U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Marjorie A. Gilson
MONCKS CORNER — The daughters of Marjorie and Jim Gilson would like to notify family and friends of the death of their mother, November 9, 2006. Marjorie, a former resident of the Finlay House in Columbia, SC, was at her daughter’s home in Lexington, surrounded by her children’s love and faithful companion, “granddog Gilly,” at the time of her death. She now cares for God’s Heavenly Garden with her husband, James H. Gilson, and her father and mother, Henry L. and Margaret Hendricks Able.
Marjorie Elizabeth Able Gilson was born February 22, 1927, in Charleston, S.C. She was a 1943 North Charleston High School graduate. She retired after numerous years of employment as a legal secretary in Moncks Corner, S.C. She and her husband enjoyed 49 years together, spending much of their time gardening, landscaping and “Big Lots shopping.”
She will be lovingly remembered by her daughters, Gayle D. Gilson of Lexington, SC, Debra G. Page of Summerville, SC, and Karen D. Gilson (life partner, Rachel Rogers) of Rock Hill, SC; four grandchildren, Carla B. (John) Bennett of Vandenberg AFB, CA, David D. (Tracey) Page III of Charlotte, NC, James E. (Devin) Murray of Monroe, NC, and Matthew D. Page of Summerville, SC; two great-grandchildren, Shelby Elizabeth and Tanner Foley Bennett; two brothers, Henry L. (Theodosia) Able Jr. of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Robert W. (Norma) Able of Charleston, SC. She also will be fondly remembered by her six nephews and one niece.
Gayle, Debbie and Karen would like to specifically thank Courtney, Loretta and Lynn from Lutheran Hospice, and Dr. Butler, Dusty and Ann from South Carolina Oncology Associates for their exceptional care and comfort given to their mother during her illness.
The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 11, 2006, at St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, 1404 Old Highway 52, Moncks Corner, SC. Burial, directed by Russell Funeral Chapel, will be in Whispering Pines Memorial Gardens, 3044 Old Highway 52, Moncks Corner, SC.
Friends may call at Russell Funeral Chapel, Moncks Corner, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Friday evening. Memorials may be made to Lutheran Hospice, 1505 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201.
Lena O. Glover
CUMMINGS — Services with burial for Lena O. Glover, 71, widow of Johnnie Bryson and Willie Glover, 1 today: Rock Spring Missionary Baptist Church, Grays. Washington ’s F.H., Hampton, is in charge. Born in Luray to Jake and Daisy O’Banner, she died Nov. 6, 2006. Surviving: children, Darnell, Carnell, Johnnie Jr., Brenda Bryson, Mary Grant; sisters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives & friends.
John Lawrence Sullivan
WASHINGTON, N.C. — Mr. John Lawrence Sullivan, age 72, a resident of 1015 North Bonner Street, Washington , died Wednesday, November 8, 2006, in Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville.
A private memorial service will be held.
Mr. Sullivan was born October 11, 1934, in Detroit, Michigan. He was the son of the late John Bernard Sullivan and Nora Haron Sullivan. He served his country in the U.S. Army and Navy between 1953 and 1963. Mr. Sullivan was a retired policeman. He was a member of the Optimist Club in Saganaw, Michigan. He was one of the first officers to initiate programs like D.A.R.E. to counsel kids about drugs and alcohol. Mr. Sullivan had lived in Washington for the past 19 years.
On February 5, 1959, he married the former Mary Elizabeth Prior, who survives.
Surviving with his wife are four sons, John Thomas Sullivan and his wife, Norma, of Cadillac, MI, James Michael Sullivan and Matthew Bernard Sullivan, both of Lexington, SC, and Mark Lawrence Sullivan of Seoul, South Korea; two daughters, Kathleen Faulkner and her husband, Theron, of West Burke, VT, Patricia Diane O’Shaughnessy and her husband, John, of Summerville, SC; a brother, Joseph Edward Sullivan and his wife, Patricia, of Plymouth, MI; and 14 grandchildren.
Memorials may be made in the form of love offerings to Mary Sullivan.
Paul Funeral Home of Washington is serving the Sullivan family
Elizabeth Cormany Pickens
WEST COLUMBIA — Memorial Services for Elizabeth Cormany Pickens, 84, will be conducted 4 p.m. Saturday at All Saints Episcopal Church of Cayce with Father Georg Retzlass officiating. Visitation will follow in the church parish hall. Memorials may be made to The Nurturing Center, 1332 Pickens St., Columbia, SC 29201. The family has selected Barr-Price Funeral Home, Lexington Chapel, to handle Mrs. Pickens arrangements.
Mrs. Pickens died Monday, November 6, 2006. She was born in Norfolk, VA, the daughter of the late William and Helen Garber Comany. She was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church.
Surviving are her sons, Robert G. Pickens II of Chapin, William C. Pickens of Greer; grandchildren, Kerry, Alexis, Brianna, Erin, Andrea, Jessica, Rebecca, Jonathan and Katy. She was predeceased by her husband, Major Robert Gist Pickens; her daughters, Kati Pickens Vignati and Noel Pickens-Jordan.
Ruby Davis Jacobs
GREENVILLE — Ruby Davis Jacobs, 88, of 23 Southpointe Drive, widow of Richard O. Jacobs, died Thursday, November 9, 2006.
Born in Bethune, SC, she was the daughter of the late Ed G. and Leatha Bell Davis.
She was a member of Advent United Methodist Church.
Surviving are a daughter, Susan Bichel and her husband, Steven, of Greenville; a niece, Virginia Marlowe; and nephews, George Jacobs and his wife, Sharon, and Richard Yost and his wife, Jan.
Graveside services will be Saturday, November 11, 2006, at 11 a.m. in Graceland East Memorial Park with the Rev. Susan Leonard-Ray officiating.
The family will receive friends Saturday at the home of her daughter from 10 until 10:45 a.m. prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Bethel United Methodist Church, Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 636, Bethune, SC 29009.
The Mackey Mortuary, Century Drive.
Louvenia Best
HAMPTON — Services with burial for Louvenia Best, 83, daughter of Tom Johnson and Sara Johnson Smith, are 2 p.m. Sunday at Cherry Grove Christian Church D.O.C., Brunson. Wake service 6-8 tonight at Riley’s Funeral Home, Hampton Chapel. She died Nov. 8, 2006. Surviving are children, Delaoris Jenkins, Francis Johnson; brothers, Jackie Smith, Jackie Johnson; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Evelyn Reichard Willson
SHELBY, N.C. — Service for Evelyn Reichard Willson, 92, will be held noon Saturday at St. Johns Episcopal Church, Wheat Street, with burial in Greenlawn Memorial Park. Visitation will be 11-12 prior to the service at the church. Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is in charge.
Mrs. Willson, wife of the late Harold S. Willson, died Thursday, November 9, 2006. Born in Cleveland County, N.C., she was a daughter of the late Marvin H. and Texana Peeler Reichard. She was the owner of Aircraft Sales and Service and a former member of the Board of Directors at Midlands Technical College. She was a member of the Altrusa Club, Friendship Center, Epsilon Sigma - Alpha Alpha Chapter, YWCA and St. Johns Episcopal Church.
Surviving are numerous nieces and nephews to include Miles Hoyle III and Kimberly Laughlin, both of Lawndale, N.C. She was predeceased by two brothers and two sisters.
Memorials may be made to Midlands Technical College Foundation, c/o Evelyn Willson Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 2408, Columbia, SC 29202 or Hospice of Cleveland County, 953 Wendover Heights Drive, Shelby, NC 28150.
Margaret Branham
HEATH SPRINGS — Services with burial for Margaret Elliott Branham, widow of Tommy Branham, 82, are 2 p.m. today at Flint Ridge Baptist Church. Hartley Funeral Home, Lancaster, is in charge. Born in Lancaster Co. to Walter and Pearl Cook Elliott, she died Nov. 9, 2006. Surviving: children, Robert, David, Eugene Branham, Shelby Pierce, Barbara Robinson, Louise Knight, Geneva Rogers; brother, John Elliott; more.
J.D. Mears
DARLINGTON — John “J.D.” David Mears, 76, founder of By-Pass Tire and Mag, passed away Thursday, November 9, 2006, in a local hospice facility. Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, November 12, at First Pentecostal Holiness Church officiated by Rev. Anthony Rogers, with burial following in Grove Hill Cemetery, directed by Belk Funeral Home.
Mr. Mears was born in Darlington County, son of the late David Daniel and Attie Garris Mears. J.D. retired from James Rivers after 30 years of employment, had been involved with Darlington Raceway since the first race was held there and was proprietor of Rebel Racing at North Myrtle Beach Flea Market. He had been a Mason since 1982, a board member at Dixie Federal Credit Union and retired from the S.C. National Guard. Mr. Mears attended First Pentecostal Holiness Church.
Surviving are his son and daughter-in-law, Wayne and Vicki Mears of Darlington, a daughter, Rena Mears of Darlington, two grandchildren; Katie M. (Wesley) Price of Fork, SC, Wayne (Rachel) Mears Jr. of Darlington and his pet dog, Susie.
Mr. Mears was preceded in death by his wife, Frances Lofton Mears, a son, Larry “BooBoo” Mears, and three sisters, Emma Douglas, Ruth Stroud and Agnes King.
The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Saturday Night at Belk Funeral Home and other times at the home of Rena Mears, 1323 High Hill Road.
Memorials may be made to First Pentecostal Holiness Church Building Fund, PO Box 653, Darlington, SC 29540.
Birdie B. Miller
COLUMBIA — Mrs. Birdie B. Hampton Miller, 76, of Columbia, passed away at home from cancer Thursday, November 9, 2006. She was born November 17, 1929, in Charlotte, N.C., to Boyce David Boulware and Lula Lee Goodwin Boulware. Birdie worked for 10 years as a hospice volunteer with Hospice Care of Tri-county and 12 years with Hawthorn Pharmacy. She was also a LPN, and worked in Respiratory Therapy in Richland Memorial Hospital. She was a member of Crescent Hill Baptist Church, where she served as a Sunday school teacher. The family will accept visitors and friends from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Shives Funeral Home. Services will be 11 a.m. Monday, November 11, 2006, at Crescent Hill Baptist Church. Burial will be in Greenlawn Memorial Park. She is survived by her loving husband, Lewis Miller; daughter, Rebecca Blake and son-in-law, Adrian Blake of Alabama; son, Michael Hampton of North Carolina; grandchildren, Timothy Blake and wife, Vicki, and Tia Metz and husband, Kelly, of Alabama and Reid Hampton of North Carolina; great-grandchildren, Samantha Voorhies of Indiana, Zoe and Zada Metz and Christian Blake, all of Alabama; her sister, Marion Russell, and brother-in-law, Don Russell of Georgia. She is also survived by her stepchildren, Brian Miller of Georgia and Cindy Miller of South Carolina, stepgrandchildren, John and Mike Snelgrove of South Carolina and several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice Care of Tri-County Volunteer Services (803) 400-1177. Her family would like to thank Hospice Care of Tri-county for all their care, love and devotion.
Dr. Robert Lee Sawyer Sr.
SALUDA — Robert Lee Sawyer Sr., M.D., 75, of 607 Waters Ave., died peacefully at his home November 9, 2006.
Born in the town of Ward in Saluda County, he was the son of the late Willie Lee and Lois Black Sawyer and the husband of Bonnie Elizabeth Cone Sawyer. He was a graduate of Johnston High School, where he excelled in football and played in both the 1948 Shrine Bowl and the North-South game.
Dr. Sawyer earned a B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of South Carolina in 1954. In 1958, he graduated from The Medical College of South Carolina, where he served as president of his class all four years. After he served a one-year internship at Columbia Hospital, he began his work as a general practitioner in Saluda in July 1959. For 42 years he was the proud provider of healthcare for the people of Saluda County. Among his proudest accomplishments were the 2012 babies he delivered - triplets in a cold tenant house out the Newberry Highway, many at Self Memorial Hospital, and who knows how many others in the back of the ambulance en route to Greenwood. Also, from 1959 to 1995, he served as team doctor for the Saluda High School football team, a period which included the years his three sons were members of the team and the years when his oldest son was coach.
The people of Saluda County recognized that Dr. Sawyer was passionate about his work. He was quick to say that he had been called to serve as a healer one day when, as a boy on his father’s farm, he helped a fellow worker who had been badly hurt. That man’s voice, he said, always echoed in his mind as he reached out with knowledge, kindness and love any time, any place, to anyone who needed him.
Not only was Dr. Sawyer a servant of the people in his work, but he also served in his community. He was a member of the South Carolina National Guard and a part owner of Persimmon Hill Golf Club. He served on the Self Memorial Hospital Staff and on the Board of Directors of Saluda Nursing Center. When a new wing was constructed at the Center in 1978, it was named The Sawyer Wing in his honor. He was a member of the Board of Directors of The Emerald Center and of the Board of Trustees of Saluda School District One. He also belonged to the Saluda Lions Club, the U.S.C. Gamecock Club and Saluda’s Monday Night Hot Supper Club. He was a longtime member of St. Paul United Methodist Church and of the Charles Graves Sunday School Class.
Surviving are his wife of 45 years, Bonnie Elizabeth Cone Sawyer, and their children, Robert Lee Sawyer, Jr. of Johnston, William Cone Sawyer Sr., M.D., and his wife, Gina Mazza Sawyer of Saluda, Cecelia Genevieve Sawyer Yonce and her husband, William Lawrence Yonce III, of Saluda and John Grigsby Sawyer and his wife, Stephanie Enlow Sawyer, of Batesburg-Leesville. He was also survived by eight grandchildren, Anna Elizabeth Yonce, Emily Mazza Sawyer, Kristen Ashley Sawyer, William Cone Sawyer Jr., Julia Genevieve Yonce, William Travis Yonce, Natalie Alexis Sawyer and Ella Leann Sawyer, and by one brother and sister-in-law, William Black Sawyer and Joan Brooks Sawyer of Abbeville. He was predeceased by a grandson, William Lawrence Yonce IV.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Paul United Methodist Church, 102 East Butler Ave., Saluda, SC 29138 or to the R.L. Sawyer M.D. Scholarship Fund, c/o Capital Bank, P.O. Box 247, Saluda, SC 29138, which will be established to enable deserving students to further their education in their chosen field in order to serve their fellow man, as Dr. Sawyer did so faithfully all his life.
Visitation will be held at St. Paul United Methodist Church Saturday morning, November 11, 2006, from 10 until 12 o’clock. The funeral service will be at St. Paul United Methodist Church at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, November 12, 2006, and will be followed by the burial in Travis Park Cemetery in Saluda.
Richard Waldorf
WINNSBORO — Funeral services for Richard John Waldorf, age 72, will be held 2 p.m. Monday, November 13, 2006, at Little River Baptist Church, conducted by the Reverend Alvin Bozard. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends 4-6 p.m. Sunday at Pope Funeral Home.
Mr. Waldorf, born June 30, 1934, in Chicago, Ill., died November 10, 2006, in Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital. He was a son of the late Richard A. and Viola Frank Waldorf. Mr. Waldorf was a graduate of Northwestern University of Evanston, Ill., and served his country in the Marine Corps. He was a retired executive of IBM.
Surviving are his wife, Linda Mobley Waldorf; daughters and sons-in-law, Sara and James Roth Jr. of Portland, OR, and Teresa and Chad Ritchie of Winnsboro; brothers and sisters-in-law, Danny Wayne and Barb Mobley of Chicago, Ill., and Billy Ray and Cheryl Mobley of Minneapolis, MN; sisters and brothers-in-law, Charlene and Angel Brietweiser of Chicago, Ill., Marsha and Mark Tatsch of San Antonio, TX; five grandchildren, Kate and James Roth, Raven, Cheyenne and Jade Ritchie.
Lewis E. Mole Jr.
ALLENDALE — Mr. Lewis E. Mole, Jr., beloved husband for 54 years of Frances King Mole, entered into his eternal home Friday, November 10, 2006, in University Hospital, Augusta, Ga., After many years of heart disease and a short illness due to cancer.
Funeral services will be held 3 p.m. Sunday, November 12, 2006, at Allendale First Baptist Church with Dr. Tom Guerry and Dr. Finley Limehouse Officiating. Interment will follow in Swallow Savannah Cemetery, Allendale, SC.
The family will receive friends Saturday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. at Keith Smith Funeral Service, Allendale, SC.
Mr. Mole was self-employed as a salesman of dry goods, candies and McNess household products. He was a member of Buford Lodge #27. Mr. Mole was a member of Allendale First Baptist Church where he faithfully served in many positions including deacon and Sunday school teacher. He loved his Lord and his church family and was loved by many wonderful friends and family.
He is survived by his wife, Frances K. Mole; two sons, Donald (Donna) Mole, Williston, SC, William “Billy” (Lisa) Mole, Brunson, SC; three daughters, Louise (Finley) Limehouse, Beech Island, SC, Cheryl (Mike) Close, Allendale, SC, and Marie(Regan) Sandifer, Cornersville, TN; 10 special grandchildren, Benjamin, April, Samantha and Brandon Mole, Sarah Limhouse (Clinton) Batson and Timothy Limehouse, Stephen and Ashleigh Close, Clay and Jonathan Sandifer; two brothers, Hugh W. Mole, Orangeburg, SC, and Wayne Mole, Allendale, SC; three sisters, Lillian M. Riley, Batesburg, SC, Anne M. Barnes, Islandton, SC, and Ross M. Barber, Carmeron, SC. Mr. Mole was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis E. and Ruth McMillan Mole; two brothers, Marvin and Warren Mole; a sister, Sadie Ruth Peeples; and his oldest grandchild, Jason Limehouse.
The grandchildren will serve as active pallbearers with the deacons of Allendale First Baptist serving as honorary pallbearers.
Memorial contributions may be made to Allendale First Baptist Church, 259 Memorial Ave., Allendale, SC.
Keith Smith Funeral Service, 128 Water Street Allendale, SC, in charge of arrangements.
