This Service will be lived streamed please click here or https://vimeo.com/event/3395816

Mrs. Small was born on September 9, 1919, in West Palm Beach, FL. She was raised in Gainesville, FL. and attended school in Alachua County. She was the only child of Frank and Lizzie Johnson. Mrs. Small was united in holy matrimony to Thomas Harris, Jr., and 6 children were added to this union. Mrs. Small later married, Benjamin Small and they had 2 sons. Mrs. Small moved to Tampa around 1950 and raised all her children in the Tampa Bay Area. She was one of those who found their way to Progress Village, when the new homes were first being built. She joined the First Baptist Church of Progress Village, where she was the oldest member until her death.

Gwendola was an avid reader and enjoyed making ceramics, sewing, and cooking. She made the best sweet potato pies, and had kept a dress that she had worn when she was around 5 or 6 years old. The dress hung in her room during her stay at Palm Garden of Tampa. She moved to River Pine Apts on 40th Street and then on to Mary Walker Senior Apts. Where she lived independently until her illness and was moved to Palm Garden of Tampa, where she lived until her death. She was lovingly called "grandma and Muhammed Ali" by the majority of the staff, as she was the oldest resident and a fighter.

Mrs. Small was preceded in death by: parents, sons, Frank Harris, Willie James Harris, Carl Small, Sr.; granddaughter, Rosanna Daniels, grandson, Anthony Grant; favorite aunt and uncle, Johnny and Mamie Thomas; daughters-in-law, Nina Small and Ernestine Harris; cousins, Mildred Byron, Johnnie Dillahut, Annie Mae Sherman and Oscar Johnson.

She leaves to cherish her precious memories with daughters, Bernestine Thomas of Toms River, NJ; devoted daughter and caretaker, Lillie H. Bell (Allen), Tampa, Maxine Harris, Ft. Myers, FL.; sons, Thomas Harris, Jr., and Freddie Lee Harris (Genita) of Tampa; grandchildren, Patricia Marcus-Clark, Hope (Robert) Sanders of Germany, Kiwana Bell, Keven Thomas (Lisa) Toms River, NJ, John Howell (Lisa) Newark, NJ, Kenneth McCullough, Sherron Small, Sr. (Mia), Clinton Small, Carl Small, Jr. (Nicole) Lyette Pate (Cornelius, Sr.), Tailor Duhart, Petersburg, VA, Susie Clark, Dequan McDaniels, Gayshawn Mitchell, Zelda Harris, Frederick Harris, Crystal and Christopher Harris, Reginald (Consuela) Small, and Art (Vicky) Small and Daytra, all of Tampa; 3 step grandchildren, Stephanie (Joel) Allen, Ralph David (Jovanna) Berry, and Kim (Timothy) Muehl; cousins, Elizabeth, Leah and Rachel of Tallahassee, FL, and Evelyn Franklin of Clearwater, FL.; daughters-in-law, Eva Brown and Dorothy Mitchell of Tampa; a host of great grands, great great grands, cousins and many other love ones and friends. Special thanks to the Palm Garden of Tampa staff that took very good care of our loved one, Hospice Staff, Pastor Todd Hammond, Deacon and Mrs. Ulysses McMillan, and Juanita Cook of First Baptist Church of Progress Village, who has visited with Mrs. Small and family on many occasions.

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Visitation
Saturday, May 13, 2023
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Chapel of Hope, Aikens Funeral Home
2708 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33610

Funeral Service
Saturday, May 13, 2023
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Chapel of Hope, Aikens Funeral Home
2708 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33610

Burial
Saturday, May 13, 2023
3:00 PM
Rest Haven Memorial Park Cemetery
4615 East Hanna Avenue
Tampa, FL 33610