marc) Fort. Life continued according to God's plans, & they moved again, this time to Austin, TX, where they lived until 2007. Gwen taught English for 42 years, educating & inspiring over 6,300 students in St. Petersburg, San Jose, Boca Raton, & Austin. Some of her favorite books to teach: Invisible Man, Beloved, Shakespeare, The Little Prince, & Great Expectations. Verlee & Gwen later returned to FL for retirement, living in Wesley Chapel by the motto "with God all things are possible." Gwen is survived by her husband Verlee, her son Marc, & her siblings Willie Mae Graham, Laurine Graham, & Ricky Thomas.

Visitation

Hodges Family Funeral Home, Zephyrhills

Friday, September 3, 2021 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM 36327 SR 54 Zephyrhills, FL 33541 Directions Funeral Service

Hodges Family Funeral Home, Zephyrhills

Saturday, September 4, 2021 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM 36327 SR 54 Zephyrhills, FL 33541 Directions Graveside Service

Chapel Hill Gardens

Saturday, September 4, 2021 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM 11531 Hwy 301 Dade City, Florida 33525 Directions