PHILLIPPE A. COURNOYER

PICKENS — Phillippe A. Cournoyer, 77, of Pickens, born in Webster, Mass., May 29, 1942, went to be with his Lord on Sept. 8, 2019.

He leaves behind his loving wife of 54 years, Diane, and his beloved family, including his son Stephen, daughter-in-law Jennifer, and grandchildren Levi, Maggie and Lucille. He leaves behind two brothers, Robert (Joan) and Lawrence, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Phil was a proud Navy man for 20 years and retired as a chief engineman. A disabled veteran, he was a member of the American Legion Post 11, having served as a past commander and zone commander. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, Peter Villano Council 9576. He was a charter member of the Fr. Barney Lohmann Assembly 3065 in Pickens, where he served as a faithful navigator and color corps commander. Phillippe served on the Pickens County Literacy Society and was a charter member of OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute.

He loved his community and was not afraid of hard work. He was known for his woodworking and loved his gardening and travel and was a collector of American history. Phillippe was a man with stories to share, a big voice and an even larger heart for anyone he met. He knew everyone in town.

A family wake will be held Wednesday evening, Sept. 11, 2019, from 5-7 p.m. at Dillard Funeral Home. A funeral mass will be held at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Pickens, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12.

Interment will be at Bonaventure Cemetery on Friday, Sept. 13, at 330 Bonaventure Road, Thunderbolt, GA 31404

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a contribution to a charity of choice or Holy Cross Catholic Church in Pickens.

Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the Cournoyer family in making arrangements

EUGENE M. HOLDER

LIBERTY — Eugene Miller Holder, 91, husband of the late Betty Sue Holder, went to be with his Lord on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019.

Born on Sept. 6, 1927, in Pickens County, he was the son of the late Bruce Holder and Fannie Medlin Holder of Pickens County. He was a U.S. Army veteran and a retiree of Duke Energy with 25 years of service as a heavy equipment operator. He was proud of his profession, having worked on several large grading projects on Lake Jocassee and Lake Keowee. He was of the Baptist faith and enjoyed Jeopardy.

He is survived by several family members, including his niece, Pat Moody (James), and nephews, Ken Holder (Sandra) and Gary Holder (Sonja), all of Greenville. He was predeceased by his brother, Larry C. Holder, and sister-in-law, Ruth H. Holder.

Graveside services were held at Hillcrest Memorial Park on Sept. 7.

Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the Holder family in making arrangements.

BETTY WITCHER

EASLEY — Betty Hughes Hall Witcher, 81, of Easley, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, at Southern Oaks Nursing Home in Piedmont.

Born in Liberty, she was a daughter of the late John Albert and Artie Mae Waldrop Hughes. She was retired from St. Francis Hospital and was a member of First Baptist Church-Liberty.

Surviving are five grandchildren, Crystal Williams (Quincy) of Easley, Brian Patterson of Easley, Megan Hall of Easley, Breeze Hall of Pickens and Kyle Ranes of Easley, and seven great-grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a daughter, Gloria Jacobs; a son, Ronnie Hall; three sisters, Catherine Day, Lucille Watson and Sarah Smith; two brothers, James and Bruce Hughes; and a granddaughter, Carrie Hall.

Graveside services were conducted on Sept. 6, 2019, at Hillcrest Memorial Park.

The family will be at the home of Quincy and Crystal Williams, 101 Jericho Creek Court, Easley SC 29640.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorials in Betty’s honor to the charity of one’s choice.

Online condolences may be left for the family by visiting libertymortuary.com. Liberty Mortuary is handling arrangements.

WALTER HAYNE “WALT” BRAMLETT

PICKENS — Walter Hayne “Walt” Bramlett, 87, passed away on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at St. Francis Hospital in Greenville.

Born in Greenville County, he was the son of the late Walter W. and Mabel Vaughn Bramlett. Walt was the last surviving member of his immediate family.

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Walt was a former employee of Daniel Construction Company and a retiree of Stone Manufacturing Company in Greenville.

Surviving is his companion of 50 years, Evelyn Monzel Anderson of Pickens, and her extended family, whom he considered his own.

Services were held at the Mountain View Funeral Home chapel on Sept. 5. Burial followed at Midway Baptist Church Cemetery.

Mountain View Funeral Home is assisting the Bramlett family.

KAITLIN TOUZEAU

PICKENS — Kaitlin Lauren Touzeau, 20, of 518 Windmont Road, passed away on Friday, Sept. 6, 2019.

She was a graduate of Pickens High School and a member of Maranatha Baptist Church. Kaitlin had such a loving heart for her family, friends, animals and especially for her dog Blu. She loved spending time with her family, church family and friends.

Kaitlin was always focused on helping others, which led to her pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in nursing. She definitely had an eye for beauty. She was a wonderful photographer and artist, and enjoyed natural scenery and spending time outdoors and gardening.

She especially loved the farm she created with special loved ones. There were countless hours spent tending to her gardens and chickens and preparing her farm for baby goats that she was soon to receive. Everything Kaitlin did, she did with her whole heart. She was a beautiful young woman who greatly impacted the lives of her friends and family.

Surviving are her parents, Marty Jr. and Keila Reid Touzeau of the home; a brother, Landen Touzeau of the home; grandparents, Ronald Reid of Six Mile and Ginger Touzeau of Pickens; uncles and aunts, Father James Touzeau, Tom Touzeau (Leigh Anne), Kathy Touzeau and Ashley Reid; three great aunts, Linda Stone, Barbara Ann Stone, and Juanita Reid; four cousins, Dan Touzeau, Maddie Touzeau, Addie Reid and Brayden Goss.

She was preceded in death by two grandparents, Judy Reid and Marty Touzeau Sr.

Funeral services to celebrate Kaitlin’s life will be conducted at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, in the Liberty Mortuary chapel. Burial will be at the Gap Hill Baptist Church cemetery.

Flowers will be accepted, or memorials may be made to the Pickens County Humane Society, 500 Five Forks Road, Liberty SC 29657.

The family will be at the home. Online condolences may be left for the family by visiting libertymortuary.com. Liberty Mortuary is handling arrangements.

R. G. “ROBERT” KELLY JR.

CENTRAL — R. G. “Robert” Kelly Jr., passed away Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, at his home in Central.

Robert was born in Anderson, a son of Wilma Gossett Kelly of Central and the late R. G. Kelly. He was a retired heavy equipment operator and was a member of Cannon Memorial Baptist Church. Robert enjoyed fishing, golfing and following the Clemson Tiger football team.

Surviving, in addition to his mother, are his sister, Diane Rieck (Tom) of Port Orange, Fla.; and brothers, Danny Kelly (Donna) of Cornelius, N.C. and Steve Kelly (Phyllis) of Walhalla.

Funeral services were held on Sept. 5 in the chapel of Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home, with Rev. Darren Rood officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Cannon Memorial Baptist Church.

Condolences may be expressed online at robinsonfuneralhomes.com or at Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home, Central.

JAMES P. “JIMMY” COOPER

EASLEY — James Preston “Jimmy” Cooper, 89, formerly of Columbia, passed away on Friday, Sept. 6, 2019.

Born on Nov. 3, 1929, in Maysville, Ga., he was the only son of the late Journey Preston and Mildred Underwood Cooper.

Mr. Cooper graduated from Richmond Academy of Augusta and the University of South Carolina, where he played on the football team with a full scholarship. After graduation, he was employed by the university for more than 45 years. While there, he held the positions of director of Sol Blatt P.E. Center, director of housing and finally, director of operational services, from which he retired. He also was instrumental in organizing SCAPPA (the S.C. Association of Physical Plant Administrators).

Mr. Cooper was a charter and lifetime member of The USC Lettermen Association, where he was a past president. He was a member and past president of the Administrative Employees Club, and he was a lifetime member of the Alumni Association. He was an avid supporter of Gamecock sports and the Gamecock Club. He served as one of the 12 ambassadors with the athletic department and enjoyed doing volunteer work with them. During his younger years, he was an avid hunter, racquetball player and golfer.

He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Columbia and the Bible Survey Class and served as an usher, deacon and greeter. He proudly served his country with the 101st Airborne in the U.S. Army from 1951-1953.

Surviving are his wife of 68 years, Ann Reese Cooper of Easley; two sons, James P. Cooper Jr. of Wilmington, N.C., and Dr. John A. Cooper and his wife, Karen, of Easley; six grandchildren, James P. Cooper III, William E. Cooper and his wife, Elizabeth, Andrew S. Cooper and his wife, Allison, Kinsey C. Sheehan and her husband, Coley, John A. Cooper Jr., and Paige C. Succop and her husband, Ryan; and a sister, Eileen Cooper Martin of Augusta.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a daughter-in-law, Kimberly S. Cooper, and a grandson, Hunter Journey Cooper.

A memorial service to celebrate Mr. Cooper’s life will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, in the Boyce Chapel of First Baptist Church, Columbia, where the family will receive friends immediately following the service. A private burial will be held at Bush River Memorial Gardens in Columbia.

Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of Columbia, 1306 Hampton St., Columbia, SC 29201 or Foothills Retirement Communities, 205 Bud Nalley Drive, Easley, SC 29642.

Condolences may be expressed online by visiting robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown, which is assisting the family.