In her early teenage years, Pec McGinnes’ grandmother gave her specific instructions:
I want you to date Dubby McGinnes before I die.
“I hardly knew Dub,” Pec McGinnes said. “But I adored my grandmother. I was in ninth grade, and First Baptist Church of Plant City was having a Sweetheart Banquet. I asked him to go with me.”
Then a junior at Plant City High School, W.D. “Dub” McGinnes Jr. had already taken a quiet interest in his Sweetheart date.
“I had noticed Pec in high school,” Dub McGinnes said. “I had noticed her standing in line, going to the lunchroom. I was excited because I knew who she was.”
The couple dated for seven years before getting married. Pec McGinnes’ grandmother lived to see the couple marry, graduate from the University of Florida and announce their first pregnancy.
On Sunday, Aug. 7, the couple celebrated their 46th anniversary. Together, they have two daughters, Lori Yarbrough and Tara Rollyson, and four grandchildren, Ashlyn, Katelyn, Brendan and Tanner. All reside in Plant City.
Through a strong foundation of faith and teamwork, Dub and Pec McGinnes have worked tirelessly to make Plant City a welcoming community for families.
A Lending Hand
Years after that first Sweetheart Banquet, the McGinnes’ still attend First Baptist Church of Plant City. Dub McGinnes serves as a church deacon and is co-chairman of the Promised Land Committee, which oversees the building of the new campus in south Plant City. Together, both Dub and Pec McGinnes worked for years at the church as Sunday school teachers, and Pec McGinnes additionally worked with the church’s youth.
In May 2010, Pec McGinnes was named the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce’s “Good Egg of the Month” for her cooking and caring for those in need.
In a back closet of the couple’s Walden Lake home, Pec McGinnes has put supplies and planning materials into storage tubs. Her ability to plan, paired with a desire to help people, has made her a go-to person for events in Plant City.
“She’s the best organizer in the world,” Dub McGinnes said. “She senses needs that need to be done.”
“I’m the worker bee,” Pec McGinnes said. “I don’t usually want to be chairman (of organizations), but I’ll do the work behind the scenes.”
While his wife is behind the scenes, Dub McGinnes serves as the face of many Plant City organizations. After serving as the president of McGinnes Lumber Company, Dub McGinnes sold the company in 2000 and retired in 2008. He was named Plant City’s Citizen of the Year in 2015.
“My biggest fear (after I retired) was that I was going to wake up one day and think, ‘What have I done? What am I going to do?’” Dub McGinnes said. “That day has never come. Oh, my word.”
Dub McGinnes is busier now than when he was working. He currently serves as a director for Sunshine Bank and Sunshine Bancorp Inc., chairman for South Florida Baptist Hospital’s Board of Trustees and member of the South Florida Baptist Foundation Board. He’s held past leadership roles for the BayCare Health System’s Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, United Way and the Lumber Executives Organization.
Both Dub and Pec McGinnes also are involved at their grandchildren’s schools: Tomlin Middle and Plant City High schools.
The couple’s passion for the community is evident throughout the year, but reaches its peak during Plant City’s most-beloved event: the Florida Strawberry Festival.
Full Circle
Dub McGinnes dons a red coat often for his role as a director — and treasurer and entertainment committee member — for the Florida Strawberry Festival.
Pec McGinnes has her own role in making the festival a success. She served on the Strawberry Ball Committee for three years, co-chaired the Strawberry Festival Fashion Show for five years and continues to serve as a day co-captain for the festival’s information booth.
A former Strawberry Festival Queen’s Court member, she was responsible for helping create a manners class for the festival’s royalty to help them feel comfortable at their many events throughout the year. This year, granddaughter Ashlyn Yarbrough serves as a court member.
For the couple, contributing to so many events in Plant City is their way of continuing to make the town a place for their children and many others to call home.
“Plant City was a close community when we were growing up and still is,” Dub McGinnes said. “All the people that have gone before us … everybody has jumped in and helped. One of our prayers when Tara and Lori were growing up … was that the girls would live in town. There were lots of twists and turns, but they came back.”
They attribute the success of their marriage and their ability to give back to both their faith in God and willingness to support each other, always.
“I’ve got the best ‘bunny’ in the world,” Dub McGinnes said, referencing his nickname for his wife. “In a marriage, you support each other.”
“I’ve got the best husband in the world,” Pec McGinnes added. “I tell him that every day. I believed it when I married him, and I believe it to this day.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.