Elisha G Vardaman

Elisha Gray Vardaman, age 17, of Citrus Springs FL, passed away May 9, 2021, at Shands UF Hospital in Gainesville, FL. Elisha was born in Inverness, FL, on June 28, 2003, to John E. Vardaman, Jr. and Tracy (Cordwell Vardaman) Sawyer. He grew up in Crystal River and Citrus Springs, home-schooling and attending SRCS, CSMS, LHS, and RC. He was developing a painting and landscaping business with his younger brother.
His family describes Elisha as a fun-loving, loyal friend with a sharp knack for reading people. Being 17, with his life greatly devoted to his friends, his work, and his car, he refused to live beyond the moment and was generally willing to drop everything to spend time with a friend. His favorite hobby was building, restoring, and repairing motorized bikes, small engines and his classic Pontiac Fiero. He never met a mirror he didn’t like and took meticulous care of his appearance. Eli researched anything he questioned and could argue relentlessly with dizzying logic! He prided himself on the ability to open any door. For all his larger-than-life magnanimity, Eli enjoyed quiet mornings with his eyes closed and laid-back moments with his closest loved ones. He worked hard and rested harder. He had a special gift for helping those he chose to love know that they were loved and worth loving without explicitly expressing it, and selflessly putting them first without complaint.
Left to cherish his memory are his mother and stepfather, Tracy and Tom Sawyer; his father John Vardaman, Jr; his 3 brothers and 2 sisters: Nathan, Ezra “Ben,” Leah, Micah, and Deborah “Lee” Vardaman; maternal grandparents: Sharon & Ken Kepner, John and Carmela Cordwell; paternal grandparents: John Everette and Becky Jo Vardaman; in addition to many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A Memorial Service for Elisha is scheduled at Seven Rivers Church on Tuesday, May 18, at 7pm. Pastor Paul Manuel will officiate. In lieu of flowers, his family encourages donations to www.filterfamily.org, LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services at lifequest.ufl.edu, or childrenwithhairloss.us. Elisha’s cremains will be placed in several locations which have special significance to him and his family. Because Elisha was an organ donor, he will live on within the recipients who were blessed by his generosity. Cremation With Care by the Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home with Crematory, Inverness.