J. Clyde Broome

James Clyde Broome of Gulf Breeze, Fla., passed away Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Fla. He was 89.

Visitation will be held Thursday, Feb. 3, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Rose Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery, 2942 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze, FL, 32563. A service will be held Friday, February 4, at 10:00 a.m. at Barrancas National Cemetery. A procession will leave from Rose Lawn, and those attending the service at Barrancas should be in line by 9:00 a.m.

Mr. Broome was born on July 17, 1932, in Indianola, Miss., to Harold Lee and Frances McCowan Broome. He was predeceased by his wives, Gwyenith (Gwen) Shelton and Elizabeth (Liz) Posey, and is survived by daughters, Cynthia L. Broome of Alexandria, Va., and Diana L. Kinkade (Greg) of Chappells, S.C.

At the age of 15, he joined the Mississippi National Guard. When he was a senior in high school, his unit was mobilized in January 1951. He deployed to Korea as a Sergeant First Class Section Chief of a 105MM Howitzer in the fall of 1951 and returned in late spring in 1952.

He met Gwyenith Shelton and they married in July 1953. He returned to Korea as a Master Sergeant in November 1954 and served 16 months on the DMZ. Based upon his performance in combat, he received a direct commission in the Mississippi National Guard. In March 1988 with a total of almost 40 years’ service, he retired as Colonel, Field Artillery. In addition to the standard military education, he is a graduate of the Army War College and other senior commander’s courses.

Mr. Broome was a graduate of Mississippi State University with a degree in accounting. He was the Chief Financial Officer for several different companies and retired in 1992. During his career, he was a member of various military and civilian organizations.

After retirement he and Gwen moved to Gulf Breeze, Fla., where he continued to serve his community as a Fire Commissioner for 13 years at Midway Fire District. In addition, he was a volunteer with Gulf Breeze Hospital for more than 27 years, serving for many years as treasurer of the Gulf Breeze Hospital Auxiliary. In November 2021, he was honored as Volunteer of the Year at the Baptist Health Care Foundation 2021 Hollinger Awards annual meeting.

He had an innate sense of animals and was known for his love of dogs. Mr. Broome had dogs with both wives throughout their lives together and continued to take in animals who needed a home.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Pensacola Humane Society, 5 North Q Street, Pensacola, FL, 32505 or to the Humane Society of your choice.

You may express condolences to the family and sign the guestbook at www.roselawn-fh.com. Rose Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery of Gulf Breeze is entrusted with the arrangements.