Augustus Fred Chandler

Augustus "Gus" Fred Chandler, 94, of Lake City, FL, passed away on February 3, 2026. Gus was born on July 9, 1931 in Pavo, GA to Fred Mathias & Elodie McCann Chandler. His parents moved to a small area of Miami, FL called Ojus shortly after his birth. He graduated from Miami Edison High School in 1949. He worked for McTyre Trucking prior to entering the military. Gus served four years [1950-1954/Korean War] in the US Navy as a mechanic aviator. On September 18, 1954, he married Annie Laura [Deloach] and resided in Ft. Lauderdale, FL until 1971. Gus had a tremendous work ethic and drive like riding a bicycle delivering newspapers in the neighborhood. He worked on the farms of Homestead, FL, harvesting tomatoes and cucumbers; he carried his saltshaker in his back pocket to season the vegetables he would eat for his lunch. When he began driving, he hauled concrete block from Miami to Okeechobee; and drove for a prominent dairy company delivering milk from home to home. He finally found his expertise in crane mechanics and operation and became a Crane Operator for Local 675 in south Florida. He made a career in building the high rises of the southern east coast for the most of 30 years on tower cranes. As he stepped down from the tower crane and entered retirement years, Gus worked for Sims Crane Service as a consultant, eight years. In 1971, he moved Laura and four children to Lake City, FL [Ellisville] to a farm. Gus had cattle, hay field, corn and a vegetable garden [and the saltshaker]. He loved and valued family and friends; he had a great time at family gatherings and liked being in charge of the BBQ grill. He loved to fish in his younger years usually choosing Lake Okeechobee. Then, in retirement, he turned to riding a motorcycle; at the age of 71 he bought a motorcycle and then another. Gus rode the local roads and in the mountains of Tennessee and N. Carolina until 90 years young, usually with his son, Harmon. Gus was in church most of his life with his parents and raising his own family. He was of the Baptist faith and a current member of Elim Baptist Church of Ft. White. He had a great sense of humor and used it often either for us or against us! So, we had to be ready to be involved or run. Gus is survived by his four children: Harmon A. Chandler [Teresa]; Elaine Badgerow [Darryl]; LoriAnn Barnes [Warren]; Lisa Marie Edenfield [Randall]. His grandchildren: Jason [Lynn] Chandler of Mayo, FL; Scott [Ashley] Chandler of Wellborn, FL; Jessica [Jason] Tison of Madison, FL; Mary [Nic] Nyssen of Gainesville, FL; David Badgerow of Jacksonville, FL; Jennifer Barnes of Denver, Colorado; Laura [Brayden] Yingling of Sneads Ferry, NC; Thomas Barnes of Bell, FL; Lindsay [Joshua] Quattrone of Raeford, NC; Amanda [Kyle] Wardwell of Slidell, LA; Joshua [Erika Raye] Edenfield of Lake City. He is also survived by 15 great-grandchildren; two sisters: Peggy Sanders of Monticello, FL & Sandra Gagne of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Gus has a host of nieces and nephews. He was predeceased in death by his wife of 37 years, Annie Laura [Deloach] Chandler; sister, Mabel Pirkle of Anniston, AL & brother, Clyde M. Chandler of Tallahassee, FL; a daughter-in-law, Karen Tanner Chandler of Obrien, FL. A celebration of life is planned for 11:00am, Saturday, February 14, 2026, at Elim Baptist Church, 3435 SW Elim Baptist Church Road, Ft White, FL. Interment follows the service at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens, Lake City. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Haven Hospice Foundation, https://havenhospice.com/donate.

Gus, dad/pop, grandpa/papa, great-papa will be so deeply missed by all who loved him.