Obituary for Evelina Chevon "Tina" O'Neal
Evelina Chevon O'Neal (affectionately known as Tina) was born in Alachua General Hospital in Gainesville Florida on December 5, 1970, as the third of four children born to the late Charlie O’Neal, Sr. and Ola Mae (Dump) Simmons O’Neal.
Tina grew up in a loving home and learned of Christ from her mother. She was a life-long member of Jerusalem Church of God by Faith and developed an indelible love for God under the pastorate of the late Elder N.R. Burney. She was a faithful member of her local church and the Church of God by Faith on both the district and national levels. Tina inherited a love of praise through song from her mother’s family and was such a wonderful steward of that gift. She directed Young Adult Choir and served as president of the Primary Jr. Choir at Jerusalem for more than 20 years. During her tenure, the Jerusalem Young Adult Choir attained renowned status as a premier assemblage, always in high demand across the southeastern region. After two decades of superb, committed service, Tina passed directorship on to the next generation of talented leaders. However, she continued to nurture and mentor the group and was bestowed the honor of Director Emeritus. She will be forever known to those in the industry as the quintessential choir director. She knew how to pull the best of singers and truly taught them to be one voice, one beautiful sound. She was a member of the Gainesville District Choir member from 1987-2020 and the Simmons Family Choir from 2011-2020. In addition to singing and directing, one of her most favorite things adventures in the church was attend Church of God by Faith National Convention annually. She looked forward to reconnecting with By Faithers from across the nation and worshipping in unison with thousands of believers.
Tina matriculated through the Alachua County school system and graduated with the Buchholz High School - Class of 1988. She went on to attend Career City College with her cousin, Constance. She graduated Cum Laude as a member of the first class (19--), earning an Associate Degree in Data Processing. After school, Tina worked diligently for the rest of her life. She was a teacher at Small World from 1988-1992 in the 3-year-old class and an instructor for O'Neal Family Daycare from 1992-2002. She also worked briefly at Tacachale from 1992-1994. She found a career she genuinely loved when she began working at Tower Hill Insurance Group (THIG) in 1999. For the next 21 years, she worked her way up progressively in roles of greater responsibility. Her final position at THIG was Underwriting Senior Data Processor.
Like her mother, Tina was completely devoted to her family. Although she never gave birth, she was a mother-figure to all her nieces and nephews, cousins, and many of their friends. She was selfless when it came to the entire O’Neal crew. Her nieces and nephews knew that if they really wanted something, Auntie Tina was the person to go to; she would make it happen. There was nothing she would not do for her family. She and her sister, Sheila were best friends their entire lives. They were rarely seen without one another. Her brothers could depend on her to be their sounding board and biggest encourager. Her sister-in-love always knew that Tina had her back, no matter what. She was everyone’s favorite cousin. She loved to laugh and have a good time. Tina absolutely adored being with her family: everyone from immediate kinships to extended cousins and friends. Much to her father’s chagrin, Tina was a huge Florida State University fan. She light-heartedly sparred with family and friends about the Seminoles vs the Florida Gators at every gathering. She also enjoyed traveling and trying new things. Tina was a lover of living life to the fullest and lived without regrets.
She was preceded in death by her doting parents: Charlie O’Neal, Sr. and Ola Mae O’Neal, as well as many beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins. After 49 years of love, laughter, and anointed song, Evelina “Tina” O’Neal took God by the hand and entered eternal reward on Monday, October 19, 2020 at UF Health-Shands. Although her wings were ready, the hearts of those who knew and loved her were not. Solace and joy will be embraced in every recollection of our beloved Tina.
Those left to cherish her loving memory are - her siblings: Charlie O’Neal, Jr. (and companion, Christena Boyd), Sheila O’Neal Marbury (Marvin), and Roddrick O’Neal – all of Gainesville, Florida; sister-in-love: Kereisha; nieces and nephews: Dereck O’Neal, Lakyria O'Neal, Neisha O'Neal, Chantel O'Neal, Kaylee Hargrove (Donnie), Kerryn O'Neal, Demond O'Neal, Zae'on O'Neal, Kameron O'Neal, Makiya Marbury, Kason O'Neal, great-nieces and great-nephews: Khanyla, Alani, Donnie, Mason, and Jaelynn; aunts and uncles: Zola M. Johnson, Burneda Robinson (Milton Robinson, Sr.) Evangelist Gladys Ellis (Ernest), Katherine Thomas and Alvin Simmons (Alfreda) – all of Gainesville, Florida; god-brothers: Dimitri Sewell and Isaac Brown; god-children: Tyler Lattimore, Brianna Cohen, Michelle Martin, Lord Green; and a host of dearly regarded cousins and friends.
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Tina grew up in a loving home and learned of Christ from her mother. She was a life-long member of Jerusalem Church of God by Faith and developed an indelible love for God under the pastorate of the late Elder N.R. Burney. She was a faithful member of her local church and the Church of God by Faith on both the district and national levels. Tina inherited a love of praise through song from her mother’s family and was such a wonderful steward of that gift. She directed Young Adult Choir and served as president of the Primary Jr. Choir at Jerusalem for more than 20 years. During her tenure, the Jerusalem Young Adult Choir attained renowned status as a premier assemblage, always in high demand across the southeastern region. After two decades of superb, committed service, Tina passed directorship on to the next generation of talented leaders. However, she continued to nurture and mentor the group and was bestowed the honor of Director Emeritus. She will be forever known to those in the industry as the quintessential choir director. She knew how to pull the best of singers and truly taught them to be one voice, one beautiful sound. She was a member of the Gainesville District Choir member from 1987-2020 and the Simmons Family Choir from 2011-2020. In addition to singing and directing, one of her most favorite things adventures in the church was attend Church of God by Faith National Convention annually. She looked forward to reconnecting with By Faithers from across the nation and worshipping in unison with thousands of believers.
Tina matriculated through the Alachua County school system and graduated with the Buchholz High School - Class of 1988. She went on to attend Career City College with her cousin, Constance. She graduated Cum Laude as a member of the first class (19--), earning an Associate Degree in Data Processing. After school, Tina worked diligently for the rest of her life. She was a teacher at Small World from 1988-1992 in the 3-year-old class and an instructor for O'Neal Family Daycare from 1992-2002. She also worked briefly at Tacachale from 1992-1994. She found a career she genuinely loved when she began working at Tower Hill Insurance Group (THIG) in 1999. For the next 21 years, she worked her way up progressively in roles of greater responsibility. Her final position at THIG was Underwriting Senior Data Processor.
Like her mother, Tina was completely devoted to her family. Although she never gave birth, she was a mother-figure to all her nieces and nephews, cousins, and many of their friends. She was selfless when it came to the entire O’Neal crew. Her nieces and nephews knew that if they really wanted something, Auntie Tina was the person to go to; she would make it happen. There was nothing she would not do for her family. She and her sister, Sheila were best friends their entire lives. They were rarely seen without one another. Her brothers could depend on her to be their sounding board and biggest encourager. Her sister-in-love always knew that Tina had her back, no matter what. She was everyone’s favorite cousin. She loved to laugh and have a good time. Tina absolutely adored being with her family: everyone from immediate kinships to extended cousins and friends. Much to her father’s chagrin, Tina was a huge Florida State University fan. She light-heartedly sparred with family and friends about the Seminoles vs the Florida Gators at every gathering. She also enjoyed traveling and trying new things. Tina was a lover of living life to the fullest and lived without regrets.
She was preceded in death by her doting parents: Charlie O’Neal, Sr. and Ola Mae O’Neal, as well as many beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins. After 49 years of love, laughter, and anointed song, Evelina “Tina” O’Neal took God by the hand and entered eternal reward on Monday, October 19, 2020 at UF Health-Shands. Although her wings were ready, the hearts of those who knew and loved her were not. Solace and joy will be embraced in every recollection of our beloved Tina.
Those left to cherish her loving memory are - her siblings: Charlie O’Neal, Jr. (and companion, Christena Boyd), Sheila O’Neal Marbury (Marvin), and Roddrick O’Neal – all of Gainesville, Florida; sister-in-love: Kereisha; nieces and nephews: Dereck O’Neal, Lakyria O'Neal, Neisha O'Neal, Chantel O'Neal, Kaylee Hargrove (Donnie), Kerryn O'Neal, Demond O'Neal, Zae'on O'Neal, Kameron O'Neal, Makiya Marbury, Kason O'Neal, great-nieces and great-nephews: Khanyla, Alani, Donnie, Mason, and Jaelynn; aunts and uncles: Zola M. Johnson, Burneda Robinson (Milton Robinson, Sr.) Evangelist Gladys Ellis (Ernest), Katherine Thomas and Alvin Simmons (Alfreda) – all of Gainesville, Florida; god-brothers: Dimitri Sewell and Isaac Brown; god-children: Tyler Lattimore, Brianna Cohen, Michelle Martin, Lord Green; and a host of dearly regarded cousins and friends.
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Previous Events
Visitation
Friday
30
Oct
2:00 PM
- 7:00 PM
Pinkney-Smith Funeral Home - Gainesville
727 NW 2nd Street
Gainesville, FL 32601
Service
Saturday
31
Oct
11:00 AM
- 7:00 PM
Destiny Community Church
20820 West Newberry Road
Newberry, FL 32669
Rockey McKinley, Pastor, Minister Jerrod Wilson, Presiding, Elder Terry Lee Jr., Eulogist
Cemetery Details
Location
Forest Meadows Cemetery - East
3700 SE Hawthorne Road
Gainesville, FL 32640
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