‘You feel the fear ...
you work through it’

Law officers talk about close call in Greenwood shootout


April 11, 2006

By JOANIE BAKER and MEGAN VARNER
Of The Index-Journal staff

At 4:30 p.m. April 1, Lt. Dale Kittles was supposed to meet wife Susan after a full day of monitoring a motorcycle event in Greenwood.
But on an April Fool’s Day he won’t soon forget, the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office deputy’s plans were interrupted.
And it was no joke.
On that day, three deputies became involved in a shootout with an attempted murder suspect at a busy intersection in downtown Greenwood.
“After it was over, I looked at my watch and realized that I was not going to make that 4:30 meeting,” Kittles said. “I told her I had been involved in a shooting.”
Just before the deputies arrived on the scene, a Greenwood Police Department officer had stopped a vehicle after the driver was suspected of shooting a man on Mineral Court.
In an unmarked vehicle, Kittles, Chief Deputy Mike Frederick and Agent Chris Hammett observed the suspect’s vehicle just as the police officer stopped it at the intersection of West Cambridge Avenue and Hampton Street.
As the deputies set up to order the suspect from his vehicle, he first displayed a handgun, then turned it toward the deputies’ vehicle and fired, officials said. They returned fire, striking the vehicle and the suspect.
Frederick said about 35 total rounds were fired from city and county officers. Using a “suppressive fire” technique, Frederick said the rounds were needed to give officers and deputies the chance to get in a better position around the suspect’s car.
“We were shooting into a six or eight-inch gap (where the suspect’s door was open),” Frederick said. “We knew we might hit him, but, basically, we were trying to keep him occupied and keep him engaged on (the left side) so that he wouldn’t spin around and see Kittles coming up behind him.”
While deputies laid suppressive fire on the vehicle, Kittles made his way onto the grassy knoll in the median beside the suspect’s vehicle.
Frederick said instinct and training kicked in.
“Our theory is that it was the last round from Kittles that took (the suspect) out of the fight,” Frederick said, adding that Kittles was able to get to an angle where there wasn’t as much sheet metal protecting the man.
“If Dale hadn’t left cover, we’d still be there,” Frederick said, adding that the longer the shooting lasted, the higher the odds were for injuries to bystanders and deputies. “It wasn’t a careless, cavalier maneuver. It was a well-thought-out, intentional move, and that is a courageous thing.”
As a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Greenwood County Sheriff Dan Wideman studied law enforcement-related violence extensively in 2001. He explained that in law enforcement gunbattles nationwide, accuracy generally hovers around only 15 or 20 percent, and the exchanges last only a few seconds.
This incident involved almost 20 seconds of gunfire exchanged, with another three or four minutes of tactical operation to secure the suspect and safely take him into custody. Wideman said that although the vehicle stopped many of the rounds from striking the suspect, the accuracy displayed by the deputies involved was better than 90 percent.
“Our guys knew exactly where and what they were shooting at, and they took great care to ensure that no innocent bystanders were in danger,” Wideman added.
The suspect, Sergio Gonzales, was taken into custody and charged in connection with the Mineral Court shooting and five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. Gonzales, who authorities say has a history of assaults on law enforcement officers, was struck with .40-caliber and 12-gauge rounds from at least two deputies.
Gonzales was taken to Self Regional Medical Center, where doctors performed surgery. He was released from the hospital Thursday and is being held at the Greenwood County Detention Center without bond pending a trial.
For Hammett, who said this was his first lethal-force situation, training and instinct kicked in.
“You wonder if all the hours and hours of training will kick in that time when you need it, and they do,” he said. “You don’t even have to think. Your training takes over.”
Frederick said that although fear is present in situations such as the shootout, the deputies are trained to push the fear into the back of their minds.
“It’s not really the type of fear that shuts you down,” he said. “You feel the fear, but if you’ve got the right training and background and you’re with the right guys, you work through it and you worry about the adrenaline afterwards.”
After seeing the car, and seeing the path the bullets made as they tore through glass and fabric, Hammett said he was surprised at how close they came to danger.
“We realized how close that bullet was to all of us,” he said. “It went between two front seats and into the back seat. It could have hit any three of us.”
Wideman had deferred comment until the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) completed its review of the incident.
SLED contacted Wideman on Friday to report that all the officers had been cleared of criminal wrongdoing.
Wideman explained that the three deputies involved were required to turn over their weapons for forensic analysis. He said he re-armed them while still at the scene.
“It’s important for officers to know that we support them,” Wideman said. “Most folks don’t understand the physical and mental stress associated with incidents like these. I made sure these three guys knew I thought that they did a heck of a job, and that we would do whatever we could as an organization to support them.”
Wideman said it is his policy that any time a deputy is involved in a serious, life-threatening incident, a mandatory debriefing session with trained peer counselors follows. As the deputies, on fully paid administrative leave, awaited the results of SLED’s inquiry, they met with two peer counselors for a debriefing.
Wideman said the deputies were in debriefing from 9 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m. Friday with a retired Secret Service agent and a Spartanburg County deputy.
“They have training and they are prepared, but, when it’s over, what do you do?” Wideman said. “If they have a problem, they can come in and see it’s a problem. I think everything was fine with our guys, but they do have (the counselors’) number if they don’t feel right about something and they can talk one-on-one with them.”
Wideman said the shooting represents the aspect of his job he likes the least — the danger faced by his deputies on a daily basis.
“It’s a responsibility I never take lightly,” he said. “Every day, I order these brave men and women out into the county to face the threats associated with their duties. It’s hard not to lie in bed and think about it sometimes.”
Wideman said he reviewed the video of the shooting shortly after it was retrieved from the two police patrol units on the scene.
“My first thought after seeing the video was, ‘Thank God no officers or bystanders were hurt,’” Wideman said. “Then I just welled up with pride after seeing the way our guys faced Gonzales down. Their SWAT backgrounds and high level of training were so obvious in the way they moved and defended themselves; you could instantly tell these guys knew exactly what they were doing. Gonzales really picked the wrong car to start a gunfight with.”
Frederick said it took the coordination between the police officers and sheriff’s deputies to keep the incident from escalating into a deadly one.
“If you took out any piece of this puzzle, it wouldn’t have worked,” Frederick said. “I’m glad it ended the way it did, and I’m proud of the way we responded. I’m also proud to say, though, that any deputy here would have done the exact same thing.”
Wideman also took the opportunity to remind everyone that although high-profile incidents such as the Gonzales shooting are fairly infrequent, law enforcement officers face danger every day. “Incidents like this one don’t make people what they are — they demonstrate what the people involved are made of,” he said. “When bullets are flying, it’s too late for character development.”

 

 

Local government officials react
to congresswoman’s claim of racism in incident


April 11, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

Though they agreed that racism still exists in the United States — even in the shadow of the nation’s Capitol — some of Greenwood’s elected officials said one congresswoman’s claim of racism following an incident with U.S. Capitol Police might have been too hasty.
On March 29, U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., was involved in a scuffle with a white Capitol police officer who failed to recognize the congresswoman as she entered a House building, according to Associated Press reports.
McKinney, who represents suburban Atlanta, was not wearing an identification lapel pin when she entered the building and refused to stop for the officer. When the officer tried to physically stop McKinney, she struck him, officials with Capitol police have said.
Soon after the incident, McKinney claimed that racism and racial profiling at Capitol Hill security checkpoints played a part in the incident, and, this month, black clergy and lawmakers at a meeting in Atlanta came to McKinney’s support. Some claimed they also had been the subjects of racial profiling during the viewing of the body of Coretta Scott King at the Georgia Capitol, the AP reported.
When a grand jury began investigating the incident, and after a number of House colleagues shunned the congresswoman’s actions, McKinney apologized for her behavior, calling the incident instead a “misunderstanding,” according to the AP.
Though he said it was difficult to form a conclusion on the situation without being present when it occurred, Greenwood Mayor Floyd Nicholson said McKinney might have “jumped to conclusions” when she blamed the incident on racism.
“Many times, we speak before we think. She may have jumped to conclusions before she had the time to think,” Nicholson said. “A lot of times, when various things come up, people look for a way out and call racism, and that makes people less willing to believe it.”
Nicholson said racism can sometimes become a “crutch to lean on” instead of owning up to a mistake.
Greenwood County Councilwoman Edith Childs said the officer had a right to stop McKinney if he didn’t recognize the congresswoman, especially with security guidelines becoming stricter.
“You know you have to have your badge on, and if you don’t have it in plain view, then you need to be stopped and questioned,” she said. “I don’t see that as a black or white thing. She should have had her badge on.”
Childs said that if county council required her to wear a badge, she would gladly wear it — even though many of the officers at the courthouse might recognize her.
“We may have an officer one day that doesn’t (recognize me),” she said. “Security is security, and those people have a job to do.”
Greenwood County Councilman Gonza Bryant said he could not judge whether McKinney or the Capitol Police were at fault in this situation, based on the information available; however, he said, there should be a way to take race out of the situation altogether.
“Perhaps they need to find a method of identifying elected officials in the absence of a name tag — maybe a thumbprint in the absence of the name badge,” he said, “especially at this level of rank in the United States Congress.”
If McKinney forgot her lapel pin, the technology should exist where she would have been asked to have her hand scanned and her identity established, Bryant said.
“If someone stole her badge, would that person be the congresswoman?” he said. “With modern technology, there should be a thumbprint, a computer identification or a voice scan” to make sure the officers are allowing into the Capitol — or detaining — the right person.”
Use of that technology would remove the judgment call on the officer’s part that could lead to a racism charge, Bryant said. “The question of race would be no problem,” he said. “Technology would take care of it — black or white.”
State Rep. Anne Parks, D-Greenwood-McCormick, said the first thing she thought of when she heard of the incident wasn’t race, but the fact that McKinney was an elected official.
“If she refuted the statement, of course, it brings some questions to mind,” Parks said of McKinney’s reported apology. “If she changed her opinion, it would bring questions to my mind.”
But although they didn’t agree with McKinney’s actions, some leaders said they do agree that racism is a problem that still plagues the United States, and some say it is an issue that has affected them personally as black leaders in the community.
“I think racism still exists everywhere. It’s just not as open as it has been,” Childs said. “It is present and alive, but it changes color. It’s still there, it just comes at you in a different light.”
She said she has experienced a situation of racism, but after standing up for herself as an African American and a woman, she hasn’t had additional problems. “People will test you, especially if you’re a woman ... I’m just as equal as the next person,” Childs said.
Parks added that she sometimes feels extra pressure in her position.
“I feel like I am more closely watched with the things I do, and I am always aware of the things I do,” she said. “I feel that if I do anything wrong, it would be brought to light sooner.”
For some, the issue of racism seems to be one that society will always struggle to overcome.
“It is embedded in (people), and it’s not going to change,” Childs said. “Just like the poor will always be among us, so will racism.”
But Childs said prejudice of any kind, not only that which is based on race, is a problem that needs to be addressed.
“There are many types of prejudice that people need to look at, instead of just looking at one,” she said. “How will you feel if it happens to you? People need to think about that.”

 

 

Local woman sues companies for allegedly supplying
tainted bone for transplant


April 11, 2006

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

A Greenwood woman is fighting back against what she called a “horrifying” experience — allegedly receiving a tainted bone that was transplanted into her leg — by suing four companies and two individuals.
Kelly Sealy and husband William Sealy have filed a civil court legal action that demands a jury trial.
The lawsuit alleges that three companies in the business of tissue procurement, a New York funeral home from which tissue was obtained and two men, the owner of one of the companies and the owner of the funeral home, conspired to acquire and distribute tissue that was not checked for potentially fatal diseases such as syphilis and HIV.
Specifically, Kelly Sealy’s lawsuit claims that bone fragments illegally harvested from unscreened deceased people at the funeral home were used for bone graft operations.
“We hope we can bring to justice the perpetrators of these outrageous acts which transcend the bounds of decency,” said John R. McCravy III, who is Sealy’s attorney.
“Horrifying” was the way Sealy described in a Jan. 6 article in The Index-Journal hearing of the situation through media reports.
“It was a very terrible story to hear about,” she said.
The bodies of hundreds of people were secretly carved up in the back rooms of several funeral parlors in New York City to remove human bone, skin and tendons without required permission from the deceased people’s families, authorities told The Associated Press.
Authorities allege the body parts then were sold to Biomedical Tissue Service (BTS), a New Jersey company.
One of those body parts, Sealy’s lawsuit claims, wound up in her leg as part of a knee replacement and accompanying bone graph to her tibia in March 2005.
Sealy’s lawsuit alleges 10 causes of action against BTS and others — Medtronic Sofamor Danek Inc., Regeneration Technologies Inc. (RTI), Daniel George & Son Funeral Home, Michael Mastromarino and Joseph Nicelli.
BTS was owned and/or operated by Mastromarino, and the funeral home was owned and/or operated by Nicelli, the lawsuit says.
“The bone which (Kelly Sealy) received was sold to Self Regional Hospital and/or one of its affiliates by Medtronic,” the lawsuit says.
RTI furnished the bone to Medtronic, and BTS furnished the bone to RTI, the lawsuit says. The funeral home “conspired with, was employed by, was a servant of, and/or agent of BTS” to obtain harvested tissue and bone product without proper screening, the lawsuit says.

 

 

Pleasing the fanbase

Tigers fans hear Bowden, Purnell at Greenwood Clemson meeting


April 11, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

Clemson fans from Greenwood and the Lakelands area had a chance to hear from two of the school’s more prominent coaches Monday night.
Tigers’ football coach Tommy Bowden and men’s basketball coach Oliver Purnell spoke at the spring meeting of the Greenwood Area Clemson Club Monday at the Greenwood Farmers Market.
Tigers’ Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips also made a brief appearance.
Bowden spoke on what it meant for to interact with the local Clemson faithful.
“We have always had a strong fanbase here in Greenwood,” Bowden said. “It’s very important to get out here and get hand-to-hand with our fans, because they are what make the program go.” For Purnell, Monday marked the first time he had spoken to the Greenwood club. Purnell blamed his absence at the meeting the last two years on bad directions.
“I’m glad to finally make it here,” Purnell joked. “This year I had my map and my GPS (global positioning system) ready.”
Club members in attendance were treated to video highlights of the football and basketball team’s seasons. One highlight that drew a spirited applause from the constituents was Greenwood High School graduate and Clemson kicker Jad Dean’s game winning field goal from last fall’s win over Texas A&M.
Bowden spoke of the benefits of having Dean as his placekicker.
“Jad is a solid kicker from right here in Greenwood and we’re expecting him to have a good senior season,” Bowden said. “I believe he was second in the nation in field goals last year, which is excellent. We will also need his senior leadership.”
Bowden also said he expects Cambridge Academy graduate and Tigers’ defensive lineman Gaines Adams to provide senior leadership next season as well as build on the expectations he has set for himself on the defensive line. Adams had 56 tackles and 9.5 sacks last season.
Bowden also commented on the status of Clemson invited walk-on and Greenwood graduate Eddie Adams. The coach said the freshman has shown improvement as a long snapper, but will need to show improvement if he hopes to challenge incumbent long snapper Nic Riddle.
Though the Tigers’ basketball team enjoyed a 19-13 record and advanced to the second round of the NIT this past season, Purnell said the program is still far from where he wants it to be.
“I won’t stop until this program is number one,” Purnell said. “I know Tommy feels that way about the football program and (Clemson baseball coach) Jack (Leggett) feels that way about the baseball team. Our team is constantly striving to reach new heights.”
Though the Clemson hoops squad is losing seniors such as Akin Akingbala and Shawan Robinson, Purnell said he is thrilled at the incoming recruiting class, particularly with the commitment of Union High School’s Trevor Booker. Purnell said Booker, the state’s Mr. Basketball, will compete for a starting role right away.
Bowden spoke at length on the importance of the Vickery Hall Student-Athlete Enrichment Program in relation to Clemson athletics.
The program is designed to assist student-athletes in academics, personal growth and career enhancement. With the university’s average SAT score sitting at 1205, Bowden said Vickery Hall is important in the progress of his team’s members.
“The average SAT is 1205 at Clemson, but I can promise you that’s not the average score of our football team,” said Bowden, drawing a hearty laugh from the crowd. “But Vickery Hall helps us close the gap. You look at Duke. They have a 100% graduation rate, but they fire their coach every four years. We want to be able to recruit the best athletes possible and then offer them the very best in support services.”
Clemson fans in attendance seemed pleased with the message both coaches had to offer.
“I liked what coach Bowden had to say tonight,” said Tripp Speer, a club member from Abbeville. “I think there is a lot of excitement beginning to build in this program, which is excellent considering the rich tradition of Clemson football.
Speer was complimentary of Purnell as well.
“I think coach Purnell is one of the best basketball coaches we’ve had at Clemson in a long time,” Speer said. “I like how he disciplines his players and makes sure they stay on the straight and narrow.”
Chris Trainor covers area sports for The Index-Journal. He can be reached at: ctrainor@indexjournal.com.

 

 

Opinion


Bush’s critic gets a say with president’s backing

April 11, 2006

There have been numerous occasions when supporters of President Bush have accused the media of being less than objective in their coverage of the chief executive. Bush opponents, as is natural, say that’s poppycock. Experience comes down on the side of the Bush backers, though.
No better example of the prejudicial coverage can be found than how the president’s speech in Charlotte last Thursday was reported.
When the president was taking questions from the audience, as he has in other appearances around the country, the general response from the crowd was positive. However, there was one man who took exception.

HE TOLD THE PRESIDENT, “In my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, or more frightened by my leadership in Washington. And I would hope - I feel like that, despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration - and I would hope from time to time that you would have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself.”
Who should be ashamed might be questioned by others in the audience. Nevertheless, when the tenor of this critic’s words became obvious, the majority of the crowd would have none of it and began to boo the man.
It might have stopped there, of course, because it’s difficult to buck a unified, opposing and boisterous crowd. The man might have been shouted down and his vilification might never have been heard ..... except for one thing.

THE PRESIDENT HUSHED THE crowd, and asked it to let his critic speak. A funny thing happened, though. The insistence by Mr. Bush that his critic should be allowed to speak his mind apparently was not reported. Only the words of the critic were. If Bush’s request was reported, many newspapers chose to edit it out.
How many of us would feel comfortable with making sure our critics are heard, especially in an open forum? How many of us would stand up for the rights of a critic? It’s a good bet there would be few. The president, though, has never shied away from giving his critics a chance to speak, whether in opposition or not.
It’s a shame, though. How many times has he been given the same courtesy under the same kind of circumstances?
The answer is simple. Not many. That says much about the man and even more about his critics.



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

 

 

Obituaries


Elizabeth Dorn Blair

PLUM BRANCH — Elizabeth Dorn Blair, 75, wife of Ulysses “Lighting” Blair, died Sunday, April 9, 2006 at Providence Hospital, Columbia, after a short illness.
Born in McCormick, she was a daughter of the late Edgar and Ida Sibert Dorn. She was a member of Bethany Baptist Church, McCormick, and also attended Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, Parksville. A homemaker, she had attended Mims High School.
Survivors include her husband of the home; five daughters, Shirley Blair Turner and Janice Blair, both of Greenwood, Christine B. Sibert of McCormick, Linda Ervin and Idella B. Weaver, both of Plum Branch; four sons, James Blair of Plum Branch, Willie Douglas Blair of Rockville, Md., Steven Blair of Mount Carmel and Andrew Blair of Greenwood; 27 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren.
The family is at the home, 154 Lighting Road.
Services will be announced by Walker Funeral Home, McCormick.


Ruth Edmunds Marshall

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ruth Edmunds Marshall, 83, of 5203 13th St. N.W., widow of James Pete Marshall, died Thursday, April 6, 2006 at her home.
Born in Calhoun Falls, S.C., she was a daughter of the late Andrew and Fannie Lee Edmunds. She was a former member of Glovers AME Church, Calhoun Falls, and a member of Union Westley AME Zion Church in Washington.
Survivors include a daughter, Linda Marshall of Washington, D.C.; a sister, Fannie B. Wooden of Chicago; a brother, David L. Edmunds Sr. of Calhoun Falls.
Services are 11 a.m. Wednesday at Union Westley AME Zion Church. The body will be placed in the church at 10. Burial is in Fort Lincoln Cemetery, Washington.
The family is at the home.
Latney’s Funeral Home, 3831 Georgia Ave. N.W., is in charge.
Announcement courtesy of Friendly Funeral Home, Calhoun Falls.


Raymond Massey

GREENVILLE, SC — Funeral services of Raymond L. Massey, 83, of Homewood Residence at Cleveland Park, Greenville, who died April 9, 2006, will be conducted Wednesday, April 12, at 11 A.M. at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greenville, Reverend Ludwig Weaver officiating. A grave side service at 1 P.M. will follow in Greenwood Memorial Gardens, Greenwood, S.C., with Reverend Weaver and The Reverend David F.O. Thompson officiating.
Mr. Massey was a native of Princeton, N.C., and was a former resident of Greenwood, S.C., and North Augusta, S.C. He was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greenville and a former member of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in North Augusta.
Mr. Massey was predeceased by his first wife, Dorris Grant Massey, and he is survived by their two sons, Wesley G. Massey and his wife, Karin, of Prosperity, and R. David Massey and his wife, Barbara, of Greenville.
Mr. Massey was also predeceased by his second wife, Eva Kohler Massey, and he is also survived by her children, James R. Robinson, Apopka, Florida, William P. Wade, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, John K. Wade, Roseburg, Oregon, Joy Cox and her husband, Allen, Perkinston, Ms., and Amanda W. Leatherwood and her husband, Lynn, of Wilmington, N.C. He is also survived by a sister, Lottie M. Rains, and her husband, Duran, Morehead City, N.C., and 15 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Mr. Massey was formerly in the cotton business with Erwin Mills, Durham, NC, Abney Mills, Greenwood, SC, and Graniteville Mills, Augusta, GA. He was a B-24 bomber pilot in World War II, and flew thirty-five bombing missions over Germany out of England.
The Family will receive friends at the Blyth Funeral Home, Greenwood, SC, from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11.
Memorials may be made to St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, 471 West Martintown Road, North Augusta, SC, 29841, The Golden Harvest Food Bank of Augusta, GA, 3310 Commerce Drive, Augusta, GA 30909, or to the charity of one’s choice.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home in Greenwood, SC is in charge of arrangements.
PAID OBITUARY


Mildred ‘Millie’ Nance

ABBEVILLE — Mildred “Millie” L. Crawford Nance, 82, of 58 Mt. Olive Church Rd., wife of the late R. Marion Nance, died Saturday, April 8, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Nance was born in Augusta, GA to the late William A. and Ada McClain Crawford. She retired from Abbeville Shirt Makers and was a member of Grace United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Nance was preceded in death by her three brothers, Kelly Crawford, William Allen Crawford, and Rayford Crawford.
She is survived by her two daughters, Vicky Putt of Nokomis, FL and Sue Haynie of Easley, SC. The family received friends 6:00PM to 8:00PM Monday, April 10, 2006 at Harris Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be 2:00PM Tuesday, April 11, 2006 in the funeral home chapel. Burial will follow in Forest Lawn Memory Gardens.
Memorial contributions in memory of Mrs. Nance may be sent to the Grace United Methodist Church Building Fund, 100 E. Greenwood St. Abbeville, SC 29620.
Online condolences may be sent to the Nance family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com
HARRIS FUNERAL HOME, of Abbeville is assisting the Nance family.
PAID OBITUARY


Joseph Alvin Norman Jr.

HONEA PATH — Joseph Alvin Norman Jr., 35, of 505 Chiquola Ave., Apt. 15, died Monday, April 10, 2006, at AnMed Health Center.
The family is at the home of an uncle Larry Robinson, 505 Chiquola Ave., Apt. 14.
Services will be announced by Robinson-Walker Funeral Service, Ware Shoals.


Louis Tinch

BRONX, N.Y. — Louis Tinch, 77, of 1135 Beach Ave., husband of Mary Tinch, died Thursday, April 6, 2006 at a New York hospital.
Born in Calhoun Falls, S.C., he was a son of the late Dave and Hattie Sanders Tinch. He was a former member of Mount Olive Church of God Holiness of Calhoun Falls and a member of Bethlehem Church of God Holiness in Bronx.
Survivors include his wife of the home; a sister, Ethel Tinch of Calhoun Falls; three brothers, Ernest Tinch of Maryland, Samuel Tinch and David Tinch of Calhoun Falls.
Services are at noon Thursday at Bethlehem Church of God Holiness. The body will be placed in the church at 10.
Gandy Funeral Home is in charge.
Announcement courtesy of Friendly Funeral Home, Calhoun Falls.


Bill Ward

GREENWOOD — William R. “Bill” Ward, Sr., 70, of 130 Edinborough Circle, Apt. 13, husband of Charlene Adella Cramer Ward, died April 10, 2006 at the Hospice House of Greenwood.
Born in Summit, NJ, May 14, 1935 a son of the late Leslie Avery and Beatrice Amelia Hetzel Ward, he was a retired Realtor and was a US Navy Veteran having fought in the Korean War. He was a faithful member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and was a beloved husband, father and grandfather.
Surviving in addition to his wife of 34 years is son, Bill Ward and wife Juli of Mauldin; 3 grandchildren, Merideth Ward of Columbia, Allan Ward and Rob Ward, both of Greenwood; brother, John Ward and wife Joan of Irving, TX; sister, Barbara Coyle and husband Leo of Orlando, FL; sister-in-law, Patricia Ward also of Orlando, FL; and several nieces and nephews. Mr. Ward was preceded in death by son, Thomas Anthony Ward; brother, James F. Ward; sisters, Dorothy Hickey, Ann Hickey and Grace Wilburn.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 1:00 PM Wednesday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with Father Richard Harris officiating. Interment with military honors will be in Oakbrook Memorial Park.
The family is at the home, 130 Edinborough Circle, Apt. 13 and will receive friends from 7-9 PM Tuesday at Blyth Funeral Home.
Those desiring may make memorials to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 915 Mathis Road, Greenwood, SC 29649 or Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 West Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646 in memory of Mr. Ward.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is serving the Ward family.
PAID OBITUARY


John Whitt

John C. Whitt, 79, of 1110 Marshall Road, widower of Cleo Doolittle Whitt, died Sunday, April 9, 2006, at Wesley Commons.
Born in Greenville County, he was a son of the late Cooley and Viola Dixon Whitt. He was a Navy veteran of the Korean conflict and owner and operator of John’s Place in McCormick.
Survivors include two brothers, Roy F. Whitt and Joseph B. Whitt, both of Greenwood.
Services are 2:30 p.m. today at Harley Funeral Home, conducted by Dr. Robert Miller. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are Dennis Whitt, Mickey Proctor, Jake Trantham, Donnie Riggins, Chip Whitt and Josh Martin.
Visitation is 1:30-2:30 today at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of a brother Roy Whitt, 304 Hillcrest Drive.
Memorials may be made to Hospice House, Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood SC 29646 or Wesley Commons, 1110 Marshall Road, Greenwood, SC 29646.
Harley Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com