U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Bessie Joyce Sampson Scott
SUMTER — Bessie Joyce Sampson Scott, mother, teacher, and civic volunteer, was born July 6, 1922, in Sumter, South Carolina. She was the fourth of five children born to the late William Benjamin Sampson and Bessie Vermelle Moore Sampson. She departed this life on Friday April 29, 2005, in Tuomey Regional Medical Center, Sumter, South Carolina.
After graduating from Lincoln High School, she attended Spelman College and Hampton Institute, earning a Bachelor’s degree in secondary education. She was united in marriage on July 18, 1944, to Benjamin Franklin Scott, Jr., who died five years ago. They were the proud parents of two children. A born teacher, she showed the path to success and inspired the future lives of community children all her life, in Halifax, Virginia, Chicago, Illinois, Roxbury, and Lowell Massachusetts, and, the last five years of her career, in Sumter, S.C., at Hillcrest. Inheriting the love of books from her mother, who was librarian at Ebenezer, she was an English teacher and devoted to culture. Students in her classes performed in musical plays and were taken on field trips to museums and other cultural sites to broaden their horizons. A person who never ceased to love learning, she was awarded her Master’s degree in teaching from Boston College in 1968. While in Boston, she was also designated a master teacher. She and her husband were active in the movement to end de facto segregation in Boston, and, to that end, she taught in and led the curriculum committee of that city’s first Freedom School.
Among her other career activities were editorial assistant and researcher at Johnson Publications in their early years and docent at the Art Institute of Chicago. She and her husband were also members of the Skyloft Players, a black amateur theatrical group in Chicago. In 1979, she and her husband returned to Sumter, her childhood home and the home of her sisters, Dorothy Sampson, Irene Sampson Williams and her husband, Drefus Williams.
She showed interest in her community by working with civic and church organizations wherever she lived. Her volunteer record includes service in the Chicago Child Care Society, the Woman’s Board of the Chicago American Cancer Society, the City Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago, and many more activities. Her advice to parents and teachers was always the same, “Help children to want to improve their society, and teach them to read. You owe it to them. Don’t let them grow up to be nonreaders.”
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by two brothers: William Christopher Sampson, Sr. and Donald James Sampson, Sr.
Always caring and devoted to her family, her nickname was “Doy.” She is survived by her son, Christopher Jehu Scott of Sumter, SC, her daughter, Barbara Joyce Scott Burton-Edwards and her son-in-law, Mozette DuJuan Edwards, Sr. of Sumter, SC; her two sisters, Dorothy Vermelle Sampson and Irene Sampson Williams of Sumter, SC; her brother-in-law, Drefus Williams of Sumter, SC; her sister-in-law, LaBarbara Powell Sampson of Greenville, SC; three granddaughters, Lara Lynn Scott of St. Louis, MO, Paige Alana Scott Reed and her husband, Christopher Shaw Reed of Brookline, MA, and Stacey Lynnise Burton Horn and her husband, Kavin Horn of Deland, FL; two great-grandsons, Silas Benjamin Reed and Jasper Quinlar Reed of Brookline, MA, and two great-granddaughters, Dasia Nicole Watts-Horn and Kaia Jaelyn Horn of Deland, FL; two goddaughters, Gail Sampson Clemens of Philadelphia, PA, and DreNita Williams-Garner of Long Beach, CA; nieces, nephews, other family and close friends.
Services will be held Saturday, May 7, 2005, at 10 a.m. at the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Sumter, with Father Mark Riggs officiating, assisted by Rev. Willie Wright. Burial will follow in the Walker Cemetery.
Palmer Memorial Chapel, Inc. in Sumter, S.C., is in charge of arrangements.
William Blake
BAMBERG — William David Blake, 74, of 566 Pine St., Bamberg, SC 29003, husband of Adrienne Morrell Blake, born January 31, 1931, in Norway, S.C., died May 5, 2005, in Palmetto Baptist Hospital, Columbia, S.C. He was the son of the late Thomas Malcolm Blake and the late Macey Brunson Blake and affiliated with First Baptist Church, Bamberg, S.C. His business was the timber industry and his personal activities included camping, yard work and fixing things. Funeral is May 7, 2005, Saturday at 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Bamberg, S.C., officiated by Revs. Bob Johnson and Kelly Shanks. Burial to follow in Bamberg County Memory Gardens. Survivors: his wife of the home; son, Weston and Tracey Blake of Florence, S.C. Predeceased by brother, Malcolm T. Blake and sister, Effie Lee Hudson. Number of nieces and nephews. Visitation will be May 5, 2005, Friday from 6-8 p.m. at Cooner Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the National Kidney Foundation of S.C., 500 Taylor St. Suite 101, Columbia, SC 29201. Cooner Funeral Home of Bamberg is in charge of arrangements.
Elnora Crocker
UNION — Services for Elnora Crocker, 71, member of Park Street Baptist Church, Columbia, 3 p.m. Saturday in Salem Baptist Church Cemetery (2 p.m. visitation at the church). S.R. Holcombe Funeral Home is in charge. Born in Union to Russell and Fulton Eller Crocker, she died May 5, 2005, in Columbia. Surviving are siblings, Francis and Charlie Crocker, Eula Kennett, Mary Lou Palmer; nieces; nephews.
Donna Flaherty
COLUMBIA — Funeral service for Donna Brown Flaherty, 46, of Columbia, will be held 2 o’clock Friday, May 6, 2005, at Shives Funeral Home with visitation preceding the service at 12:30 o’clock. Memorials may be made to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) research, 509 Augusta Drive, Marietta, GA 30067.
Mrs. Flaherty died April 4, 2005. Born in Statesboro, GA, she was a daughter of the late Marlo Matthew Brown and Olivia Howell Kinchen. Mrs. Flaherty was employed as a dental hygienist. She was a loving mother and grandmother
Survivors include a daughter, Heather F. Klipich of Columbia; son, Shawn David Flaherty of Statesboro, GA; brother, Gerald Brown of Rocky Ford, GA; grandchildren, Grace Olivia and Devin Duane Klipich.
Essie Byrd
HARTSVILLE — Funeral services for Essie Johnson Byrd, age 82, widow of Zim Byrd, who died May 4, 2005, will be Saturday at 2 p.m. from the Chapel of Norton Funeral Home. Dr. Gary Colboch will officiate. Burial will be in the Westview Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday 5-7 pm at the funeral home. Mrs. Byrd was born in Chesterfield County, a daughter of the late Will W. and Agatha Rivers Johnson. She was a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church. Surviving are: 2 daughters: Dora Lee (Eddie) Phillips, Bluff City, Tenn., Sheila (Jeff) Wright, Kansas City, Mo., 1 grandson: Lance Cpl. Jonathon Phillips, Bluff City, Tenn. Memorials may be made to the Emmanuel Baptist School, 1001 North Marquis Highway, Hartsville, SC 29550.
Josie Bell Ferrell
COLUMBIA — Services for Mrs. Josie Bell Ferrell, 72, will be held 4 p.m. Saturday at Leevy’s Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Lincoln Cemetery. Wake services will be held 7 p.m. this evening at Leevy’s Funeral Home, Taylor Street Chapel. Surviving are her daughters, Rubell, Marilyn, Johnnie Bell, Deborah Ann and Ernestine; sons, Willie, Jr., Alfred, Charles, Zachary and Joseph; two sisters.
Obituary posted: May 6, 2005
Cora Goodson
PAGELAND — Mrs. Cora Lee Brigman Goodson, 71, died Wednesday, May 4, 2005. Funeral is 2 p.m. Friday, May 6, 2005, at Oakland Baptist Church, Chesterfield, S.C., with burial in the church cemetery. Mrs. Goodson was born in Chesterfield, S.C., a daughter of the late Doss and Ola Jones Brigman. She was a retired employee of Sacony and a faithful Pastor’s wife. Mrs. Goodson was a member of Providence Baptist Church and was preceded in death by 4 brothers, Willie, Blease, Sandy and Rev. Allen Brigman and 1 sister, Ellen Tolson. Survivors: husband, Rev. Milton L. Goodson Sr. of the home; 1 son, Milton L. Goodson Jr. of Pageland, S.C.; 1 daughter, Gail Hedden of Pageland, S.C.; 3 grandchildren, Heidi Chapple, Brian Sims and Kerrie Goodson of Pageland, S.C.; 5 great-grandchildren; 2 brothers, Carl Brigman of West Columbia, S.C., and Doss Brigman Jr. of Patrick, S.C.; 1 sister, Elease Cassidy of Patrick, S.C.
Miller-Rivers-Caulder Funeral Home of Chesterfield is serving the Goodson family.
Horace Martin
COLUMBIA — Funeral services for Mr. Horace Bagwell Martin, 60, of Columbia, will be held 11 o’clock Saturday morning, May 7, 2005, at Rehoboth United Methodist Church with The Reverend Karen H. Radcliffe officiating. Interment will follow in Floyd’s Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, Spartanburg, S.C., at 3 o’clock. The family will receive friends from 10 until 11 o’clock prior to the service at the church. Memorials may be made to Rehoboth United Methodist Church, 6911 Two Notch Road, Columbia, SC 29223 or the American Cancer Society, SC Division, 128 Stonemark Lane, Columbia, SC 29210. Shives Funeral Home is in charge.
Mr. Martin died Thursday, May 5, 2005. Born in Laurens, S.C., he was a son of the late James Clarence and Beryl Mae Bagwell Martin. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam Conflict. Mr. Martin formerly attended the First Baptist Church of West Columbia. He had worked for Pulliam Ford for over 18 years until he became the primary caregiver to his late mother. Mr. Martin was an avid race fan.
Survivors include his brother, Donald C. “Don” Martin and his wife, aka special sister-in-law, Doris B. Martin of West Columbia; nieces, Kelli Martin Windham and her husband, Mark Windham of Columbia, Paige Martin Grimball and her husband, The Reverend Richard Grimball of Greenville; nephew, Christopher Dean Horton and his wife, Michelle Horton of Springtown, TX; 2 great nieces and 7 great nephews.
Edward Lee Mitchell
COLUMBIA — Services for Mr. Edward Lee Mitchell, 61, will be held 2 p.m. Saturday (visitation will be held 1 p.m.) at Leevy’s Funeral Home, Taylor Street Chapel. Surviving are his wife, Lula Lee Mitchell; son, Edward Lamont Mitchell; stepdaughter, Andrea F. Gantt; sisters, Willie Mae Taylor, Eva Kennedy and Audrey Greene; brother, Pryelo Mitchell, Jr.; three grandchildren.
Obituary posted: May 6, 2005
Lloyd Kyzer
WEST COLUMBIA — Services for Lloyd Kyzer, 84, of West Columbia, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at West Side Baptist Church, conducted by Rev. John McKeown and Rev. Danny Hedgepath. Private burial will follow. Memorials may be made to West Side Baptist Church Building Fund, 2100 Platt Springs Road, West Columbia, SC 29169. The family will receive friends from 6-8:30 p.m. Friday at Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington.
Mr. Kyzer died Thursday, May 5, 2005. Born in Richland County, SC, he was a son of the late Stanley and Lessie Kyzer. A lifetime area resident, he was a member of West Side Baptist Church. Mr. Kyzer had retired from the United States Postal Service and was more recently employed part-time with the Postal Credit Union. He was highly respected and he blessed the lives of all who knew him.
Surviving are his wife, Stella Hudson Kyzer of West Columbia; daughters and sons-in-law, Linda and Edd Hiott of Piedmont, Patricia K. and Rhett Mitchell of Hartsville; sons and daughters-in-law, Tony and Libby Kyzer, Donald G. and Kathy Kyzer, all of Myrtle Beach, Kenneth M. and Deborah Kyzer of Charlotte, NC; stepdaughter and son-in-law, Melinda Hudson and Greg Dailey of Lexington; stepsons and daughters-in-law, Robin E. and Barbara Hudson, Darrell C. and Gay Hudson, Charles (Chuck) and Cindy Hudson, all of Lexington; brother, Stanley W. Kyzer of Columbia; grandchildren, Rhett Mitchell III and Ryan Mitchell of Hartsville; and 11 step-grandchildren. Mr. Kyzer was predeceased by his first wife, Doris M. Kyzer of Columbia and his brother Charles Kyzer of Columbia.
Pansy Stillinger
SALLEY — Services for Pansy Jeffcoat Stillinger, 75, will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, May 7, 2005, at the Folk Funeral Home Chapel in Williston with burial in Salley Oakview Cemetery. Visitation 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday at Folk Funeral Home.
Mrs. Stillinger wife of the late William T. “Skinny” Stillinger, Sr. died Thursday. Born in Perry, she was a daughter of the late Tillman Jeffcoat and Maybelle Gunter Jeffcoat Hutto. She was a member of the Williston First Baptist Church and retired from Salley Manufacturing Company where she worked for 43 years.
Survivors include daughter and son-in-law, Joyce and Bernard Brown; son and daughter-in-law, William T. “Bo” and Letitia Stillinger.; brother, Harvey Jeffcoat; grandchildren, Allen, Lisa, Thurston, Spencer; great-grandchildren, Kyle and Preston; several nieces and nephews.
Karen Miller
IRMO — Memorial service for Karen Dunne Miller, 41, will be held Monday, May 9, at 2:15 p.m. at Union United Methodist Church. A memorial service will also be held Saturday, June 4, 2005, at Ascension Episcopal Church, Orlando, Fla. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Brain Tumor Association, 2720 River Road, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018 or to Union United Methodist, 7583 Woodrow St., Irmo, SC 29063. Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel, is assisting the family.
Mrs. Miller died Wednesday, May 4, 2005. Born in Forest Park, Ill, she was a daughter of Philip George Dunne and Helen Mae Engelbrecht. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, she received an MBA from Duke University.
Mrs. Miller was a member of Ascension Episcopal Church in Orlando and attended Union United Methodist Church in Irmo. She was active with “Communities in Schools.”
Surviving are her husband, Mark Alexander Miller; son, Jackson Miller and daughters, Meghann Miller and Emma Miller, all of the home; sister, Diane Dunne of Orlando, Fla.; her father of Lakeland, Fla.; and her mother of Lakeland, Fla.
William B. Patterson
COLUMBIA — Service for William Burrell Patterson, 90, will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral with burial in Quaker Cemetery, Camden, S.C. Memorials may be made to Trinity Foundation at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 1100 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29201. The family will receive friends Friday 5-7 p.m. at the home of Tommy and Jane Suggs. Dunbar Funeral Home is assisting the family.
Mr. Patterson died Wednesday, May 4, 2005. Born August 3, 1914, in Camden, N.J., he was the son of the late Burrell and Emma Clements Patterson. He attended the University of South Carolina and was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. An Army veteran of WW II and graduate of the Advanced Officers’ School at Fort Lee, Virginia, he served with the 1st Army Headquarters as the gasoline supply officer. Service in Europe at the Battle of the Bulge and at the Spa in Belgium and also in the Philipines earned Mr. Patterson the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star. At the time of his discharge, he had attained the rank of Major.
Mr. Patterson’s business career spanned thirty-two years with American Oil Company in Columbia, Baltimore, Chicago, New York City and Charlotte. He retired in 1977. He was a former chairman of the North Carolina Petroleum Council, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award and chairman of the South Carolina Petroleum Council.
Mr. Patterson was a former member and president of the Charlotte Rotary Club and a member of the St. John’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte where he served as Chalice Bearer, Lay Reader and member of the Stewardship Committee. He was most recently a member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
Surviving are his wife of sixty-one years, Betty Shannon Patterson; sons and daughter-in-law, William B. “Bill” Patterson, Jr. of Raleigh, N.C., and John K. and Melinda Patterson of Mills River, N.C.; daughters and sons-in-law, Jane P. and Tommy Suggs of Columbia and Ann P. “Patty” and Joseph “Buzz” Willett of Greenville; and grandchildren, Dan Blackmon, Betsy Blackmon, Anna Willett, Molly Willett, Lauren Willett, B. J. Patterson, Chris Patterson and Graham Patterson.
Mildred Tratos
LEXINGTON — Mrs. Mildred Irwin Haigler Tratos, 84, died Thursday, May 5, 2005, in Lexington Medical Center Extended Care Nursing Home in Lexington, S.C.
She is survived by her daughter, Brenda Hedgecock and husband, Edgar of Lexington, S.C., and grandsons, Brian E. Hedgecock and Christopher J. Hedgecock.
Funeral will be 3 p.m. Saturday at the chapel of Cumby Family Funeral Service in High Point, N.C. The family will receive friends Friday night from 7 until 8:30 at the funeral home.
Dell Wienefeld
COLUMBIA — Graveside service for Ellen Adela Goodwyn “Dell” Wienefeld, 93, of the South Carolina Episcopal Home at Still Hopes, will be held Monday at 11 a.m. in Elmwood Cemetery and Gardens. The family will receive friends at the Dillon residence. Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family.
Mrs. Wienefeld, wife of the late Robert Henry Wienefeld, died Thursday, May 5, 2005, in Providence Hospital after a brief illness. Born in Raleigh, N.C., she was the daughter of the late Alfred Raoul and Letitia May Williams Goodwyn. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority, a sustaining member of the Junior League of Columbia, a member of the Junior League Reading Club and the Thursday Study Club. As a member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, she served the Lenten Lunches program for many years after she retired as the secretary at McMaster School and A.C. Moore School from 1950 to 1965.
Surviving are her daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Bert Dillon of Columbia; grandson, Geoffrey Dillon and his wife, Renee, of Columbia; nieces and nephew, Tish Thompson of Charlotte, N.C., Nancy Russom of St. Augustine, Fla., Pam Willis of Tryon, N.C., Genie McDill of Greenwood and Raoul Goodwyn of Columbia.
Memorials may be made to the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Music Fund, 1100 Sumter St., Columbia, SC 29201 or The South Carolina Episcopal Home at Still Hopes, P.O. Box 2959, West Columbia, SC 29171.
The family would like to thank the physicians, nurses and staff at Providence Hospital for their excellent and compassionate care and all those who cared for and loved her at Still Hopes.
