Category Archives: Obituaries
Courier Obituaries 5-25-22
PHYLLIS ANN CHILDRESS BOWERS
EASLEY — Phyllis Ann Childress Bowers, 64, went to be with her Lord and Savior on May 16, 2022, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Mrs. Bowers was born in Greenville County and was the daughter of the late Dwight “DD” Douglas Childress and Vera Mae Cobb Childress and loving wife for 39 years to John Lesley Bowers.
Survivors in addition to her husband include a sister-in-law, Beth Swofford Childress; loving niece, Kristin Childress, and nephew, Justin Childress, all living in the United Arab Emirates. Also surviving are very special close cousins, Mildred and Gene Medlin and Jim Medlin.
In addition to her parents, Mrs. Bowers was predeceased by a brother, Phillip Childress.
Mrs. Bowers was a believer in Christ and longtime member of Gethsemane Baptist Church of Greenville. She loved being a
Courier Obituaries 5-18-22
BOBBIE MELTON
LIBERTY — Barbara Ross “Bobbie” Melton, 78, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 15, 2022, at her home surrounded by family.
Born in Six Mile, she was a daughter of the late John and Lillie Matoy Ross.
She retired from Greenwood Mills and was a member of Rices Creek Baptist Church.
Surviving are her husband of 58 years, Bonny Melton of the home; a son, Jamey Melton (Lisa) of Liberty; two daughters, Lynn Dingwell (Terry) of Liberty and
Courier Obituaries 5-11-22
APRIL STEGALL
PICKENS — April Stegall, 44, passed away on Monday, May 2, 2022, at her home.
A native of Pickens County, April was born on March 17, 1978, daughter of Pamela Ann Crane and Curtis Lavern Muse.
In addition to her parents, April is survived by a daughter, Michaela Stegall of Travelers Rest; a son, Conner Stegall of Pickens; a sister, Angie Simon of Pickens; a brother, Kenneth Muse (Alena) of Liberty; two nieces, Sierra Muse and Kylie Adams; and seven nephews, Tyler Simon, Corey Simon, Brandon Simon, Alex Simon, Cameron Muse, Keenan Muse and Lane Muse.
April loved her family, especially her two children, Michaela and Conner. She loved to cut up with her sisters, Angie and Alena, her brother, Kenneth, and all of
Courier Obituaries 5-4-22
ANN WILLIS WHITWORTH
PICKENS — Ann Willis Whitworth, 92, passed away on Tuesday, April 26, 2022.
Born in McDonough, Ga., she was the daughter of the late Herbert Sr. and Martha Willis.
Ann was a graduate of Georgia State College for Women and a former public school teacher in Georgia and South Carolina. She loved spending time with her family, cooking and gardening. She was a longtime member of Pickens First Baptist Church, where she served as a teacher, choir member and a leader of the homebound and prayer ministries. Ann had a servant’s heart and was beloved by her family, church and community.
Predeceased by her loving husband, James Whitworth, she is survived by her two sons, Jeff Whitworth and his wife, Nancy, of Greenville and Victor
Courier Obituaries 4-27-22
BARBARA GALLOWAY OWENS
LIBERTY — Barbara “Jane” Galloway Owen, 72, of Blue Ridge Drive, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at NHC Healthcare of Anderson.
Born in Pelzer, she was the widow of Clyde Terry “Ted” Owen and a daughter of the late Tillman Hope and Elizabeth Jane Boyce Galloway. She was retired from the School District of Pickens County, where she had taught at several schools, most recently as the special education teacher at Pickens High School. She enjoyed shagging and cooking, but mostly spending time with her family. She was a member of East Side Baptist Church.
Surviving are her daughter, Kelley McCullough (Johnny) of Pelzer; a son, Zachary Owen (Teresa) of Liberty; a brother, Tim Galloway of Williamston; five grandchildren, Karsen McCullough, Haygen McCullough Johnston (Drew), Owen Grace McCullough, Payten McCullough and Duncan Owen; and one great-grandchild, Mollie Marie Johnston.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Foundation For Geriatric Education, P.O. Box 1327, Anderson, SC 29622.
Graveside services to honor the life of Mrs. Owen were held at Liberty Memorial Gardens on Friday, April 22, conducted by Rev. Carlton Cleveland.
The family will be at the home. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting libertymortuary.com. Liberty Mortuary is handling arrangements.
JENNIFER MARIE BLALOCK
EASLEY — Jennifer Marie Blalock, 42, passed away on Saturday, April 16, 2022.
Born in Oconee County, she was a graduate of Easley High School, employed with Precision Valve-Travelers Rest and was of the Baptist faith. Jennifer loved
Courier Obituaries 4-20-22
BETTY LEE BARRETT AUSTIN
EASLEY — Betty Lee Barrett Austin, 89, wife for 66 precious years to the late Donald G. Austin, passed away on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, with her sons by 
her side.
Mrs. Austin was the daughter of the late William Chapman and Fannie Lee Adams Barrett of Heath Springs. She was a lifetime nurse, loving wife and mother and devoted Christian and adored her family. She was a member of Pickens First Baptist Church and past member of the choir. Always busy, she loved gardening and caring for the
Courier Obituaries 4-6-22
JANICE RUTH SKELTON
EASLEY — Mrs. Janice Ruth Skelton, 80, went to be with her Lord and Savior on March 28, 2022.
Mrs. Skelton was born in Greenville County and was the daughter of the late Lewis Rochester and Louvenia Medlin Rochester and wife for 62 years to her handsome man, Lawrence “Lonnie” Skelton.
Mrs. Skelton loved her Lord and her family. She wanted nothing more than to be with her grandchildren and spend time with family. That was her greatest joy. She did not meet a stranger. She loved making friends, and people loved her beautiful smile. She enjoyed dancing. She was employed for a total of 38 years with Cornell Dubilier and was most often sought after for her knowledge of the job. She had many talents, including advising her husband Lonnie what to do. Mrs. Skelton was loved by all and will be missed dearly by her family.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, include a son, Danny Skelton (Kim) of Purcell, Okla.; a daughter, Rhonda Burton (Mark) of Easley; and six loving grandchildren, Daniel Skelton (Nancy) of Simpsonville, Autumn Sosebee (Chris) of Travelers Rest, Joshua Starnes (Shea) of Norman, Okla., Cody McClain of Pickens, Ryan Burton of Easley
Courier Obituaries 3-30-22
FREDDY DODSON
CENTRAL — Mr. Freddy Dodson, 64, passed away on Monday, March 28, 2022, at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Freddy was born on Oct. 4, 1957, to Fred Dodson and the late Phala McKnight Dodson. Freddy was a loving father, devoted husband and a friend to many. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle, could answer any trivia question asked and always had an entertaining story to tell. He touched the lives of countless coworkers and strangers throughout his life. He is truly missed.
In addition to his father, Freddy is survived by his loving wife of 19 years, Pamela Dodson; five sons, Curtis Dodson of Tennessee, Ben Cherami of Seneca, Elijah Dodson of Central, Israel Dodson of Central and Malachi Dodson of Central; two daughters, Zoe Dodson of Central and Rebekah Dodson of Central; and one sister, Sue Wood (Mark) of Pickens.
In addition to his mother, Freddy was preceded in death by one sister, Mary Gayle Dodson; and his stepmother, Vivanee “Boots” Dodson.
A graveside service will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Park at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 2, 2022.
Online condolences may be expressed by visiting dillardfunearls.com. Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
JAMES RAY ALLEN
PICKENS — Dr. James Ray Allen, 87, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Wednesday, March 23, 2022.
He was born on March 19, 1935, in Ellaville, Ga., to the late Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Franklin Allen. He was married to his devoted wife, Marilyn Scott Allen,
for 65 years.
He and his wife served as a ministry team touching untold numbers of lives in their 20 churches in the Carolinas and Georgia. He also invested his life in his students as a professor at Berry Academy in Rome, Ga., and Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton. He truly exemplified the greatest commandment, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39). His life was one of loving and serving God and the many people he came in contact with, whether it was a church member, a student or a bag boy at the grocery store.
He received his associate’s degree from Norman Park Junior College, bachelor’s degree from Lagrange College, master’s
Courier Obituaries 3-23-22
TED ARNOLD ‘PA’ GILLESPIE
EASLEY — Ted Arnold “Pa” Gillespie, 77, passed away on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
A native of Pickens County, Ted was born on May 30, 1944, the only child of the late Joe Gillespie and Helen Adcox Gillespie. He enjoyed spending time with his family and watching the Atlanta Braves and Clemson football. Mr. Gillespie was of the Baptist faith and was a member of Blue Ridge View Baptist Church in Pickens.
Survivors include his children, Randy Gillespie (Heidi), Joey Gillespie (April) and Lori Chandler (Richard), all of Easley; stepsons, James Moore and John Moore, both of Liberty; grandchildren, Dena Gillespie, Allison Kiser
Shining a light on government
Sunshine Week has arrived and is our annual reminder that if governmental transparency is not achieved, our 
democracy will also never be fully realized. Rejoice, though — the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (SCFOIA) exists and sets minimum duties of transparency on entities who use public funds here. Use it or we may well lose it.
SCFOIA provides (for example) deadlines upon how fast public bodies must respond to open records requests, how fast they must provide those records, and even what records and information must be provided without making a written request. The law also requires the public bodies to give the public notice of their date, time and location of public meetings, as well as the agenda for items to be addressed at the meeting.
A school board during a public meeting wants to add a vote to provide a contract for all vending machine sales to benefit a board member’s brother’s company. SCFOIA provides the minimum duties for how this self-dealing vote can happen. See S.C. Code 30-4-80(A).
The school board approves the sweetheart contract anyway but refuses to show you the proposed terms that all board members reviewed. SCFOIA says you only must ask at the end of the meeting and that contract is all yours. See S.C. Code 30-4-30(D)(4).
The school board scenarios above are only two of many SCFOIA can address. Too often, though, they are ignored by public bodies around the state. Whether due to ignorance, incompetence or a desire to maintain a status quo of operational secrecy, too often sunshine is not achieved in this state.
If holding public officials to account for their actions while in office is a core function of democracy, the public (and particularly the press) must be transparent about their problems with getting governmental transparency. The people must know (hopefully, from the press) when the government is breaking the law, avoiding public scrutiny.
Go to the S.C. Press Association website (scpress.org) and under the “FOIA” tab, go to the Public Official’s Guide to Compliance with SCFOIA. Put this PDF on your smartphone and use it to look up the above code sections, read the law and (eventually) cite to it when your public official tries to break the law. Finally, report your local problems with transparency and help SCPA staff when they are traveling to the S.C. Statehouse to battle forces of darkness in the legislature.
If you can do that, we won’t lose SCFOIA and democracy just might prevail.
Taylor M. Smith IV is a media lawyer who represents the S.C. Press Association and its newspapers. Smith is a partner at Harrison, Radeker & Smith, P.A. in Columbia. The Press Association is an advocate for open government in South Carolina.
