U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
ANNA ROSS GEDDINGS
Anna Ross Geddings, 79, widow of Wilbur Geddings, passed away Sunday, May 16, 2004, at National Health Care.
Born in Sumter, she was a daughter of the late Oscar P. Ross and Magnolia Collins Ross.
Mrs. Geddings was a member of Crosswell Baptist Church and was retired from Korn Industries and Pioneer Dress Co.
Surviving are three sons, David Eugene Nesbitt and wife, Carolyn, of Knoxville, Tenn., Wilbur Lee Geddings and wife, Ginnie, of Bamberg and Larry F. Nesbitt and wife, Sydney, of Sumter; one brother, George W. Ross and wife, Allene, of Sumter; a brother-in-law, Jimmy Anderson of Hartsville; seven grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a brother, Harry Johnson; two sisters, Nell Windham and Ola Anderson; a granddaughter, Paige Geddings; and a grandson, Michael Nesbitt.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Chapel of Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home with the Rev. Rodney Howard and the Rev. Charles Clanton officiating.
Burial will follow in Sumter cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Glenn Hodge, J.T. Myers, Pete Bowers, grandsons David E. Nesbitt Jr., Dean Nesbitt, Will Nesbitt and great-grandson Garion White.
Honary pallbearers will be members of the Phebean Sunday School Class of Crosswell Baptist Church, Dr. Philip Brandt and Dr. Henry Moses.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home and other times at the home of her son, 113 White Oak Park.
Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of the arrangements.
ERVIN BROWN
Ervin Brown, 74, husband of Theolis Brown and son of the late Robert Brown Sr. and Emma Heriotte Brown, died Saturday, May 15, 2004, at Kingsbrook Hospital.
Brown is survived by his sister Ruby Brown Robinson. Services will be announced by Williams Funeral Home.
RICARDO B. JEFFERSON
MAYESVILLE -- Ricardo Bernard Jefferson, 15, died May 16, 2004, at Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital, Columbia.
Born Oct. 9, 1988, in Sumter, he was a son of Bernard Simien and Wanda Teresa Jefferson.
The family will receive friends at the home of his mother, Wanda T. Jefferson, Third Street, Avenue B, Mayesville, SC 29104.
Services will be announced by Job's Mortuary Inc. of Sumter.
WELVIN PARSON
MANNING -- Welvin Parson, 72, died Sunday, May 16, 2004, at 123 W. Huggins St., Manning.
Born Jan. 1, 1932, in Manning, he was a son of Rufus Rutledge Parson and Agnes Hilton Parson. He joined Trinity AME Church during his youth. He was educated at Manning Training School. He was employed as a commercial and residential painter. He was a member of Ram Bay Hunting Club.
Survivors include five sons, Curtis (Sue) Johnson of Morristown, Pa., Roger Parson, Kenneth Jones, Jeffery Jones, all of Summerton, and Sherman Jones of Manhattan, N.Y.; a nephew he took as a son, Fladger (Juanita) Parson of Manning; one daughter, Cynthia V. Jones of Manning; two nieces he took as his daughters, Janet Parson of Manning and Cynthia (Eric) Spencer of Rochester, N.Y.; one sister, Alice Parson of Manning; a devoted friend, Edith Martin of Manning; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by one sister and one brother.
The remains will be placed in the church at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
Funeral services will be held at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Hayes F. Samuels Sr. Memorial Chapel, 114 N. Church St., Manning, with the Rev. Dr. Bennie Colclough, pastor.
Pallbearers will be Ram Bay Hunting Club and Fishing Club.
Floral bearers will be friends of the family.
The family will receive friends at the home of his niece, Jannett Parson, 7 South St., Manning.
Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning is in charge of arrangements.
MELISSA LEIGH SUTTON
Missy was born in Georgetown on June 6, 1978, the daughter of Cynthia Ridgeway Parker and Lendon Sutton. She was a 1996 graduate of Sumter High School and attended Central Carolina Technical College and Cossa Valley Technical College in Rome, Ga. She was planning on becoming a nurse.
On May 19, 2004, she lost a violent battle against Hodgkin's Lymphoma under the loving care of the doctors and nurses in the 8 West Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of the Medical University of South Carolina Hospital in Charleston.
She shared the constant prayers of the many churches in Sumter and across the nation and she was especially beloved by the church families of Friendship Baptist in Sumter and Snow Springs Baptist in Adairsville, Ga.
She is survived by her mother of Sumter and father of Anderson; by two sons, Mikey Allen and Christian Sutton; her stepfather, Bruce Parker; and her brother Sean Sutton, all of the home; grandparents, Dot and Howard Lowder of Sumter, Franklin and Sally Ridgeway of Manning, Opal Sutton of Adairsville, Ga., and Helen Parker of Sumter; her aunts and uncles, Timmie and Donna Ridgeway of Sumter, Chip and Brandi Lowder of Sumter, Stan and Kim Sutton of Mt. Pleasant, and Tom and Julie Sutton of Irmo; cousins, Scott Ridgeway, Chase Ridgeway, Morgan Lowder, Bobby Sutton, Cory Sutton, Saylor Sutton, Forest Sutton and BJ Johnson; and a good friend, Jamey Collins.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Wyman Sutton and Woody Parker.
Pallbearers will be Ron Parker, Ken Shmidt, Bill Coon, Mike Johnson, Steve Perritt and Rob McDonald.
Honorary pallbearers will be Rick Avins, David Wright, Tony Friday, Dave McDuffie, Thomas Ragin, Gene Weatherford, Ricky Blackmon, Chip Lane, Hasting James, Jim Barrineau and Gray Shuler.
Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery with the Rev. Bobby Nance officiating.
The family will receive friends at the home, 6 Sandalwood Lane.
Memorials may be made to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, to a scholarship fund that is being set up for Missy's children by the staff of Alice Drive Middle School, or to the Sumter County Genealogical Society, 219 W. Liberty St., Sumter, SC 29150.
Missy was always in the hearts and prayers of the faculty and students of Alice Drive Middle School.
Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of arrangements.
JAMES J. CASTLEBERRY
James J. "Jack" Castleberry, age 68, beloved husband of 22 years to Carolyn Kleinert Castleberry, died Thursday, May 6, 2004, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center of Sumter.
Mr. Castleberry was born in Marbury, Ala., the son of the late Rev. Joseph Columbus and Eula Blankinship Castleberry. He was retired from Union Camp. He was a licensed ordained minister, associate chaplain for Tuomey Healthcare System, second vice chairman of Sumter Republican Party, active in the Republican Party and Christian Coalition, very active at Wateree Correctional Institute, active in setting up Easter Sunrise Service and National Day of Prayer, member of NRA and the most wonderful husband and father for many years. He was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by his classmates. He was a member of Living Word Outreach Ministries of Sumter.
Surviving in addition to his wife are two sons, Randall J. Castleberry and his wife, Tamara, of Wedgefield and Joseph L. Castleberry and his wife, Cathlene, of Springfield, Mo.; one daughter, Paula R. Wildgrube and her husband, Eric, of Tuscaloosa, Ala.; one stepson, Russell Adams and his wife, Terry, of Wilmington, N.C.; three stepdaughters, Sherry Adams of Charlottesville, Va., Rhonda Miller and her husband, Danny, of Hemet, Calif., and Sibyl Hale and her husband, Terry, of Charlottesville, Va.; two brothers, Jean H. Castleberry of Mylene, Ala., and Jerry W. Castleberry of Sylacauga, Ala.; one sister, Ruth E. Presley of Sylacauga, Ala.; 14 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. today in the Chapel of Bullock Funeral Home with the Rev. Dr. Joseph Castleberry and the Rev. Frances Mims officiating.
Entombment will be at 3:30 p.m. Monday at Peninsula Memorial Park in Newport News, Va.
The family will receive friends at 1 p.m., one hour prior to service, at Bullock Funeral Home and other times at the residence on Warwick Drive.
Memorials may be sent to the American Cancer Society, 128 Stonemark Lane, Columbia, SC 29210 or the United Ministries, 36 Artillery Drive, Sumter, SC 29150 or the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 2229, Sumter, SC 29151.
The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home for the arrangements.
EDMUND S. GADSON
Edmund Sammie Gadson, 57, husband of Georgia Toney Gadson, died May 7, 2004, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.
Born May 31, 1946, in Sumter, he was a son of Ezel and Louise Burgess Gadson.
The family will receive friends at the home of his parents, Ezel and Louise Burgess Gadson, 640 Bronco Road, Wedgefield.
Services will be announced by Job's Mortuary Inc. of Sumter.
KYOKO K. BAILEY
Kyoko Kanishima Bailey, age 71, beloved wife of 44 years to Howard Eugene Bailey, died Saturday, May 8, 2004, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center of Sumter.
Mrs. Bailey was born in Tokyo the daughter of Shina and Sitsuko Kanishima.
Surviving in addition to her husband are one son, David Howard Bailey of Burbank, Calif.; one daughter, Joann M. Bailey of Sumter; one brother, Nobuhiko Kanishima of Tokyo; one sister, Yoshiko Dotson of Chicago; and two grandchildren, Erica Bailey and Maeracle S.K. Bailey.
She was preceded in death by her parents, one sister and one brother.
A graveside service will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday at Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery with the Rev. Jimmy Bailey officiating.
The family will receive friends from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Bullock Funeral Home prior to the graveside service and other times at the residence on Blanch Road.
Memorials may be sent to the American Cancer Society, 128 Stonemark Lane, Columbia, SC 29210.
The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home for the arrangements.
OLIVER WITHERSPOON Jr.
Retired Staff Sgt. Oliver Witherspoon Jr. died Sunday, May 9, 2004, at the InterMedical Hospital in Columbia.
Born in Sumter County on March 14, 1929, he was a son of the late Oliver Witherspoon Sr. and Bertha McBride Witherspoon. He was a lifelong member of First Baptist Missionary Church, where he served in many capacities including the usher ministry and Bible study. He enlisted in the United States Army and retired after more than 20 years of military service.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Leroy Witherspoon.
Surviving are his wife, Lillie Mae Witherspoon of the home; one sister, Geneva Hines of New York; a brother, Samuel Witherspoon of Williamsburg, N.J.; a brother-in-law and his wife, Robert L. and Dr. Margaret Fisher of Tampa, Fla.; and two aunts, Ethel Weeks and Mamie Witherspoon, both of Sumter.
Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Thursday at First Baptist Missionary Church with the Rev. Dr. W.S. Randolph, pastor, assisted by the Rev. Dr. James Blassingame, presiding, the Rev. Dr. Juenarrl Keith and the Rev. Willie Wilson.
The remains will be placed in the church from 10 a.m. until the hour of service.
Burial will be in Hillside Memorial Park.
The procession will leave at 10 a.m. from the residence of 612 Brockington St., Sumter.
The family will also receive friends at 612 Brockington St.
Palmer Memorial Chapel Inc. of Sumter is in charge of arrangements.
