Less than a month after a street in the Newtown area was named in her honor, Faye Bush, the driving force behind Gainesville’s MLK Day observances, has died. Bush was 90 and died in her sleep Jan. 24, according to her obituary.
A native of Martin, Ga., Bush move to Gainesville in 1948.
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Bush became an active member of the Newtown Florist Club. She became its executive director the club in the early 70s and led the organization towards promoting youth development, and “organizing for social, economic, and environmental justice.” She was a past winner of the Gainesville-Northeastern Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award that recognizes a non-lawyer who promotes law and education of law.
Bush spearheaded the naming of the city’s MLK Jr. Boulevard, strived for voting rights and organized the MLK marches and was active in the civil rights movement.
The funeral will be Jan. 31 at 1:00 at St. Paul United Methodist Church on Summit Street.
The full obituary can be read here: Willie Faye Bush Obituary – Visitation & Funeral Information