U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Martha Bishop
GREENWOOD — Martha Thurmond Bishop, 94, resident of Cokesbury Road, widow of Dr. Walter G. Bishop, Sr., died November 23, 2003 at Self Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Bishop was a sister of the late U.S. Senator, Strom Thurmond.
Born in Edgefield, May 31, 1909, she was one of six children of the late John William and Gertrude Strom Thurmond. She was a graduate of Edgefield High School and Winthrop College where she received a degree in home economics. Mrs. Bishop taught school in Orangeburg until 1936 when she married her late husband and moved to Greenwood.
During WW II, she taught at Connie Maxwell Children’s Home and Greenwood High School. She later resumed teaching at Lander College where she also served as Social Director for 20 years.
Mrs. Bishop was a member of First Baptist Church where she was the first woman elected deacon and was a teacher of the Benson Sunday School Class for many years. She was a founding director of the YMCA, a board member of the Lander University Foundation, a charter board member of the Bowers-Rodgers Home for Abused Children and also a board member of the SC State Museum.
She was a member of the Tulip Garden Club and an accredited flower show judge. She was a member of the Cateechee Literary Club and a member of the Colonial Dames of the 18th Century. She was a member of American Mothers, Inc. and in 1991 was named SC State Mother of the Year. Also in 1991 she was presented the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award as Outstanding Alumna of Winthrop College for that year. She was a recipient of one of the first two medallions presented by Lander University. In 1994, she was presented the Order of the Palmetto by the then Governor of South Carolina.
Surviving are four sons, Dr. Walter G. Bishop, Jr. of Greenwood, Judge Wm. Thurmond Bishop of Abbeville, James Allan Bishop of Marietta, GA and Dr. J. Barry Bishop of Greenville; her twin sister, Mary Thurmond Tompkins of Edgefield; ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be conducted at 4PM Wednesday at First Baptist Church with Dr. Tony Hopkins and Dr. J. William Harris officiating.
A private family burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home and will be placed in the church at 3PM Wednesday.
The families are at their respective homes and will receive friends in the church parlor from 2:30 to 4:00 Wednesday afternoon.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, 722 Grace Street, Greenwood, SC 29649, Bowers-Rodgers Home for Abused Children, PO Box 1252, Greenwood, SC 29648 or to the Martha Thurmond Bishop Scholarship Fund at Lander University, 320 Stanley Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29649.
BLYTH FUNERAL HOME IS IN CHARGE.
Janice Carithers
GREENWOOD - Janice Cannon Carithers, 55, resident of 220 Saco Ave., wife of Billy Ray Carithers, died November 24, 2003 at her home.
Born in Anderson county July 21, 1948, she was a daughter of Katie Hill Cannon Sweat and the late Aaron Earl Cannon. Mrs. Carithers retired from Neptune Measurements in Greenwood.
Surviving in addition to her husband of the home and mother of Ninety Six are two daughters, Janet Rene Cochran and Tammy Emert Carithers, both of Greenwood; a son, Kevin Ray Carithers of Greer; a sister, Kathy McIntosh of Ninety Six; three grandsons, Jonathan Emert, Blake Emert and Alexander Emert, all of Ninety Six.
Graveside services will be conducted 3:30 Tuesday, November 25, 2003 at Greenwood Memorial Gardens with Rev. Bobby Davis officiating.
Pallbearers will be Darrell Adams, Allen McIntosh, Eric McIntosh, Victor Harris, Doyle Anderson and Tim Emert.
The family is at the home of her mother, Katie Sweat, 208 Lowell St. in Ninety Six and will receive friends at Blyth Funeral Home Tuesday afternoon from 2 to 3.
BLYTH FUNERAL HOME IN CHARGE.
Wanda DeBack
Wanda Jackson DeBack, 77, of 106 Paiges Place, died Saturday, Nov. 22, 2003 at her home.
Born in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, she was a daughter of the late William F. and Lillie Riddle Jackson. She was of the Pentecostal faith. Formerly of Sacramento, Calif., she had lived in Greenwood since July 1996.
Survivors include four daughters, Wanda Loftis, with whom she made her home, Lois Webber of Antioch, Calif., Kathy Streich of San Diego and Roxanne Wrege of Sacramento; two sons, Jay Webber of Akron, Ohio and Tim DeBack of Sacramento; a brother, Glen Jackson of Bay Point, Calif.; 16 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Services are 1 p.m. Wednesday at Blyth Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Paul Cooper. Burial is in Overbrook Memorial Park.
Pallbearers are Jim Johnson, Horace James Kirkland, Steve Kirkland, Steve Lawson, Fredde Kirkland, Dennis Kirkland and Bobby Inmann.
Visitation is 7-9 tonight at the funeral home.
The family is at the home.
Blyth Funeral Home is in charge.
Helen Davis Hobbs
MONCKS CORNER — Helen Davis Hobbs, 78, of 601 Levee Drive, widow of Grover Hobbs, died Sunday, Nov. 23, 2003 in Charleston.
Born in Ninety Six, she was a daughter of the late Marvin and Alta Davenport Davis. Formerly of McCormick, she was a retired beauty salon owner and a member of Old Time Primitive Baptist Church, Augusta, Ga.
Survivors include two sons, Harry Hobbs of Moncks Corner and Robert Hill of Atlanta; a daughter, Wanda Price of Athens, Tenn.; three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Graveside services are 3 p.m. Wednesday in Overbrook Cemetery, McCormick.
Visitation is 7-9 tonight at Strom Funeral Home.
Strom Funeral Home, McCormick, is in charge.
Fred Hurley
WARE SHOALS — Services for Fred Hurley, of 113 Joe Oulla Road, are at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Macedonia C.M.E. Church, Hodges, conducted by the Revs. Rufus East, Jerry Aiken, Ida Shipman, David Morton and Willie Rice. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are Carleus Fowler, Eric Fowler, Harvey Fowler, Randall Fowler, Fred Hurley, Kevin Johnson, James Lomax III, Tony Rapley and Richard Williams.
Flower bearers are Jackie Cooper, Elaine Foster, Carolyn Hill, Evette Jones, Shirley Jones, Georgia Miller and Shawn Rice Anty.
No wake is planned. Viewing begins at noon today at Robinson-Walker Funeral Service. Robinson-Walker Funeral Service is in charge.
Dody Stevens
WATERLOO — Marshall Louis “Dody” Stevens, 78, of 303 Brownlee Road, husband of Betty Jo Crouch Stevens, died Sunday, Nov. 23, 2003 at the National Health Care Center.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of the late Benjamin Wesley Stevens Jr. and Inez Cooper Stevens and was reared by his grandparents, the late Clifton and Sarah Cooper. He was a retired supervisor with Greenwood Mills and Abney Mills, a 32nd degree Mason, a Shriner and a member of Real Life Ministries (formerly Grendel Pentecostal Holiness Church).
Survivors include his wife of the home; a son, Benny Stevens of Greenwood; a stepson, Jerry Wayne Lowe of Waterloo; a stepdaughter, Barbara Jean Mayo of Greenwood; aunts and uncles reared in the home as brothers and sisters, Mrs. J. D. (Geraldine) Carithers of Anderson, Margaret Crane of Greenwood, Jesse Cooper of Laurens, J.C. Cooper of Clinton and Richard Cooper of Anderson; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Harley Funeral Home, conducted by the Revs. Jason McCary, Laurin Young and Wesley Dixon. Burial, with Masonic rites, is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are Charles Putnam, Howard McCoy, Tony Davis, Randy Dodgen, Kenneth Wheless and Mike Murdock.
Honorary escorts are H. L. Dodgen, Harold Boyd, George Finkenstadt, Wilbur McCoy, Jerry Lowe Jr., John Hilley, Joe Cooper, Steve Cooper, Olin Scoggins, Dean Butler, Ken Stevens, Olin Higginbotham and Harry Metts.
Visitation is 7-9 tonight at the funeral home.
The family is at the home.
Harley Funeral Home, Greenwood, is in charge.
Gertrude Wells
GREENWOOD, SC - Gertrude Harper Wells, 91, former resident of 230 E. Cambridge Ave., Apt. #219, widow of Thomas N. Wells, Sr., died November 24, 2003 at National Health Care of Greenwood.
Born March 30, 1912 in McCormick County, she was a daughter of the late Charles L. and Lillie Bracknell Harper. She was a retired private sitter having served at Greenwood Methodist Home. She was a member of Laurel Baptist Church.
Surviving are one son, Thomas Nicholls Wells, Jr. and his wife Harriet Goolsby Wells, of Greenwood; one sister, Mildred Harper Mundy and her husband W. Thomas Mundy, Jr. of Greer; one granddaughter, Lisa Wells Harrison and her husband David Harrison of Greenwood; and one great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Wells Harrison of Greenwood.
Mrs. Wells was predeceased by a brother, Charles Edward Harper; and a sister, Janie Belle Harper. Funeral services will be conducted 10am Wednesday from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Todd Johnson officiating.
Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Jack Watkins, Henry Finley, Gene Glanton, Wells Massengill, Harold Mundy, Wayne Wells, Dennis Scott and John Lindley.
The family is at the home of her granddaughter, Lisa and David Harrison, 215 Yosemite Dr., Greenwood and will receive friends at Blyth Funeral Home from 9 to 10 Wednesday morning.
Memorials may be made to Laurel Baptist Church, 330 Sample Rd., Greenwood, SC 29649.
Ellice Lee Brown
GREENVILLE — Ellice Lee Brown, 76, of Anderson Street, widow of John T. Brown, died Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2003 at her home.
Born in McCormick County, she was a daughter of the late Robert and Lois Devlin Lee. She was a former member of Springfield A.M.E. Church, McCormick, and a homemaker.
Survivors include three daughters, Mrs. Willie (Lula) McCasline of Troy, Mrs. George (Wendy) Leverett of Graniteville and Mrs. John (Marie) Glenn of Level Land; five sons, Moses Lee, Elder Robert Brown, Bobby Brown and the Rev. Jerry Brown, all of Greenwood and William Henry Brown of Plum Branch; a brother, Joseph Lee of Chicago; 29 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Saturday at Springfield A.M.E. Church, conducted by the Rev. Jackie Whitted, pastor. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Visitation is 7-8 tonight at Walker Funeral Home, McCormick.
Walker Funeral Home is in charge.
Rudolph Conway
CLINTON — Rudolph Conway, 41, of 17-B Rooks St., died Sunday, Nov. 30, 2003.
Born in Laurens County, he was a son of Mattie Suber Conway and the late Colie Conway. He attended South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind, Spartanburg.
Survivors include his mother of Clinton National Healthcare Center; a sister, Mary Linda Richey of Washington , D.C.; five brothers, W.C. Conway, Lonnie Conway, Billy Nathan Conway, Daniel Conway and Kenneth Conway, all of Clinton.
Services are 2 p.m. today at Childs Funeral Home. Burial is in Mount Zion A.M.E. Church Cemetery, Joanna.
Childs Funeral Home is in charge.
Teresa Ferguson
ABBEVILLE — Teresa Gable Ferguson, 77, of 61 Old Landfill Road, widow of Joe Pat Ferguson, died Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2003 at Abbeville County Memorial Hospital.
Born in Anderson County, she was a daughter of the late Grady and Lois Latham Gable. She was a retired textile employee with Rocky River Mills and a member of Little Mountain Presbyterian Church, where she was a member of the Adult Sunday School Class and the Sarah Dawson Circle.
Survivors include a son, Albert Pat Ferguson of Abbeville; two daughters, Vickie F. Wilson and Janice F. Ruddock, both of Abbeville; three sisters, Evelyn Keys of Coral Springs, Fla., Shelby Gentry and Phyllis McConnell, both of Anderson; 10 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Saturday at Little Mountain Presbyterian Church, conducted by the Rev. John Parks. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to Little Mountain Presbyterian Church, Building Fund, 3836 Highway 28 N., Abbeville, SC 29620.
The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home is in charge.
Dorris Hall
ABBEVILLE — Dorris Sternenberg Hall, 86, of Abbeville Nursing Home, widow of J.B. Hall, died Thursday, Dec. 4, 2003 at the nursing home.
Services will be announced by Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home.
David Jones Jr.
CLINTON — David “Frog” Jones Jr., 62, of 113 Collenton Lane, died Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2003 at his home.
Born in Laurens County, he was a son of Lillie Bell Pitts and the late J.W. Pitts. He attended Laurens County public schools and was employed by Anderson Plywood Co. of Clinton. He was a member of Antioch A.M.E. Church.
Survivors include his mother of the home; three daughters, Claudette Dendy and Mrs. Eryc (Wanda) Edwards, both of Virginia, Tanisha Franks of Clinton; three sons, Sandy Jones, James Jones and Stevenson Jones, all of Richmond, Va.; a sister, Marie Pitts of Clinton; two brothers, Willie C. Pitts and Jerry Pitts, both of Clinton; 23 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren.
Services are at 3 Saturday at Antioch A.M.E. Church, conducted by the Rev. Jerry A. Aikens, pastor.
The family is at the home.
Childs Funeral Home is in charge.
Bessie B. Rice
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Bessie Blakely Rice, formerly of Clinton, S.C., died Saturday, Nov. 29, 2003.
Survivors include three children, Louis Rice Sr., Elease Rice and Carrie Williams; seven grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.
Services are 3 p.m. Sunday at Springfield Baptist Church, Clinton. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Childs Funeral Home, Clinton, is in charge.
