Local resident piloted warplane that survived midair collision

March 31, 2005

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal staff writer

During his 31 bombing missions over France and Germany during World War II, Greenwood resident Lester Martin faced many dangers.
During each mission, Martin, a B-24 pilot, had to maneuver the giant steel beast through hundreds of exploding anti-aircraft shells and deadly bullets from German fighter planes, all the while carrying thousands of pounds of bombs destined to be dropped on enemy targets.
But Martin’s closest brush with death during the war didn’t come while flying over enemy territory. Instead, it came thousands of feet above a Norwich, England, air base when his plane collided with another B-24.
Martin, now 83, was born in Brewton, Ala., in 1921. As a boy growing up in the small town in lower Alabama, Martin said he and his siblings spent the hot, southern summers swimming in their favorite creeks and flying homemade kites near their home.
After graduation, instead of going to college, Martin found work as an office manager at the local branch of the Farm Securities Administration.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked in December 1941, the news shook Martin’s town.
“Hardly anybody even knew where Pearl Harbor was, but it didn’t take long for us to find out. We were all ready to go and do what we could,” he said. “I knew (my draft letter) was coming. At that point in time, every able male was going into service.”
But rather than wait for his draft letter to arrive in the mail, Martin chose to enlist in the military.
On Easter Sunday 1942, he left his family behind to travel to Ft. McClellan in Anniston, Ala., where he stayed for only hours before reporting for orientation at Ft. McPherson, a large enlistment center in Atlanta.
While at the center, Martin said the fresh soldiers were given the opportunity to list their top three choices for a branch of service. Martin, who said he knew he didn’t want to be in the infantry, listed the Air Force as his first choice. With his heart set on becoming a pilot, Martin left Ft. McPherson for six weeks of basic training at Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls, Texas.
“I knew in my mind that I wanted to be a pilot. While I was there, I went to the aviation cadet board to take the tests to become a pilot,” he said.
While he waited for a decision from the board, Martin continued training. His first assignment with the Air Force was to report to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, where he began extensive radio operation and maintenance training.
During his three months in radio school, Martin said he was taught to build and repair basic radios, as well as how to use Morse code at a proficient level.
“We learned how to receive and send messages by typing them out. When you’re 20 years old, it isn’t a very hard thing to learn,” he said, laughing.
By August 1942, Martin had received no word from the aviation cadet board about his chance to become a pilot, and after he completed radio school, he was assigned to Westover Field in Massachusetts. There, he began using his new skills in Morse code to intercept coded messages coming from U.S. forces already in combat. Though his work was highly classified, it was sometimes boring, he said.
“I sat there with headsets on and listened to Morse code for six-hour shifts. You would sit there and go to sleep,” he said. “But when you heard your call, you would wake up. When the message came through, I would copy it.”
In late November 1942, Martin finally heard from the aviation cadet board. He had been accepted in the cadet program, and he was ordered to report to a base in Nashville, Tenn., for more tests and training.
Based on the scores from the first round of testing, cadets were placed in training programs for pilots, navigators and bombardiers.
“It was an hour-long test, and I came out of it feeling like an idiot,” he said. “But I was classified as a pilot, so everything worked out just right for me.”
In February 1943, Martin reported for the first round of cadet training at Maxwell Field in Alabama. During the next 36 weeks, he worked his way through ground training, primary flight training, basic flight training and advanced flight training at different air force bases in the southeast. Upon graduation, Martin received his wings and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
As a new officer, he returned to Maxwell Field to train for flight in a B-24 bomber. At first, Martin said he was intimidated by the plane, which was one of the largest and most complicated planes in operation at that time.
“During each phase of training, you would look in the plane and in the cockpit, and think, ‘How in the world am I ever going to learn to use all those instruments,’” he said. “When I got to the B-24, it was really awesome. But you became adjusted to it pretty quickly. We were young, and our brains were receptive to information.”
By mid-December, Martin had clocked more that 200 hours in the B-24, and he was transferred to Salt Lake City, where he picked up his flight crew. The men then headed to Casper, Wyo., to begin training for combat.
“We were in Casper in the middle of the winter. The temperature would be zero on the ground - but we flew at 20,000 feet, and the temperature there was 40 below. Those planes weren’t heated, and it was just cold, cold, cold.”
Martin arrived in Topeka, Kan., in April 1944, and he was notified that he and his crew would be going into combat in England.
After refueling stops in Canada, Iceland and Ireland, Martin’s B-24 landed at a modification center in England, and the men reported to Horsham St. Faith, a base in Norwich which had previously been used as a permanent station for the RAF.
“Most bases had been built on the spur of the moment, and people were living in shacks. But we were assigned to living quarters in a two-story stone house. We had heat and a bathroom on each floor,” he said. “We had it made. If you wanted to fight in a war, we had the ideal conditions.”
Between May and August 1944, Martin flew 31 missions over occupied France and Germany. He said most missions lasted nearly eight hours, and often involved highly stressful conditions.
“The Germans knew our targets, and they knew where we were going. They had numerous anti-aircraft guns in place around the target area. They would start firing the guns, and these shells would explode at the altitudes we were flying,” he said.
“Each shell would cause a burst of smoke - all you could see were these big, black clouds. It was disconcerting to know you were going to be flying into all that flack.”
In addition to the flack, Martin said he and the other Allied pilots had to worry about German fighter planes in the area that were capable of bringing down the B-24s with artillery fire.
On a typical mission, Martin said he flew in formations with dozens of other planes, which would take off individually before gradually assembling at a specified height. When each plane had joined the formation circling above the base, the pilots began their journey to their target. The maneuvers, though basic, were a very hazardous part of each mission.
It was during one such formation on May 27, 1944, when Martin faced one of the most dangerous and memorable experiences of his time in World War II.
As Martin circled above the Norwich air base, another B-24, flown by one of his roommates, flew into his plane.
“There were a lot of planes up there, and we were in a slow turn to the left the whole time. At a briefed time, the whole formation was supposed to turn to the right and head towards (the target). My roommate was flying his first mission by himself as pilot, and he was late taking off,” he said.
Martin, who was already in position, said the formation began to turn before his roommate found a spot.
“My co-pilot tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out the window. I looked over and saw the belly of that B-24 skidding into us,” he said. “I knew he was going to hit us, so I did a violent turn to the left, and when I did, my right wing cut that plane in half.”
Martin’s plane, nicknamed the Briney Marlin, dropped 10,000 feet before he was able to regain control. Sometime during the fall, Martin’s flight engineer had opened the bomb bay doors to drop the plane’s 6,000-pound load of bombs. The engineer fell out of the plane with the bombs, and Martin said he died in the icy waters below.
“He relieved us of those pounds, and I don’t think I could have gotten control back if he hadn’t done that,” he said.
With the extra weight removed, Martin was able to increase power to the engines on the right wing, and he managed to land the plane safely.
“By that point, I had learned a good bit about flying and about the B-24, and I was just able to land it,” he said. “When something like that happens, you don’t get scared. Your adrenaline takes over, and you do what you’re trained to do.”
The 10 members of his roommate’s crew, along with two members of Martin’s own, did not survive the mid-air collision.
Martin said it was a turbulent time for him emotionally, but he was back in a plane – for a practice mission – the day after the crash, and flying real missions just days later.
On June 6, 1944, Martin had an early morning mission over the beaches of Normandy.
“Our targets for D-Day were coastal gunning placements behind the beach. We took off at 2 a.m., and it was dark and raining. We had a plane taking off every 30 seconds. I never saw the plane that took off ahead of me until I got back down on the ground and the mission was over,” he said. “I don’t know how much good we did that day – I don’t know how many targets we hit – but we dropped enough bombs to scare them.”
Martin flew his last combat mission on Aug. 13, 1944, and he left England on the Queen Mary in October. He spent the remainder of his time in service flying planes to and from Europe, transporting injured soldiers to bases back at home.
He was discharged from service in 1947, and he moved to Greenwood in 1960 to work for the company that would eventually become Solutia.
Martin said his time in World War II gave him a stronger sense of patriotism.
“I matured considerably,” he said. “It was a good education, and I learned a whole lot about people and about why we were in war.”

Bearcats snap 3-game skid, beat Indians

March 31, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

The Lander University baseball team ended its second-longest losing streak of the season with a 7-5 non-conference win over Newberry College Wednesday at Legion Field.
The Bearcats (21-12), ranked No. 24 in Division II, got a three-run homer from sophomore Jonathan Myers and four innings of scoreless pitching from starter Chris Marks to jump out to a 6-0 lead before fending off a tough comeback by the Indians (13-23) to earn the series sweep. Lander won 5-3 at Newberry earlier in the month.
“I think it was good to get a win just so we can feel good about ourselves again,” said Lander coach Mike McGuire, whose team improved to 14-3 at home. “I think we’re a better club than what we’ve played in the last week or so. We kind of let them back in, but we pulled it together.”
For the Bearcats, who came in losers of three straight and seven of their last nine, the win came in the nick of time, as the team heads to Jacksonville Saturday for a three-game conference set with No. 3 North Florida.
“Baseball is all about momentum,” said second baseman Jeremy Ryals, who was 3-of-4 at the plate with two runs and two RBIs. “Any win against any team will help. We definitely wanted to get a win before we headed to North Florida.”
After the three games in Jacksonville, the Bearcats are at Legion Field for 17 of their next 18 games.
Ryals, Lander’s nine-hole hitter, provided the game’s first base hit with a two-out flare to shallow right field in the bottom of the second. Bearcats designated hitter Radley Raven followed with his second walk of the game, setting the stage for Myers.
The former Abbeville High School standout promptly crushed the 1-1 offering from Indians starter Ty Rollins over the wall in left for his fourth homer of the season, giving Lander the early 3-0 lead.
Lander tagged Rollins for another three-spot in the fourth for a 6-0 lead. A lead that proved to be critical for the Bearcats.
Marks held Newberry scoreless in his four innings of work, allowing only three hits while striking out a pair, to earn his third victory of the year.
“Chris struggled with his breaking ball in the first inning, but threw it better in the second and third,” McGuire said. The coach said Marks was pulled after four innings because he reached his 50-pitch count limit.
The Indians made it a new ballgame in the top half of the fifth against the Bearcat bullpen. After Lander reliever Justin Altman hit back-to-back batters, Newberry’s Malcolm McLeod hit a single to shallow left to load the bases with two outs.
McGuire turned to former Greenwood High School standout William Dudley. The sophomore southpaw got what he wanted from the left-handed Dean Walker, a soft come-backer, but Dudley’s throw to first sailed well over Walton’s head, allowing all three Indians base runners to score.
“Dudley’s throw away obviously hurt, but that whole thing started by the two hit batsmen,” the Lander coach said. “We’re going to make some errors. William Dudley made a bad throw, but that inning doesn’t happen if we don’t hit the two batters.”
Dudley lasted one more batter, walking Daniel Till, before being pulled for Evan Christian, who closed out the inning by striking out pinch-hitter Josh Buckley on three pitches.
Newberry added a run in both the sixth and seventh innings to draw within one, at 6-5. Ryals proved to be a clutch hitter once again for the Bearcats. With Lander up only one in the bottom of the eighth, the senior from Murrells Inlet doubled to bring in Kevin Davis for the 7-5 lead.
“I really don’t try to do too much out there. I just try to be like an extra lead-off hitter,” said Ryals, who came in batting .292 in 24 games. “I just try to make things happen.”
Lander reliever Tyler Addison entered in the ninth for his team-high 14th appearance and sent the Indians down four-up three-down for his first save of the season.

Opinion

Knock on door at night has a different meaning

March 31, 2005

Imagine. It’s two o’clock in the morning. You and your family are sleeping, snug and quiet in your own beds in your own home in any one of a number of residential areas in Greenwood.
Everything’s fine and life is good. Then, without warning and all of a sudden, there’s a knock on your front door ….. maybe. It could be that the door is smashed open and you find yourself facing five or six men in uniforms, each pointing a gun at you.
Then, daring you to speak, they take you, your wife, your sons and daughters, by force, and throw you into a truck and drive you away to God knows what kind of fate. Certainly torture or summary execution are real possibilities.

THAT’S A FAR-FETCHED scenario in Greenwood or any other place in the Lakelands. That sort of thing just doesn’t happen here, where freedom reigns and we live in a society where the rule of law governs our behavior.
Under the circumstances, then, it may be hard to imagine such a traumatic experience in the middle of the night, which strikes fear in your very soul. We can thank God for being free to work, to live or just be.
Put in that context, what we have done in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places in the world is put into perspective better, one that is easier to understand and appreciate. Take Iraq, for example. Under Saddam Hussein, such terrible scenes were not in the back of anyone’s mind, they were real.

THEY WERE NOT FEW AND far between, either, but regular occurrences.
Thousands, maybe millions of people were brutally murdered by Saddam and his thugs. The same thing happened under Hitler and his Nazi puppets, of course, and all the while the world watched and did nothing as millions of Jews, Gypsies and others were literally wiped from the face of the earth.
It was not much different with Saddam in power, of course. The senseless slaughter was rampant as this madman used brutal force to stay in power and remain a threat in general. Even members of his own family were killed when they crossed him in any way ….. or even if he perceived they were threats to his power.
The world knew Saddam was a vicious dictator. Still, nothing was done. It was left to the U. S. to either accept, and thus condone, Saddam’s murderous ways, or do something about it. We did something.
Now, maybe more people are beginning to understand what this struggle is all about. Those who use brutality to intimidate understand, no doubt about it.

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

Obituaries

Doris Jean Harling

HODGES — Services for Doris Jean Harling are 1 p.m. Saturday at Cokesbury Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Dr. Amos Harling Jr., assisted by the Rev. J.L. Robinson, pastor and Elder Larry Jones. The body will be placed in the church at 12.
Pallbearers are Larry Jones, Barry Jones, Roosevelt Starks Jr., Demetrius Snoddy, David Pendergrass and Weldon E. Cloud.
Flower bearers are Sophia Leggett, Edith Adams, Andrea Hill, Betty Carroll and Jesse Davis.
Additional survivors include five adoptive sisters, Estelle Anderson, Christine Cloud, both of Hodges, Daisy Johnson of Ware Shoals, Patricia Styles of Greenville, Edna Gideon of Greer; an adoptive brother, Alexander Starks Sr. of Hodges.
The family is at the home, 1208 Gary Road.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home, Greenwood, is in charge.

Ruth Hawthorne

ABBEVILLE — Ruth Elida Foster Hawthorne, 90, of 1533 Highway 201, widow of Claude Thomas Hawthorne, died Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at her home.
Born in Mendota, Wis., she was a daughter of the late John Morton and Beatrice Leora Hogan Foster. She was a retired employee of Abbeville Mills and Abbeville Shirt Plant and a member of Abbeville First Baptist Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Barbara Hines of the home; a sister, Grayce F. Wallace of Miami; six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Friday at Abbeville First Baptist Church, conducted by the Revs. Reiny Koschel and Darrell Hawthorne. Burial is in Long Cane Cemetery.
Visitation is 12:30-1:30 Friday in the church Family Life Center.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646.
The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home is in charge.

Washington Leopard

NINETY SIX — Washington Leopard, 88, of 307 Norwood Ave., widower of Mary Alice Butler Leopard, died Tuesday, March 29, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Saluda County, he was a son of the late George and Parsida Butler Leopard. He was a World War II Navy veteran, serving in the Atlantic Fleet, and he retired from Greenwood Mills, Ninety Six Plant after more than 45 years of service. A member of Faith Temple Holiness Church and the Adult Sunday School Class, he was also a member of the Greenwood Mills Quarter Century Club.
Survivors include three daughters, Mary Elizabeth Leopard and Rachel Christine Leopard, both of the home and Latrelle L. Peterson of Greenwood; a son, Jerry W. Leopard Sr. of Greenwood; two sisters, Kathleen L. Butler and Evetta L. Griffin, both of Saluda; a brother, Walter Leopard of Ninety Six; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Saturday at Blyth Funeral Home, conducted by the Revs. Danny Swinnea and Clifton Turner. Burial is in Good Hope Baptist Church Cemetery near Saluda.
Pallbearers are Brian Hermanson, Jeff Hermanson, Tommy Neal, Doyle Anderson, Jerry Turner, Clyde Adams and Joel Whatley.
Honorary escorts are the men of Faith Temple Holiness Church Adult Sunday School Class.
Visitation is 6-7:30 Friday at the funeral home.
Family members are at their respective homes.
Blyth Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com

Dr. Jack McCorkle

Dr. Jack S. McCorkle, 79, of 501 Haltiwanger Road, died Tuesday, March 29, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Johnson City, Tenn., he was a son of the late Arthur and Bessie Williams McCorkle. He received his bachelor of arts, master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Tennessee, taught at Greenwood High School and Southside Middle School and was superintendent of Abbeville County School District 60. He also worked for Security Forces and was a World War II Navy veteran. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club and West Side Baptist Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Leigh Ann Crawford of Laurens; a son, John McCorkle of Greenwood; five grandchildren.
Services are 6 p.m. today at Harley Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Hal Lane. Burial is at 3 Friday at Monte Vista Memorial Park, Johnson City, conducted by the Rev. Tim Wallingford.
Visitation is 6:30-8:30 tonight at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of a son, John McCorkle, 322 Blyth Road.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 1741, Greenwood, SC 29648.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

Betty M. McKinney

SPARTANBURG, SC – Betty “Gangy” Murphy McKinney, 69, of 807 Mike Circle, died Wednes-day, March 30, 2005, at her home. Born April 11, 1935, in Greenwood, SC, she was the daughter of Warren James Murphy of Hodges, SC, and the late Sudie Elaine Giles Murphy and wife of the late Harold Dean McKinney. She was retired from Progress Lighting and was a member of Mountain View Baptist Church of Spartanburg.
Surviving in addition to her father are two daughters, Allison M. Riggs and her husband Richard of Chesnee, and Dana M. Henson and her husband Dexter of Duncan; a son, Harold Dean McKinney, Jr. of McCormick, SC; two brothers, Charles Murphy of Greenwood, SC, and Frank Murphy of Troy, SC; four grandchildren, April Bates and her husband Jason, and Brandon Riggs, all of Chesnee, and Jessica and Andrew Henson of Duncan; and three great-grandchildren, Cole Bates, Emily Bates, and Connor Bates, all of Chesnee.
Visitation will be 7-9:00 p.m. Thursday, March 31, 2005, at Floyd’s Greenlawn Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 1, 2005, at Floyd’s Greenlawn Chapel conducted by the Rev. Bill Adams. Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens in Greenwood, SC.
The family is at the home of a daughter, Allison Riggs, 1150 Sandy Ford Road, Chesnee.
An online guest register is available at www.floydmortuary.com.
Floyd’s Greenlawn Chapel
PAID OBITUARY

Janie Mitchell

SALUDA, SC – Janie Barnes Mitchell, 90, of 1955 Hollywood School Rd., died Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at Saluda Nursing Center.
Born in Saluda County, and a daughter of the late Matt and Mary Bell Hazel Barnes, she was the wife of the late James Dubose (JD) Mitchell. Mrs. Mitchell was retired from Saluda Shirt Plant and was a member of Hickory Grove Advent Christian Church.
Surviving are three daughters, Norma Nell Kirby, Nadine M. Richardson and Gloria M. Hipp all of Saluda, a sister, Beatrice Butler of Saluda, ten grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
A son Jimmy Mitchell preceded Mrs. Mitchell in death.
The family will receive friends from 7 until 9PM Thursday, March 31, 2005 at Ramey Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be 3PM, Friday, April 1, 2005 at Hickory Grove Advent Christian Church with the Rev. David McCarthy and Mr. F. G. Scurry officiating.
Memorials may be made to Hickory Grove Advent Christian Church, 391 Hickory Grove Rd., Saluda, SC 29138 or to Saluda Nursing Center, P.O. Box 398, Saluda, SC 29138.
PAID OBITUARY

Luiella Norman

Luiella Norman, 78, of 121 Norman Road, died Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Lincolnton, Ga., she was a daughter of the late George and Alean N. Norman. She was a member of Cross Road Baptist Church, Promised Land.
Survivors include two brothers, Nelson Norman, George Norman, and three sisters, Mrs. Benjamin (Mattie) Lewis, Aleane Ouzts, Lillie Ree Childs, all of Greenwood.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@emeraldis.com

Elizabeth R. Staggs

NINETY SIX — Elizabeth Robertson Staggs, 84, of 205 Park St., widow of W.R. “Razz” Staggs, died Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at National Health Care Center.
Born in Ninety Six, she was a daughter of the late Jerry and Sally Wood Robertson. She retired from Greenwood Mills, Ninety Six Plant, where she was a member of the Quarter Century Club. She was a member of Temple Baptist Church, where she was a member of the T.E.L. Sunday School Class. She was twice married, first to the late J.V. Morris.
Survivors include two daughters, Linda Earwood of Ninety Six and Patricia Fenell of Durham, N.C.; a son, Larry Morris of Greenwood; a brother, Bruce Robertson of Myrtle Beach; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; a great-great-grandchild.
Services are 2:30 p.m. Friday at Harley Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. J.B. Abercrombie. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are Ed Leary, Wayne Blackburn, Robbie Fulmer, R.C. Fulmer, Wallace Robertson and Alan McIntosh.
Honorary escorts are members of Temple Baptist Church T.E.L. and Faithful Workers Sunday School Classes.
Visitation is 12:30-2 Friday at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of her son, Larry Morris, 119 Pucketts Pointe Road, Greenwood.
Memorials may be made to Temple Baptist Church, 95 Saluda St., Ninety Six, SC 29666.
Harley Funeral Home, Greenwood, is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

Dorothy Stone

SALUDA, SC – Dorothy Wood Stone, 75, of 303 Travis Ave., died Tuesday, March 29, 2005 at Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood.
Born in Newberry County, and a daughter of the late Eddie Franklin and Hermie Coats Wood, she was the wife of Roy David Stone, Sr.. Mrs. Stone was a retired Department Head with BC Moore & Sons for 34 years and was a member of Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church.
Surviving is her husband, Roy David Stone, Sr., a son, David Stone of Saluda, a daughter and son in-law, Cindy S. and Glenn Corley of Saluda, a sister, Pearl Swygert of Joanna, two grandchildren, Jeffery B. Jordan and Jason D. Jordan.
The family will receive friends from 7 until 9PM, Thursday, March 31, 2005 at Ramey Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be 11AM, Friday, April 1, 2005 at Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church with Pastor Eddie Miller officiating. Interment will follow in Travis Park Cemetery.
PAID OBITUARY

Mosell L. Tucker

ABBEVILLE — Mosell London Tucker, 75, of 239 Taylortown Road, widow of Robert Tucker, died Monday, March 28, 2005 at Abbeville County Memorial Hospital.
Born in Abbeville, she was a daughter of the late William and Rebecca Johnson London. She retired from Abbeville Mills and was a member of Haigler Street Church of Christ.
Survivors include a daughter, Shirley T. Peterson of Abbeville; three sons, Dennis Tucker, Michael Tucker, Amos Tucker, all of Abbeville; four sisters, Cleo Aiken, Margie Smith, Carrie Hughey, all of Abbeville and Virginia Statom of Las Vegas; nine grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Friday at Haigler Street Church of Christ, conducted by Brother Raymond J. Pressley. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers and flower bearers are family and friends.
Viewing is 1-8 p.m. today at Abbeville & White Mortuary.
The family is at the home of a daughter, Shirley Peterson, 192 Mount Olive Church Road.
Abbeville & White Mortuary is in charge.

Marsha W. Walker

HODGES — Services for Marsha Williette “Peaches” Walker are 1 p.m. Friday at Dunn Creek Baptist Church, Ware Shoals, conducted by the Rev. James F. Davis III, assisted by the Revs. John Gunter and Sylvester Jackson. The body will be placed in the church at 12. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers are Jimmy Freely, Sherman Tolbert, Robert Freely, James R. Waldrup, Patrick A. Dial and David Lomax Jr.
Flower bearers are Dunn Creek YWA members.
The family is at the home, 903 Flatwood Road.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home, Greenwood, is in charge.

Dorothy Lucille Williams

Services for Dorothy Lucille Williams, of 209 Wheatfield Drive, are 1 p.m. Saturday at Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, Promised Land, conducted by the Rev. James E. Speed Sr., assisted by the Rev. Charles Agnew and Pastor Alvin Deal. The body will be placed in the church at 12.
Pallbearers and flower bearers are friends of the family.
Honorary escorts are members of Brewer High School Class of 1966.
Visitation is 6-9 Friday at the home.
Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc. is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@emeraldis.com

Mattie Worthington

Mattie Lee Worthington, 88, of 222 Virginia Ave., died Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at McCormick Healthcare Center.
Born in Greenwood County, she was a daughter of the late Hilary Lee and Mattie Sue Covar Worthington. She retired from Greenwood Mills, Plant No. 1. A member of Woodfields Baptist Church and the TEL Sunday School Class, she was also a member of the Greenwood Mills Quarter Century Club.
Survivors include a sister, Runette W. Foster of Greenwood.
Services are 3:30 p.m. Friday at Blyth Funeral Home, conducted by Dr. Robert Miller and the Rev. Wayne Wiggins. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are Joe Worthington, Charles Worthington, Steve Worthington, Albert Davenport, David Church, Frank Boland and John Steward.
Honorary escorts are members of Woodfields Baptist Church TEL Sunday School Class.
Visitation is 2-3:30 Friday at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of a niece, Myrtle F. Rush, 108 Hillcrest Drive.
Memorials may be made to Woodfields Baptist Church, 1708 Marshall Road, Greenwood, SC 29646 or Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646.
Blyth Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com