Tamara New

Tamara New, 68, of Mount Dora, Florida, departed this life on November 18th, 2022 while surrounded by friends and family in her home. Tammy was born on December 20th, 1953 in Coral Gables, Florida, the third of six children, to Gene and Barbara Amenold. She attended elementary school in Florida, middle school in Colorado, and graduated from Apopka Memorial High School, Class of 1971. Her higher education included a Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Central Florida followed by a Master’s in Psychology from Troy University. A strong lifelong advocate of education, Tammy proudly taught in the Lake County School system for 34 years. She began her teaching career at Eustis and Tavares Elementary Schools and subsequently spent 16 years as the 6th grade Language Arts teacher at Tavares Middle School. Additionally, she served as a Guidance Counselor at Eustis Middle, Oak Park Middle, Umatilla Middle, and finally Treadway Elementary where she retired in 2020 after the birth of her first grandchild. Tammy was sincerely dedicated to her job and will be endearingly remembered for all the positive impacts she made on many students during her time as an educator. It would be remiss not to emphasize how much Tammy loved the University of Florida Gator football program. If Tammy was not keeping a seat warm at Ben Hill Griffin stadium as a season ticket holder, she was attending or hosting parties to watch her beloved Gators. Tammy had courageously battled cancer for the last few years of her life with a fierce determination to live and love rather than succumb to illness. Most importantly to her, she was determined to spend precious time with her young grandchildren. She did everything she said she would do and then some, including meeting her second grandchild and celebrating her granddaughter’s second birthday. Tammy did not allow her sickness to consume her life but rather used it as motivation to live each day to the fullest. Throughout her life, Tammy was an extremely strong individual with a great love for fun, friends, and family, who all find comfort in knowing she walks with Jesus today. Tammy was preceded in death by her husband, Larry “Duane” New, her parents, Gene and Barbara Amenold, and her brother Ralph Elsworth Amenold. Tammy is survived by her daughter, Christa Cherry; son-in-law, Stephen Cherry; granddaughter, Stevie June Cherry; grandson, Memphis Duane Cherry; four sisters, Jo Linda Jones, Jeannine Jelsma, Laurie Skinner, and Mary Helen Dillard; and several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and close friends. The viewing will be on Wednesday, November 23rd from 5:00 to 7:00pm at Beyers Funeral Home in Umatilla. The funeral service will be held on December 3rd at 11:00am at the First Baptist Church of Altoona. Procession and burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Eustis.

Tamara New

December 20, 1953 - November 18, 2022