BERNARD GEORGE ‘BERNIE’ KEHOE JR.

PICKENS — Bernard George “Bernie” Kehoe Jr., 53, passed away on June 14, 2023, at North Greenville Hospital in Travelers Rest.

Born Feb. 14, 1970, in Malden, Mass., Bernard was the son of the late Bernard George Kehoe and Mary J. Tilt Kehoe. Mr. Kehoe enjoyed fishing with his sons, shopping and thrifting, and fixing things.

Survivors include his sons, Bernard George Kehoe III “Buddy” (Ashley) of Franklin, N.H., and Brian Douglas Kehoe (Amber) of Northfield, N.H.; four grandchildren, Chezney Kehoe, Casey Kehoe, Kirra Kehoe and Dax Kehoe; three sisters, Christine Cram (Leonard) of Pickens, Karen Cuthbertson (Jon) of Pickens and Kathleen Joyal (Dean) of Keene, N.H.; and three brothers, Richard Mitza of Estes Park, Colo., Stephen Mitza (Melissa) of Moultonborough, N.H., and Shane Mitza (Tracy) of Laconia, N.H.; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Mr. Kehoe was predeceased by his parents.

A celebration of life service will be held at a later date.

Mountain View Funeral Home – Pickens chapel is serving the Kehoe family.

 

GEORGE THOMAS WILSON

PICKENS — George Thomas Wilson, 64, passed away on May 31, 2023. He was surrounded by his loving wife, Cathy, and the rest of his family.

George had lots of friends and was a wonderful person.

He was a welder and also fixed lawnmowers and other small engines.

He is survived by his wife, Cathy Broom Wilson, his stepson, Travis Hayes, and his wife Shelia. His mother and father, Dorothy and Bobby Wilson are deceased. Also, a sister, Jane, deceased. His daughter, Elaine; stepmother, Elizabeth Wilson; stepbrother, Scott; and stepsisters, Debra, and Cindy. George had seven grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was loved by everyone and will truly be missed.

Mountain View Funeral Home – Pickens chapel is serving the Wilson family.

 

ANDREW CORY STONE

LIBERTY — Andrew Cory Stone, 36, of Liberty, passed away on June 13, 2023, in Seneca.

He was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. He was also a South Carolina Gamecocks fan, along with NASCAR and Richard Petty.

Surviving are his mother and stepfather, Wendy McClellan (Hugh) of Easley; his father and stepmother, Alan Stone (Mary) of Liberty; a brother, Chad Stone (Marie) of Liberty; a sister, Erica Stone of Liberty; a stepbrother, Zachary Poole of St. Augustine, Fla.; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services and burial to honor Cory’s life will be private. The family will be at their respective homes.

To share a memory or leave a condolence for the family, please visit libertymortuary.com. Liberty Mortuary is handling arrangements.

 

TONY DALE GILSTRAP

LIBERTY — Tony Dale Gilstrap, 67, of Liberty, died on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at his home, surrounded by family.

Born in Pickens, he was a son of the late Jimmy Gilstrap and Barbara Wilson Gilstrap. He was of the Baptist faith and had previously worked for Pickens County. He was an avid fisherman who loved to fix things, but most of all he loved his grandchildren, who were his pride and joy.

Surviving are his wife of 47 years, Denise Gilstrap of the home; a son, Preacher Joey Gilstrap (Amanda) of Liberty; three grandchildren, Dixie Gilstrap and her fiancé Blake Hudson, Carley Gilstrap and Luke Gilstrap.

Graveside services were held at Liberty Memorial Gardens. The family will be at their respective homes.

To share a memory or leave a condolence for the family, please visit libertymortuary.com. Liberty Mortuary is handling arrangements.

 

EDITH OTHELLA PARKER STILLWELL

PICKENS — Mrs. Edith Othella Parker Stillwell, 90, loving wife of the late Charles Allen Stillwell Sr. of Pickens, passed away Friday, June 16, 2023, at her residence.

A loving wife, mother, and grandmother, Mrs. Stillwell was born in the Tuckasegee Valley of North Carolina on Sept. 16, 1932, to the late Lon Alvin and Minnie Pruitt Parker.

Her compassion toward others and her love of caring for people was shown throughout her whole life, and she received a full academic scholarship to Emory University in the early 1950s, where she received her nursing degree.

From there, she went on to obtain her Master’s degree from the Medical College of Georgia, then her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Mrs. Stillwell is survived by her son, Charles Alan Stillwell Jr. of Pickens; four grandchildren, Charles A. Stillwell III, Mary Beth Stillwell, Allison Ringer and Rachel Attaway; three great-grandchildren, Karen Ringer, Charles Ringer and Mack Ringer; and a dear friend, Gladys Mills of Sylva, N.C.

In addition to her loving husband of 70 years and her parents, Mrs. Stillwell was preceded in death by a daughter, Karen Stillwell Cone, and seven siblings.

Private graveside services will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Pickens.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting dillardfunerals.com.

Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

 

ELIJAH LEI ‘LIJ’ HUNTER

EASLEY — Elijah Lei “Lij” Hunter, 17, passed away on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.

Born July 30, 2005, in Easley, Elijah was the son of Jerell Williams and April Lee Hunter of Easley.

The best ways to describe Elijah are endless, but no doubt Elijah was born just bursting with energy and laughter. He loved to prank any and every one, but he just kept everyone around him laughing constantly. He absolutely loved being around people and his friends, although his true best friend was home with him every day, his older sister Oliva. She was his and he was her entire world. There was this closeness between them that was instantly obvious that nothing or no one would ever break.

Elijah also absolutely loved music and danced probably more than he walked. But he did put that energy to good use as well. He went on mission trips to New Orleans, and he would go from helping little kids on the playground to feeding the homeless to doing yardwork to help and never slow down or complain. At three years old, he took his first ride on a four-wheeler and was in love with anything with wheels on it. It did not matter if it was a four-wheeler, dirt bike or motorcycle, it showed in his eyes that his soul found his real passion. Elijah was a beautiful person with a huge, kind heart, and he will be missed by so many people!

In addition to his parents, Elijah is survived by his siblings, Camdon Williams and Oliva Pearl Davis; a nephew, Kyngsten Holcombe, who made Elijah an uncle just four months ago; his grandparents, Kirk Hunter, Ramona Hunter, James Blassingame and Doretha Johnson; and a host of cousins.

Visitation was held on June 19 in the chapel of Mountain View Funeral Home in Pickens.

Mountain View Funeral Home – Pickens chapel is serving the Hunter family.

 

 

JENNIFER E. ‘JENNY’ BRIGHT

EASLEY — Jennifer E. “Jenny” Bright, 73, loving wife of 57 years to Steven Bright Sr., went home to be with her Lord and Savior on June 13, 2023, at St. Francis Downtown.

A native of Maldon, Essex of England, Jenny was born on June 14, 1949, to the late Bill and Sylvia Elliott. She was a faithful member of Georges Creek Baptist Church in Easley. She made more than 70 quilts for Quilts of Valor, was a member of the Pickens County Quilts Guild and also an organ donor. Jenny enjoyed several things — quilting, sewing, singing, coffee, traveling and antiques, but most of all, she loved spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In addition to her husband, Steven, Jenny is survived by her children, Steve Bright Jr. (Lara) and Mark Bright (Kristy); her daughter-in-law, Susan Bright; her grandchildren, Eddie Bright (Tina), Will Bright, Josh Bright (Courtney), Angel Fuller (Austin), Melody Moore (Chris), Anna-Marie Bright, Luke Bright, Savannah Luster (Luke), Tiffany Williams, Tamika Williams, Benjamin Bright and Jacqueline Bright; her great-grandchildren, Elise, Elliott, Elizabeth, Landon, Madison, Karsyn, Joe, Kenzie, Piper and Liam; and her sister, Stephanie Timms.

Jenny was predeceased by her parents; her son, William “Will” Bright; and her sisters, Pauline Bynum and Christine Davis. Jenny wanted to give a special thank you to everyone who taught her to quilt and to everyone she worked with at Walmart for all of the years of fun.

She requested that everyone continue their lives with laughter in place of tears.

A celebration of Jenny’s life took place June 17 at Georges Creek Baptist Church, located at 1991 Saluda Dam Road in Easley.

Mountain View Funeral Home – Pickens chapel is serving the Bright family.

 

BARRON E. BLACK

EASLEY — Barron E. Black, 69, of Easley, was called away to his Heavenly home on June 17, 2023.

He was a devoted Christian, loving husband, father and grandfather. Surviving is his wife of 37 years, Sylvia Baker Black. He loved God, his family and his many friends he made over the years on his job and at Pendleton Street Baptist Church.

He was employed by Saco Lowell Shops as a senior interpreter with the engineering group, and later after the textile machinery manufacturer closed, he changed careers and became a trainer and driver with Roehl Transportation of Marshfield, Wis.

Surviving, in addition to his wife, are his sons, Chris Black (Aimee) of Pelzer and Greg Black (Michelle) of Easley; daughter, Jennifer Black Lanford (Jonathan) of Lexington; nine grandchildren, Elizabeth Black, Taylor Black, Dale Black, Emily Kernells-Lanford, Caden Lanford, Aiden Black, Madison Black, Jackson Callahan and Kaleb Callahan; and five great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his parents, J. Elmo and Annie Jo Black; a sister, Jean Black Bowen; and a daughter, Michelle Black Callahan.

The family would like to thank special family members, Shelby Baker Chastain (Roy), and Ted Owens (Sandy) for their love and support during this difficult time.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 21, in the chapel of Mountain View Funeral Home in Pickens from 1-2 p.m., with a funeral service to follow at 2 p.m. Burial will follow the service at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Pickens.

Mountain View Funeral Home – Pickens Chapel is serving the Black family.