Daily Archives: 08/25/2015
Guardian Ad Litem to host 2nd annual ‘Clusters for Kids’ roast
EASLEY — Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem has been providing financial assistance since 2002 to neglected and abused children and the Guardian ad Litem Program of Pickens County.
[cointent_lockedcontent]Annually, the program touches the lives of the children by providing back-to-school clothing, clothes/comfort blankets/stuffed animals for children coming into custody of DSS, tutoring/mentoring programs and many other requests not covered through state programs.
The most significant 2015 fundraising event for Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem is the second annual Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast. The Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast will be held Saturday, Oct. 24, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., at Arran Farm, home of Daniel and Janice Lee, at 820 Lenhardt Road in Easley. District 5 South Carolina House Representative Neal Collins is serving as honorary chair of the 2015 Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast.
The evening will include oysters and dinner buffet, along with beer and wine, music, silent auction, corn hole competitions and more. Ticket prices will be $50 per person for advance tickets ($90 for couples), and a limited number of at-the-door tickets will be available for $75 per person.
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Pumpkin Festival quilt tickets available
PUMPKINTOWN — The 37th annual Pumpkin Festival, scheduled for [cointent_lockedcontent]Saturday, Oct. 10, is rapidly approaching.
As usual, a quilt will be given away at 4 p.m. on the day of the festival. This year’s quilt is a T-shirt quilt made from T-shirts from previous years of the festival. The quilt was designed and quilted by Susie Flowers. Tickets for this year’s quilt are $1 each, or six for $5, and will be available at various locations in the Pumpkintown area for the next few weeks. Tickets will also be available in the Oolenoy Community Building the day of the festival. You do not have to be present to win. The Pumpkintown Community Club, which sponsors the festival, meets the second Monday of April, May, June, August, September, October and November. Anyone who is interested in helping to prepare for the festival or help with other community projects is invited to join.
Spots are still available for vendors at this year’s festival. If you are a vendor with handmade/homemade goods, contact Flowers, the festival chairperson, at (864) 898-0261. Flowers is also the person to contact for rental of the Oolenoy Community Building for weddings, reunions or other events. For further information on the festival or the Pumpkintown Community Club, contact club president Bob Flowers at (864) 898-0261 or (864) 884-2671.[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Community Calendar 08-26-15
• Movies on the Market start Aug. 29
[cointent_lockedcontent]The city of Easley and Gilstrap Family Dealerships will host Movies on the Market on Saturday nights from Aug. 29 to Oct. 3.
The movies start around 8 p.m. and will be shown at the outdoor amphitheater in Old Market Square in downtown Easley.
The family oriented movie series has become a fan favorite throughout Pickens County. Shown in the beautiful outdoor city amphitheater, it makes for a great family night, friend get-together night or date night. Visitors are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets. For more information, visit easleyevents.com or call (864) 423-4344.
• Children’s Fall Festival set in Easley
The city of Easley and Gilstrap Family Dealerships will host a Children’s Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 4-8 p.m.
The event will be held around the downtown merchants and at Old Market Square in Easley. Children can trick or treat with the downtown merchants and then join a fun-filled festival with games, music, costume contests and more. The festival is free.
For more, visit easleyevents.com or call (864) 423-4344.
• Luter to speak at Rock Springs
Dr. Fred Luter Jr., pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and past president of the Southern Baptist Convention, will be speaking in a one-night crusade at Rock Springs Baptist Church on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.
Pre-service music will begin at 6:45 p.m. and will be provided by Crusade choir and orchestra.
Rock Springs is located at 201 Rock Springs Road in Easley.
• Legion Post 67 seeks members
American Legion Post 67 in Liberty is accepting applications for membership from all U.S. military wartime veterans.
For more information, call (864) 787-2322.
• Pickens Lions plan meetings each month
The Pickens Lions Club is in need of new members. The club meets the first and third Thursday of every month at Pizza Inn in Pickens. Dinner begins at 6:40 p.m., and the meeting starts at 7 p.m.
Meetings are open to anyone interested in joining the club or simply finding out more about the club and how it serves Pickens.
• PHS Classes of ‘50 and ‘60 to reunite
The Pickens High School class of 1950 will celebrate its 65th reunion at the Gatehouse restaurant Saturday, Aug. 29, at 11:30 a.m. A buffet will be available. Contact Betty Baker Chapman at (864) 859-8710 with any questions.
In addition, the Pickens High School Class of 1960 is planning a 55-year reunion for Sept. 19.
If you have not received information or have questions, contact Jane Underwood Wyche at (864) 982-1877 or J1942@aol.com or Connie Bowers at (864) 878-9925 or jconniebowers@gmail.com.
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Winchester reunion set
PICKENS — The annual Winchester reunion will be held at the [cointent_lockedcontent]Shady Grove Baptist Church Fellowship Building on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 12:15 p.m.
Table accessories will be provided. Each family will provide food and drinks. There will be a memorial candlelight service for those who passed away during the past years and a video to portray the 70th wedding anniversary of Jack and Sheila Winchester of Florida.
Hough Pace is president, Dale Winchester is vice president and David Winchester and daughter are serving as treasurer and secretary.[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Whose turn is it anyway?
Everybody knows what to do when arriving at a four-way stop. You stop. That’s not the problem. The problem is that nobody knows when to go. [cointent_lockedcontent]The S.C. driver’s manual covers this. But either nobody in the state has read the manual. or the instructions are confusing.
The manual suggests — actually it’s the law — drivers do the following:
The S.C. driver’s manual says a motorist arriving at the intersection must yield the right of way to motorists who arrived before him, waiting his turn to enter the intersection. If two motorists arrive at the same time, if on different streets, the driver on the left should yield to the driver on the right; or if on the same street, a driver desiring to turn left should yield to the driver coming from the opposite direction.
This is all well and good, but this is not what happens.
Experience teaches us that when we arrive at the four-way stop and there are three other vehicles who’ve also just arrived, it may not be possible to tell who actually arrived first. If there are four vehicles there at the same time, chaos ensues.
If you draw it out on a piece of paper, you start with a cross. This represents the four-way stop. Next, draw a rectangle to the right of each arm of the cross. This represents a vehicle in the right lane, unless we’re in England, but we won’t even consider that.
So, everybody’s there at the same time. The driver on the south is supposed to yield to the driver to his right on the east. The driver on the east is supposed to yield to the driver on the north. The driver on the north is supposed to yield to the driver on the west, and the driver on the west is supposed to yield to the driver on the south. So if everyone follows that rule, either nobody goes or everybody goes, and there will be a four-car collision in the center of the intersection.
Now this is just according to my diagram. Maybe I misunderstood.
Maybe that’s why when you actually arrive at an intersection with a four-way stop everybody is afraid to go. Usually at least one driver will motion someone through. This is also a problem if more than one driver decides to motion another driver through.
I’ve actually seen two drivers motioning each other through. Neither went through, as they couldn’t decide, so I went through. Maybe I had the right of way. Maybe I didn’t.
Matters are complicated if someone doesn’t have a turn signal on and plans to turn or if they do have the turn signal on but are unaware of that and are planning to go straight ahead.
At one particular local four-way stop, the angle on one of the arms of the intersection does not form a true right angle, so if you turn onto that road, the signal doesn’t cut off and you’re in trouble at the next intersection because you may not be planning to turn at all.
There’s an old Laurel and Hardy routine known as “Who’s on first?” The people who wrote this routine were also responsible for writing the S.C. driver’s manual. Many of us find it just as helpful but sadly lacking in humor.
Want to stay safe? Stay home.
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Trapped at home with no satellite
We had quite a situation up on Robinson’s Mountain this week.[cointent_lockedcontent]
My father cut the grass last week, which I know is a difficult job. For many years, when I was growing up, that was my job.
As the old Erma Bombeck title correctly reports, the grass is always greener over the septic tank. But with our lawn, surrounded by acres of woods, the grass grows differently throughout our yard. So in places it was so thick you could hardly push a mower through it, while in other places, it was so thin you couldn’t be sure how far you had already cut.
Plus you had obstacles to deal with. Pine cones and rocks were common.
And there was this one spot where our telephone line runs. It stuck out of the ground, and when the lawnmower hit it, it sparked from metal touching metal. It never caught fire, but it kept Mrs. Robinson’s chubby son Ben awake as he mowed the lawn.
Either way, now my father is retired and says he needs to cut the grass so he will be able to get some exercise. I don’t mention that I obviously need the exercise just as badly. I just accept the relief of not having to cut the grass.
So my father was cutting the grass when he ran over something and the lawnmower stopped. I keep telling him that the proper way to stop the lawnmower is that lever on the handle, but he prefers just to run over something.
But this time he ran over the wires that go to our satellite television. Of course, when the blade hits those cables, our satellite goes out.
When I was young, there was no such thing as satellite television. We could get Channel 4 from Greenville, Channel 7 from Spartanburg and occasionally some glimmer of Channel 13 from Asheville. Channel 16 didn’t exist yet, and Channel 29 was educational (who wants to learn from home?). When Channel 21 came around years later, people started calling it “country cable.” A friend of mine’s mother actually sat up late one night to enjoy the fact she could get a signal 24 hours a day.
Other channels popped up over the years, but while I was away from home at college, my parents bought one of those small satellite dishes, and suddenly our television choices went from 3 to 200.
Eventually, the TV folks figured out how to rig it to where you couldn’t just pick up stations through the air anymore, so we had to buy boxes for even our small black-and-white televisions.
So after my father ran over the satellite wires with the lawnmower, we went from 200 channels to 0.
My father called the satellite people and reported the incident.
“They said it would be next Monday before they could have anybody come and look at the satellite,” he reported.
“What?” I answered. “Are they coming on the Mayflower?”
“They’ll probably use one of those vans,” my mother said.
So for almost a week, I was trapped in a home with no television.
But today is Monday and they’re supposed to be coming to fix it. I have a meeting to cover tonight, but I will sleep better knowing television will be back tomorrow.
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Courier Letters to the Editor 08-26-15
Why doesn’t county talk?
Dear Editor,
There have been several articles about Pickens County building fire stations and turning the existing system “upside-down.”
[cointent_lockedcontent]Repeatedly, the articles have quoted Easley and Pickens leaders as saying they don’t know what’s going on or why. According to the articles, the buildings have been delayed, contracts revoked and it appears much equipment will need to be purchased as well as many new firemen hired.
Yet the county remains quiet. Who is paying for all of this and why? I filed a FOIA request asking if city tax money was being used and was told to look on the county website.
I believe it’s illegal to use city tax money to provide a service that the city already provides. Perhaps one of our legislators should get a legal opinion on that. Yet the county remains quiet.
The contract revocation appears mean-spirited and punitive. For what? The county got mad at the press (for reporting truthfully) and discussed hiring a public information officer. All they have to do is let the public know what they are doing and why.
This council continues to hurt Pickens County, and it needs to stop. There are at least a dozen unanswered and unaccounted-for actions by them, from killing a mental health grant ($250,000!) to slandering individuals to wasting huge sums of money firing people so they can continue to run things “like we used to.” Laughable if not so sad and harmful. And embarrassing.
Tom O’Hanlan
Liberty
GOP hurting the little guy
Dear Editor,
I have been listening to the GOP candidates for president, and they all seem to be saying the same things. Cut Social Security, get rid of Medicaid, cut Medicare, cut education, repeal Obamacare, etc. Everything that help the majority of the population seems to be on their agenda to do away with or cut.
How come I never hear any one of them say any of the following things?
“Let’s close tax loopholes that allow corporations and the rich to offshore money to evade taxes.”
“Let’s close loopholes that allow corporations and the rich to pay little or no taxes.”
“Let’s close loopholes that allow corporations to set up phony offshore headquarters to evade taxes.”
“Let’s stop paying corporate subsidies.”
“Let’s close the loophole that rewards companies that move American jobs offshore.”
“Let’s raise taxes on the rich.”
They are willing to hurt the little guy, but they sure refuse to make the rich or corporations pay their fair share.
Another thing I notice that affects this state — our wonderful governor and attorney general are joining the lawsuit against the new EPA emission regulations. Let’s see — South Carolina lost the immigration lawsuit, the voter ID lawsuit, the Obamacare lawsuit and the same-sex marriage lawsuit. Now we’re going to waste more money on another ALEC/Koch brothers lawsuit. We can’t fix our roads, fund education or decrease the backlog in the legal system, but we can waste more taxpayer money on another ALEC/Koch sponsored lawsuit. Wonder what the connection is between the governor and attorney general and the law firms they hire to represent South Carolina?
Larry Allen
Easley
A man of contradictions and platitudes
Dear Editor,
Dr. Ben Carson, who is running on the Republican ticket for president, spoke in Seneca on Monday.
Dr. Carson, who is African-American, told the story of his youth and how, as he grew, he distanced himself from his black and visionless peers and went on to become a doctor.
One problem that poor people have, Dr. Carson said, is that they make more money on welfare than they do working. “So why work?” he asked. Yet in the next breath, Dr. Carson refuted the notion of raising the minimum wage to a level that would get people out of poverty. To this contradiction in logic, he offers only platitudes.
The event was booked as a Latino outreach, but only one Latino attended. Perhaps the rest of the Latino population had read Dr. Carson’s recent statement that if he were president, he would use drones to kill all undocumented workers in the USA. The idea of being murdered by Dr. Carson as they sleep in their beds with their wives and children perhaps does not appeal to Latinos. Dr. Carson is a mild-mannered doctor who believes in mass murder. Hmmmmm, contradiction on steroids.
Dr. Carson is a black man, running as a Republican candidate, who does not see black skin when he looks in the mirror. He sees a man who has escaped black poverty and is no longer associated with “those folks.” He totes the Republican line and does not thank his cultural predecessors for getting him to where he is today. Instead, he mouths the words of the Republican white man, hoping that no one will notice the contradictions.
Marley Allgood
Seneca
Political bullying needs to have consequences
Dear Editor,
The recent S.C. GOP Executive Committee “hearing” on whether or not Pickens County’s GOP Convention was valid got me to thinking about all that money, time and energy wasted.
Think about all the stress GOP leader Phillip Bowers, his wife and their family have had to endure over the past five months, including the wild goose chase that someone put SLED on in order to harass Phillip by having him “investigated” over something a judge had already thrown out of court. Think back about the harassment of Ed Harris, his wife and their family when B.R. Skelton lost his race to Ed. Think about the fact that Skelton was a sore loser and pursued legal action against Bowers and Harris. The judge ruled fairly that there was no foul play and threw it out of court. But again … all that stress, wasted time, wasted money and wasted energy.
Costs associated with all these bullying debacles originated from elected leaders. Shouldn’t there be consequences for bullying coming out of the pocket of those legislators who do all this bullying? Dirty politics by elected leaders needs consequences.
Thank God common sense prevailed during the S.C. GOP committee hearing and truth came into light. This was an attempt by moderate GOP elected officials who are constantly reaching across the aisle to embrace the Democrats’ progressive ideology.
Our elected leaders are not following the S.C. GOP platform. Read it and you will see. If you don’t agree with the S.C. GOP platform, then find another party to join.
We have elected leaders who are trying to bully we the people. They hope we will give up on Christian conservative Constitutional ideology and become more “progressive.” They hate the grassroots “tea party” type. They call us names, harass and bully us. They try to discredit good, honest, hard-working people who want freedom, transparency, accountability, their taxes kept low, the Constitution and our S.C. GOP platform followed.
Neal Collins, David Hiott, Gary Clary and Larry Martin need to feel the consequence of bullying in their wallet. They need consequences for wasting money, time and energy. The best consequence would be for we the people to fire them in their next election cycle.
I’m on mission to make that happen. Join me.
Let’s show these power-hungry legislator bullies that we the people don’t like their bullying techniques.
Please make plans to attend the next Pickens County GOP meeting, scheduled for Sept. 17. Mark your calendar now. It is past time we the people get up and say no to progressive ideology or we will lose our democratic republic to progressive socialism.
Johnnelle Raines
Pickens
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Obituaries 08-26-2015
RAY M. HANNAH
WESTMINSTER, Calif. — Ray Hannah, 68, resident of Westminster, Calif., and formerly of Pickens, passed Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015.
[cointent_lockedcontent]Ray is survived by his three daughters, Maggie Torres (Javier), Tisha Clark (Doyle) and Veronica Sosa (Salvador), and his nine grandchildren, Milton, Vanessa, Austin, Samantha, Isabella, Kalice, Makayla, Jacob and Landon, as well as his siblings, Harry Hannah (Rachel) of Whiteville, N.C., Mildred Brewer of Pickens, Dottie Aultman (Bob) of Pickens, Martha McGuffin of Westminster and his sister-in-law, Carol Hannah of Pickens.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Willie (Bill) Hannah and Blanche Hannah, and his brother, Joe Frank Hannah.
He loved going to team parties and barbecues and his grandchildren’s soccer games. Most of all he loved cheering for them. Ray was a wonderful grandfather, father and friend. He was loved and will be greatly missed.
A celebration of life for Ray was held Aug. 20 at His Place Church. Burial at Riverside National Cemetery will be scheduled later.
Romans 14:8 “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord, so then whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
LINDA J. HUNTER
EASLEY — Mrs. Linda Jones Hunter slipped peacefully into the arms of the Angels about midday on Monday with her loving husband, Mr. James Benny Hunter, at her side, in their home in the Dacusville community.
She is the daughter of Mrs. Olive Watson Jones Putnam of Easley, the late Edwin C. Jones, and stepfather Forrest O. Putnam. In addition to her husband, mother and stepfather, she is survived by her son, Benjamin Lee (Adriane) Hunter, grandsons, Baylon C. Hunter, Brennan E. Hunter and Vincent E. Gonick, and sister-in-law, Mrs. Jenny Hunter Fortescue of Liberty.
Mrs. Hunter was born March 28, 1945, and graduated from Easley High School and Draughn’s Business College. She retired from the Pickens County school system with 25 years of service. She was a lifelong member of Crossroads Baptist Church.
Those who visited her home were blessed by the beauty of everything she touched, the luscious flowers and plants in her garden, the panoply of greenery on her sun porch, the decor of her home and the lovely adornment of her clothes.
Because she received the highest level of medical care, very few knew that she battled Parkinson’s for a quarter century. Her family is deeply grateful for the consistently excellent treatment afforded by her physicians, doctors Kent Kistler and Calvin Snipes. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests remembrances be directed to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, 1501 Ninth Avenue, Miami, FL, 33136.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff members of Brookdale-Easley and Homestead Hospice for the love and care they provided to Mrs. Hunter.
Funeral services were held Aug. 20 in the chapel of Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown, with Dr. Jim Finley and Rev. Phil Henry officiating. Graveside services followed at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Pickens.
Pallbearers were Dan Coke, Les Putnam, Taylor McLees, Jackie Watson, Leland Watson and Brian Welsh.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown, which is assisting the family.
GEORGIA C. HUFF
EASLEY — Georgia Campbell Huff, 92, widow of Clyde John Huff, passed from this life on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, at the Richard M. Campbell Veteran’s Home in Anderson.
Mrs. Huff was born in Greenville, a daughter of the late Madison Walker and Sarah Ward Campbell. She was a homemaker and a member of Easley First United Methodist Church. She was a Corporal in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II where she took care of soldiers returning from the battlefield.
Survivors include daughters, Vickie Robertson (Ronald) of Liberty and Jayne Wright (John) of Easley; grandchildren, Jonathan Robertson, Brian Robertson, Sarah Jane Soroka, Elizabeth Delaurier and John Andrew Wright; and great-grandchildren, Virginia Jayne Soroka and Cooper Andrew Wright. Mrs. Huff is also survived by a sister, Ruby Bowen.
In addition to her parents and husband, Mrs. Huff was preceded in death by a grandson, John Allen Miles Wright.
Funeral services were held Aug. 20 in the funeral home chapel, with burial following at Hillcrest Memorial Park and Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Richard M. Campbell Veteran’s Home, 4605 Belton Highway, Anderson, S.C. 29621 or to PH Hospice, 102 Commons Boulevard, Piedmont, SC 29673.
A message of condolence may be expressed to the family by visiting www.DillardFunerals.com which is assisting the family.
JAMES DODSON
PICKENS — James Arthur Dodson, 88, of 240 Pilgrim Circle, passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, at his residence.
Born in Pickens, he was a son of the late Roy Conrad and Dessie Pilgrim Dodson.
He retired from Woodside Mills’ Cateechee plant and was a member of Mountain View Baptist Church.
Surviving are his wife, Iona Cantrell Dodson, and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services to honor the life of Mr. Dodson were held Aug. 21 in the Liberty Mortuary Chapel, with burial following at Hillcrest Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers memorials are requested to Oconee Hospice of the Foothills, 390 Keowee School Road, Seneca SC 29672, or Mountain View Baptist Church, 336 Mountain View Church Road, Six Mile SC 29682.
Liberty Mortuary is handling arrangements.
TERRY WAYNE VAUGHN
PICKENS — Terry Wayne Vaughn, 58, husband of Tammy Jean Bagwell Vaughn, went to be with the Lord Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, in Charleston.
Mr. Vaughn was born in Greenville, a son of Elizabeth Ann Nations Vaughn of Easley and the late Joseph Furman Vaughn.
Mr. Vaughn was a member of Morning Star Independent Baptist Church. He enjoyed flying remote-control airplanes and helicopters. His hobbies included camping, fishing and hunting. Mr. Vaughn had a love for his wife that was neverending. He also loved his dog, Ellie Mae.
Survivors include his wife of 27 years; one daughter, Jennifer Vaughn of Anderson; one brother, Joseph Furman Vaughn, Jr. and wife Phyllis of Easley; and five grandchildren.
Mr. Vaughn was predeceased by his father.
Services were held Aug. 9 at Dillard Funeral Home Chapel, with burial following at Hillcrest Memorial Park and Gardens.
Memorials may be made to Morning Star Independent Baptist Church, 111 North Cedar Rock Road, Easley, SC 29640.
Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the Vaughn family.
LOUVENIA GERALDINE LESLEY
EASLEY — Louvenia “Geraldine” Lesley, 86, of 204 Pope Field Road, Easley, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, Aug. 17.
Born in Easley, she was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Robinson Brown Sr. She graduated from Easley High School in the class of 1946, worked as a bookkeeper and a homemaker, marrying H.G. “Junior” Lesley Jr. on Dec. 2, 1950. They were married for 63 years.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband; two siblings, Amelia McCall, wife of the late Amos McCall, and Wayne Brown; sister-in-law, Hazel Southerland, wife of the late Lowell Southerland; and in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. H.G. Lesley Sr.
She is survived by two sisters-in-law, Grace Houston, wife of the late Rev. Cecil Houston, and Judith Brown, wife of the late Wayne Brown; three siblings, John R. Brown Jr., husband of the late Ruby Brown, Marcella Southerland (Lawrence) and Virginia Greer (Dorsey); two children, son, P.F. Lesley, and daughter, Sondra L. Medlin; three granddaughters, Shandi Crosby (Robert), Jenna Popham (Toulose) and Jacqueline Lesley; five great-grandchildren, Brody Crosby, Briggs Crosby, Eliza Popham, Odette Popham and Iselle Popham; one aunt, Geneva Crocker; many close friends, nieces, nephews, cousins and her church family at the Easley First Wesleyan Church, which she was a member of since birth.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Easley First Wesleyan Church, beginning with a viewing at 2:30 p.m.
Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the family.
TIMOTHY REID FOLLIN
LIBERTY — Timothy Reid Follin, 69, died on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, at Greenville Memorial Hospital after an extended illness.
Born in Sumter, he was the son of the late Herbert Girard Follin and Nevada Montgomery Follin.
Survivors include two brothers, Rod Follin of Archdale, N.C., and Glenn Follin of Sumter; one sister, Claudia Follin of Liberty; one daughter, Ashley Steppe Nicholas (Adam) of Choctaw, Okla.; two sons, Timothy Russell of New Jersey and Billy Russell of Georgia; four grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and special friends Poag Reid (Linda) of Pendleton and Gary Kelly of Easley.
Tim was a master diesel instructor and an avid horseman who always had a good story to share. He was always willing to help a friend or stranger and cherished by many. Tim was a devoted father to his daughter, never yielding in his willingness to listen and lift her up. He was a supportive brother to his sister and brothers. He loved them selflessly and unconditionally. Tim will be deeply missed and forever remembered by his family and friends.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Donations may be made in Tim’s memory to The National Kidney Foundation, 8920 Stone Green Way Suite 100, Louisville, KY 40220 or Shriners Hospital for Children, 950 W Faris Rd, Greenville, SC 29605.
LAURA PICKENS HEATON
EASLEY — Mrs. Laura Josephine Pickens Heaton, 89, wife of the late Joe Benson Heaton, Jr., passed away Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, at Rainey Hospice House in Anderson.
Born in Pickens County, the daughter of the late Julius Andrew and Elizabeth MacNabb Pickens, Mrs. Heaton was a graduate of Easley High School, Draughn’s Business College, Southern Airways School of Aviation and attended the University of South Carolina, where she studied personnel management. She was supervisor of procurement section at Donaldson Air Force Base in Greenville, secretary and bookkeeper for Blakely Plumbing Supply Company and retired from the Pickens County YMCA in 1987 as secretary and bookkeeper. Mrs. Heaton was a member of Brushy Creek Baptist Church, where she was past president of the Joy Sunday School Class, and past secretary/treasurer of the Willing Workers Sunday School Class for a number of years.
Surviving are two sons, Joe Andrew Heaton and his wife Margo of Clovis, Calif., and Julius Pickens Heaton of Easley; a daughter, Jo Heaton Smith of Easley; three grandchildren, Hayden Smith, Dr. Laura Heaton and Julia Heaton; and two great-grandchildren, Jade and Rain Smith. In addition to her husband and parents, Mrs. Heaton was predeceased by a brother, Edwin J. Pickens.
Graveside services were held Aug. 22 at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Easley.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the building fund of Brushy Creek Baptist Church, 100 Clay Street, Easley, SC 29642.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown, which is assisting the family.
JR. REVIS
LIBERTY — Monroe “Jr.” Revis, 81, of 335 Garvin Road, died Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015, at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Born in Liberty, he was a son of the late Monroe and Mary Louise Swords Revis.
He retired from Woodside Mill and was later an insurance adjuster. He also served his country during the Korean War as a member of the United States Army Rangers.
Surviving are his wife, Juanita Revis of the home; a step-daughter, Anita Owens of Pickens; a stepson, Bubba McCullough of Dacusville; a half-sister, Sue Burgess; four half-brothers, Clyde, Ernest, Joe and Larry Bagwell; and three step-grandsons, Corey Maness, Patrick McCullough and Matthew Owens.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Ruby Mulligan Revis.
Funeral services to honor the life of Mr. Revis were held Aug. 25 in the Liberty Mortuary Chapel, with burial following at Memory Gardens in Clemson.
Liberty Mortuary is handling arrangements.
ANN MARLENE MEDLOCK YOUNG
LIBERTY — Mrs. Ann Marlene Medlock Young, 74, of Liberty, loving wife of the late Donald W. Young, passed away Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015.
Ann was born in Liberty on June 20, 1941, to the late James and Madgeline Simpson Medlock. She graduated from Liberty High School and then attended Draughn’s Business College. She worked for Sulzer in Spartanburg as an accounting clerk before her retirement, and she loved to do genealogy research. Ann was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Spartanburg.
Ann is survived by a daughter, Michelle Young Galloway (Toby), of Easley; a sister, Nadine Owens of Liberty, and a grandson, Jared Venesky of Easley.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by a sister, Linda Hayes.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Westview Cemetery in Liberty. The family will receive friends following the service at the cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the American Cancer Society, 1010 E North St, Greenville, SC 29601.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Robinson Funeral Home – Downtown, which is assisting the family.
CATHERINE S. BRADY
EASLEY — Catherine Sims Brady, 92, formerly of Peppercorn Way, and wife of the late David F. Brady, passed away Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015.
Born in Spartanburg, she was the daughter of the late Sanford and Mattie Nix Sims.
Mrs. Brady was a homemaker and member of Jones Avenue Baptist Church. She loved her family, her church and being outside gardening and growing beautiful flowers.
Surviving are her children, David C. Brady of Simpsonville, Joyce Chapman (Jim) and Shirley Wells (Thomas) all of Easley; eight grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; eight great-great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Ray Sims of Greer and Mack Sims of Simpsonville.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by three brothers, Earl, Haley and Claude Sims.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 2:30 p.m. in the chapel of Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown, with burial to follow in Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 1 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. at the funeral home.
Flowers will be accepted, or memorials may be made to Open Arms Hospice, 1836 W. Georgia Road, Simpsonville, SC 29680.
The family will be at the home of her daughter, Shirley Wells, 410 McCoy St., Easley, SC 29640. Condolences may be expressed online by visiting www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown, which is assisting the family.[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Wave top Pickens in coaches’ debut
By Eugene Jolley
Courier Sports
ejolley@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — The annual clash between county rivals Pickens and Easley was a contrast in styles Friday night before a nearly filled Green Wave Stadium.
[cointent_lockedcontent]The Green Wave, with their no-huddle, spread offense, were able to hold off the slower-paced Blue Flame by a 29-17 final in the teams’ season opener. It was the fifth win in a row in the series for Easley and first for new head coach John Windham.
“It was a good game,” Windham said. “I give a lot of credit to Pickens. They fought hard.
“I thought we had too many penalties, (but) many of them were aggressive penalties. I was proud of the way we played. We had some critical conversions and big plays that really helped us. I thought our kids fought hard for four quarters.”
First-year Pickens coach John Boggs gave the Green Wave credit after dropping his first game leading his alma mater.
Tommy McGaha/Courier
Pickens’ Jamal Blythe upends Easley’s during their game Friday night at Green Wave Stadium.
“My hat’s off to them,” he said. “Both times when we scored and took the lead and scored to cut it to six, they were able to come right back and answer on both of those drives. Great teams do that. … They made some big plays. I thought our kids fought their tails off. I thought we played as hard as we could possibly play and as physical as we could play. We just quite couldn’t get it done. We didn’t make the plays to win the ballgame — partly credit to Easley and partly credit to we’ve just got to get better.”
Easley senior quarterback Dalton Black was the difference in the game — his third start in the series — finishing 17-of-26 for 290 yards and four scores, with another erased by penalty.
“I thought (Black) played a heck of a game for them tonight,” Boggs said. “He made some big throws when he needed to. He’s a three-year starter, a tough guy and he sits in there and made some throws when he needed to.”
However, it was an early interception of Black by Pickens’ Sam Lawson that had the Blue Flame in business early.
Back-to-back offside penalties and a 14-yard Tanner Stegall pass to Gunner Covey had the Blue Flame deep in Easley territory, but on third and five at the Green Wave 23, Stegall’s pitch to tailback Brandon Batson was fumbled and recovered by Ivan Hill.
“We had a pretty decent drive going there, and you’re at least hoping with our kicker that you’re going to get three out of it,” Boggs said. “In the end, that wasn’t the difference in the game, and if we had punched that in, it would not have been the difference in the game.
“Everything in a high school game like that matters as far as keeping momentum going and getting the lead when you need to get one. We obviously have got some work to do. We’re better now than where we were a week ago. We’re making improvements. My hat’s off to them — they’re a good football team. It was a great football game, great crowd. It was classy — both sides handled everything classy. Nobody was talking trash after the game, and that’s a credit to both schools.”
The Green Wave capitalized on the early turnover, with Black converting on third and five and then hitting Holden Martin for a touchdown that was erased due to penalty. The Green Wave eventually settled for a 36-yard Josh Holden field goal with 3:06 left in the first quarter, making it 3-0. The drive covered 10 plays.
Both teams struggled on their next possessions. A backward pass and a sack of Black by Ridge Clark forced a Green Wave punt.
Pickens then drove 57 yards in nine plays to take the lead. Stegall had a big 24-yard scramble on third down at the 46, and then five plays later, facing third and 13, found a wide-open Kirkland Gillespie down the right side for a 21-yard scoring strike.
“He’s got guts,” Boggs said of his sophomore quarterback. “The touchdown pass he threw, he took it right in the face when he got rid of the ball — that’s Tanner Stegall for you. He’s tough. He’s hard-nosed. He’s got a lot of talent. Big stage under the lights and he’s sophomore. I don’t know that I was ready to play at that age. We’re throwing him out there trying to drive the car. I was happy with how hard our kids played. We’re not happy with losing and we never will be. But I thought our kids fought their tails off.”
Matt Gravely’s kick made it 7-3 with 8:09 left in the half.
But Easley had an answer for every Pickens threat Friday night. In response, Black led a 13-play, 80-yard drive, converting three third downs in the process. Facing second and 10 at the 19, Black hit Carter Wiles on the right side just past Jamal Blythe for the score with 2:34 left in the half, making it 10-7.
“We threw the ball well, and it starts with good protection,” Windham said. “We struggled to do at times what we wanted to do, but our passing game really helped out.”
Easley seized more momentum on its first possession of the second half. After two dropped passes, Black hit Martin on a slip screen, and the senior scampered 62-yards for the score. The kick hit the right upright and missed, making it 16-7 with 8:56 left in the third quarter.
Defenses held on the next possessions. Gravely and Cole Seaborn stopped runners for loss on the first two down, and then a pass fell incomplete.
The Blue Flame offense then got going thanks to a roughing the passer penalty and a pass interference call. The drive stalled a yard short at the Easley 27, and Gravely hit a 44-yard field goal to make it 16-10 with 2:11 left in the quarter.
But Easley regained the momentum. Again, first and second down produced losses as Clark and Corbin Hinkle had big tackles. But on third and 13, Black hit Tyrese Bradley. Four plays later, following another third-down conversion, Black hit Bralan Fuller all alone for a 45-yard scoring strike with 11:47 to go in the game as two defenders collided on the play. The second conversion was due to a pass interference call that the Blue Flame sideline disagreed with.
The Green Wave scored on the next possession, too. Facing a fourth and nine at the 22 following Renny Croley and Aakil Sitton pass breakups, Black found Fuller on a post pattern in front of Sitton for the score with 7:45 left. Sitton blocked the kick after a bad snap, making it 29-10.
Easley’s Ta’von Hicks picked off a deep Stegall pass on the Flame’s next possession, but the Green Wave had to punt and Pickens rallied for a late score. Covey took it the final three yards with 6.8 seconds left to make the final 29-17.
Easley will play at Daniel next week, while Pickens will play host to Pendleton, ranked in the top 10 in Class AA, in its home opener.
“(Pendleton coach Paul) Sutherland and those guys have done a great job over there for several years,” Boggs said. “It’s our home opener, and we’re excited about that. We want every business and home in town next week to be empty and pack the stands out.”
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Red Devils drop opener in OT
By Jimmy Kirby
Courier Sports
jkirby@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — After a defensive struggle, Crescent’s Terry Hawkins darted around left
Brandy Karr/For The Courier
Liberty senior Eddy Mathis looks for running room during the Red Devils’ overtime loss against Crescent on Friday night.
[cointent_lockedcontent]end for a 10-yard touchdown on the Tigers’ first play to give his team a thrilling 6-3 win over the Liberty Red Devils in the season opener for both teams Friday night.
The Red Devils had taken a 3-0 lead on the strength of Dylan McCall’s 20-yard field goal when they had first crack in overtime after neither team was able to mount consistent offensive drives in a game that ended regulation in a scoreless tie.
“I was real proud of our effort tonight,” Liberty coach Kyle Stewart said after the game. “Our defense played their hearts out on the field tonight. It’s disappointing we couldn’t push it in at the end of the game.”
The Red Devils had their best drive of the night on their last possession of the fourth quarter as they marched marched 79 yards in 11 plays, only to have the drive stall at the Tigers’ 1-yard line. Liberty started from its own 20-yard line with 4:59 remaining in the game. Eddy Mathis broke off a huge 41-yard run around right end to move the ball to the Crescent 39-yard line. Crescent’s Carter Gates had the angle on Mathis to run him out of bounds and save the potential game-winning touchdown.
Four plays later, facing fourth and 12 at the Tigers’ 41-yard line, junior quarterback Austin Hughey connected with Cole Murphy for 18 yards to the 23-yard line. From there, the Red Devils kept it on the ground. Tyler Renaud gained 10 to give Liberty first and goal at the Tiger 10-yard line. Renaud then picked up a yard, Mathis added five more, then Renaud carried for three to the Crescent 1-yard line to set up the last play to give the Red Devils a chance for the win in regulation.
Renaud went off right tackle and appeared stopped for no gain on the play, but a late push carried him into the end zone for the apparent go-ahead touchdown. But the officials ruled the Red Devil touchdown was aided by helping the runner, and the ball was turned over to the Tigers at the 1-yard line with 39 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Tigers were not able to move the ball at all and forced to punt from their own 3-yard line with only five seconds remaining.
Crescent actually had a touchdown called back in the third quarter. Hawkins went around right end and appeared to get the Tigers on the board, but a holding call at the Liberty 17-yard line nullified the touchdown run. Mathis intercepted an Austin Pruitt pass intended for Jamar Willingham in the end zone to end the Tiger threat. That was the closest Crescent came to scoring until the winning touchdown run in overtime.
The Tigers had two great opportunities in the first half to put points on the board as they started consecutive drives at the Liberty 31 and 27-yard line. The Liberty defense stiffened and forced a punt and took over on downs to stop the respective drives.
Crescent’s D.D. Hull led the game in rushing as he carried 16 times for 102 yards. His longest gain on the evening was 13 yards. Mathis led the Red Devils in rushing with 58 yards on 12 carries. Other than the explosive 41-yard run, Mathis found the going tough, gaining only 17 yards on his other 11 carries.
Renaud and Kris Murphy ran hard for the Red Devils up the middle. Renaud accounted for 49 yards on 14 carries, while Murphy gained 33 yards on nine touches.
Making his first start for the Red Devils at quarterback, Hughey was just 2-for-7 passing for 34 yards, but he did not throw an interception. His completions were good to Murphy for 18 yards and Derek Richmond for 16 yards.
“He was a little nervous his first time out, but I thought he played well for his first time under center,” Stewart said of his junior signal caller.
The Red Devils outgained Crescent slightly, 189-183, while both teams had a couple of turnovers. Liberty coughed the ball up on fumbles twice, while the Tigers lost a fumble in addition to Mathis’ interception.
The Devils also came away with a win in the time of possession battle, 29:36-19:24, and also ran 15 more plays than did the Tigers. The only number that matters, however, is the final score.
Liberty will be off this week, but the Devils will return the following week to meet county rival Pickens in their first road contest of the season. The week off will let the sting of Friday’s overtime loss heal before Liberty sees action again.
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