Jerry Southwell, formerly with Yara North America Inc. and a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Fertilizer and Agrichemical Association (FFAA), passed away on Sept. 25 after battling pneumonia for several weeks since being hospitalized with COVID, according to an announcement from the FFAA.
Southwell spent almost a quarter century with Yara and its predecessor companies before retiring in 2014. Before joining Yara, he was a Hardee County Extension Directory and Vocational Agribusiness teacher at Desoto County High School in Arcadia, Fla. He was the recipient of FFAA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, having served on FFAA’s Fertilizer Advisory Committee, the FFAA Scholarship Board, and the Florida Certified Crop Advisers Program.
Southwell is survived by his wife Jill, their sons Steven and Josh, daughter Robin, and six grandchildren. A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Oct. 1 at the First United Methodist Church in Wauchula, Fla. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made in his memory to the First United Methodist Children’s Home (https://www.fumch.org/making-a-difference/make-a-donation/) or the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches (https://www.youthranches.org/ways-to-give/online-donation).