Ominous or ludicrous?

Some local residents a bit uneasy
about today’s date, which is 6/6/06

June 6, 2006

By JOANIE BAKER and GREG DEAL
Of The Index-Journal staff

It’s a simple three-digit number.
But this number can either elicit a curious chuckle or send chills up and down the spines of many people each time it pops up on a cash register.
“That will be $6.66, please.”
Oh, no! It’s the dreaded sign of the devil! It’s the mark of the beast! Could it be ... SATAN! “I’ll give you an extra penny ... just in case.”
Any display of the devilish digits — from those strung together in a phone number or address to getting a trio of sixes in a game of poker — can make many people cringe.
That’s because of the biblical representation of what that number means and society’s later association with that number with pure, downright evil.
That number is on a lot of people’s minds because today’s date is 6/6/06 (or 666). A remake of the film “The Omen,” which is about the antichrist, is opening nationwide in theaters today. That’s not a coincidence, by the way.
But what do Greenwood area residents and pastors think about this eerily-dated day in history?
Randy Holloway, pastor at Bethel Bible Baptist Church, said he doesn’t think the arrangement of the date’s numbers will cause as much hysteria as Y2K did.
With Y2K, people were worried that computers with outdated systems based on two-digit dates instead of four would crash when the date rolled to the year 2000. The concern was that computers would think it was the year 1900, causing a worldwide system meltdown.
That didn’t happen.
Though Holloway said people should not allow the significance of today cause a dramatic change in their daily lives, they should at least be conscious of biblical prophecy related to 666 and the antichrist. Holloway said it would be best for people to always behave as though Jesus were returning at any time.
“There shouldn’t be reason for mass hysterics any time something like this happens because this should be part of our natural existence,” Holloway said.
In Chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation, the reader is warned of a “beast” — commonly understood by Christians to be the antichrist — who will arise in the end times and force people to worship him. Revelation says the number of the beast is the number of a man: 666.
Verse 16 says the beast “required everyone — great and small, rich and poor, slave and free — to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead.” Verse 17 says, “And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.”
Father Richard Harris, of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, said today is just like any other day on the calendar.
“I don’t think that, as Christians, we should attribute anything supernatural to any particular day,” Harris said. “No one knows the day or the hour when the Lord will return to take us home. We simply need to be prepared each and every day. The basic message of Christ is for us to give our lives to Him and live according to God’s will with our eyes and hearts focused on eternal life with him in Heaven. If we do so, we will not need to worry about the future.”
Ninety Six resident Brian Quarles said that even though he thinks the day will play out as normal, “The Omen” film has people talking more about it.
“I don’t plan to leave the house at all,” Quarles said. “I don’t want to mess with that. I don’t think anything bad will happen; I just don’t want to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Amy Truelove, of Greenwood, said the coincidence of numbers bothers her, but, as a Christian, she is not concerned because she said the Lord will take care of His people. Even so, Truelove said the date makes her a little uneasy.
“Well, I’m a little bit nervous because my husband is having surgery (Tuesday),” she said. “And, if he’d thought about it, he probably wouldn’t have scheduled it like that because he’s superstitious and he really doesn’t like the number six — especially six, six, six.”
Truelove won’t be the only one relying on faith to ward off superstition. Kenneth Aiken, of Greenwood, said Jesus already won the battle with the devil and that people should be sure of a victory as they wait for His return.
“In the back of my mind, I think there is something to it, but I try not to think about it,” he said. “... As Christians we should be an influence to the world instead of letting the world be an influence on us.”
Hundreds of fiction and nonfiction end-times books focus on a future antichrist and the mark of the beast. Apocalyptic fiction books such as the “Left Behind” series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, center on the rise of the antichrist following the rapture of Christians and the seven-year “tribulation period” that follows. Many Christians believe that, during that time, the antichrist will broker a peace treaty between Israel and its enemies before reneging on that deal halfway through the seven years and defiling a rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem and declaring himself to be God.
Nonfiction books by Christian writers and pastors such as John Hagee, who wrote “Beginning of the End,” and Hal Lindsey, who penned “The Late Great Planet Earth,” examine how the antichrist will deceive the world and cause millions to worship him and turn their backs on eternal salvation.
Many Christian nonfiction writers point to the emergence of computer chip implants, touted as potential carriers of financial and health records — and information that can create a safer world — as a possible vessel through which the antichrist will introduce the number 666, thus controlling the buying and selling of those who accept this “mark.” This chip will be widely accepted, they argue, because society will welcome its championed benefits of convenience, security and efficiency.
Throughout the ages, 666 has been a number of mystery and superstition. Countercultures often have used the number as a rallying cry, and some heavy metal and hard rock bands have included imagery of the beast or his number in their albums or music videos.
Trying to determine who the antichrist is or will be has become a guessing game of mass proportions.
A Google search for the number 666 shows more than 118 million Web pages. A search for antichrist returns nearly 6 million pages, and typing in “Who is the antichrist?” returns nearly 6 million pages. In contrast, typing “Who is Jesus?” into the same search engine returns less than 1 million pages.
Many online writers try to speculate who the antichrist will be. The lists include current or potential future world leaders. In fact, there was much speculation in the mid-1980s that U.S. President Ronald Wilson Reagan was the antichrist because each of his three names had six letters in it. Other contenders mentioned have been just about any Mideast leader outside of Israel, terrorists such as Osama bin Laden, popes and even princes of England, such as Charles and sons Harry and William.
Many strict interpretations of the Bible indicate that the antichrist will arise from a revived Roman Empire, so just about any charismatic leader from the European Union or the Middle East is considered a candidate.
The History Channel has aired numerous programs about the antichrist in the past year, taking 666 hysteria to a broader audience.
But many people caution that it’s fruitless to try to determine who the antichrist is or will be because they say his identity won’t be revealed until after the rapture of Christians from Earth. Still, it hasn’t stopped people from speculating, and it hasn’t stopped the fascination with — or suspicion about — 666.

House District 13 forum

Candidates differ on cigarette tax

June 6, 2006

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

Candidates for the Republican nomination to serve District 13, Greenwood County, in the state House supported some of the same positions Monday.
But incumbent Gene Pinson and challenger Alan Boatwright did differ at a pre-June 13 primary forum on whether the Legislature should raise the per-pack tax on cigarettes.
“It’s not fiscally sound,” Boatwright said of the cigarette tax proposal that died in the state’s General Assembly.
Boatwright said an increase in the tax will not decrease teen smoking and it will help the state reap money from a federal government program, Medicaid, that he said is “broken.”
Boatwright said the state’s non-smokers want to use smokers to qualify the state for federal money tied to high taxes on cigarettes. “You can’t increase the tax just to increase the tax,” he said.
Pinson disagreed. “I said four years ago that I would not vote to raise a tax other than the cigarette tax,” he said. “It’s time.”
He said South Carolina can receive three to four times the federal Medicaid funds that it raises in cigarette taxes, and that money would be important in financing health care improvements statewide. “The hospitals need it desperately,” Pinson said. “The tobacco tax has got to be raised.”
Pinson said he supports a plan to raise the tax by 30 cents per pack, making the state tax on cigarettes 37 cents per pack. “There’s nothing wrong with it, folks,” he said. “It’s saving lives.”
For the most part, Pinson and Boatwright expressed similar, conservative views on issues. Asked to rank the top three issues facing South Carolina today, Boatwright said financial issues, education and the economy, while Pinson listed jobs, education and health care.
Both candidates said a major challenge facing the state’s education system is decreasing the high school dropout rate.
Boatwright said on the issue of school choice that the state should implement tax credits for parents who send their children to private schools, but not vouchers that would send money to private schools. Pinson said he would support a school choice plan that improves opportunities for 4-year-olds to attend quality early childhood programs but would not support a vouchers program that makes schools receiving state money unaccountable for their spending.
And both candidates said they would change the state lottery to provide more money to K-12 public education and agreed that the federal government and Laurens and Newberry counties should foot part of the bill for requirements that Greenwood County take steps to improve safety on Lake Greenwood.
They differed, though, on the way the campaign for House District 13 has been conducted.
Boatwright said the campaign has been “a great two months, a good ride,” adding that he found Greenwood residents talk about two things: the weather and what goes on in Columbia.
“This election is very important for District 13,” he said. “People in Greenwood tell me it’s time for a change.”
Pinson said it has not been a clean campaign. “We got pigs on our mailboxes, mailers saying money has gone up in smoke. We’ve had eight of these mailers, and lots of phone calls. How do you respond to these things — you can’t spend 30 minutes on the phone with each caller,” he said. “There’s only two of us in the race, and I know I didn’t send them out.”
Pinson called the campaign “vicious.”
To wrap up the forum, the candidates got to ask each other one question. Pinson asked Boatwright if the challenger supports negative campaigning, and Boatwright asked Pinson if the incumbent had gotten campaign finances from out-of-state political action committees, organizations or individuals.
“Thirty-five percent of my money did not come from Pennsylvania,” Pinson responded to Boatwright’s question. “I have received campaign money from people I know.”
Responding to Pinson’s question, Boatwright said he never made a public statement attacking Pinson’s record on the issues. “I can’t control what other people do,” Boatwright said, “other than my people.”

Post 20 defeats Easley

Greenwood scores 16 runs and pounds out
14 hits on Legion opening night

June 6, 2006

By RON COX
Special to the Index-Journal

The team chocked full of newcomers opened the 2006 Legion season like seasoned veterans.
Behind a squad of 13 first-year players, the Greenwood Post 20 baseball team got 11 runs from six of those new faces in a 16-1 blowout victory over League VII rival Easley Monday at Legion Field.
First-year players Keith Hill, a former Abbeville High School standout and current Erksine College player, and Greenwood High School’s Trey Wimmer led the newbies at the plate. Hill, a former catcher playing left field, was 4-for-5 at the plate, with four RBIs, two runs scored and a triple, while Wimmer, the Eagles’ starting catcher who played second base, was 2-for-4, with three runs scored.
“These kids have played at good programs and against good competition. We expect them to respond,” Post 20 coach Billy Dean Minor said. “We hit the ball well. We’re happy with it.
“But we have to come ready to play every night because there aren’t many of these games in this league.”
The victory was the first of a four-game week for the team. Post 20 is at home again 7:30 Wednesday night against Union. They travel to Westside High School to face Belton Thursday before returning to Legion Field Friday to host Greenville.
Returning starter Brandon Miller, who finished his junior year at Emerald as the Class AA player of the year, made life easy for Post 20’s new offense. Miller allowed only one hit in five innings of work for the victory.
Post 20’s Kyle Behrendt, the team’s leading hitter from last season, opened the bottom of the first by dropping a perfect bunt down the third-base line for a single. Wimmer followed with a single and the onslaught against Easley ace Chris Pitts began.
The GHS duo scored the game’s first two runs: Behrendt on Cruse Tollison’s ground out and Wimmer on Hill’s single.
In all, Post 20 touched up Pitts for six runs on four hits in the first, with Behrendt capping the inning with a two-run double.
Post 20 added two more runs in the second when Hill’s triple into the left-field gap brought in Wimmer and Tollison to give the team an 8-0 lead, ending the night on the mound for Pitts.
Post 20 added two more runs in the fourth on a pair of run-scoring sacrifice flies for a 10-0 lead. With the new offense providing plenty of support, Miller silenced the Easley batters, retiring the first seven Easley batters in order.
The University of South Carolina commitment surrendered his only hit, a seeing-eye single to relief pitcher Cory Hopper, in the fifth.
Miller went on to pitch two more hitless innings before being relieved by Justin Collier, a second-year Post 20 player, who received a rude welcome, as his first pitch was sent over the fence in left field by Arturo Mogrezutt for Easley’s only run.
But Post 20 got that run back and more in the bottom of the inning, plating six runs on five hits to grab a 16-1 lead.
Newcomer Matthew Benjamin pitched a scoreless seventh.

Opinion

Attitudes of then, now show a different people

June 6, 2006

Today, June 6, 2006, marks 62 years since the beginning of the end of a tumultuous event. Almost everything has been measured against it ever since by those where were there.
In the largest amphibious assault in the annals of war, the U. S. and its allies stormed the shores of Normandy, France. The rest, as they say, is history.
There are still many in South Carolina who participated in that bloody experience. It was the first step in ridding the world of Adolf Hitler, a madman responsible for the murder of millions of innocent people ..... men, women and children.
Those who remember know all too well what that war meant to people everywhere. Those who have come along since cannot really appreciate the attitudes of most Americans back then.

PATRIOTISM WAS AND COULD BE presumed.
Americans, and others, knew then that it was necessary to fight back. Democracy, freedom and our very lives were under assault. The Nazis and their allies had one thing in mind and in common. They wanted nothing less than to rule the world ..... not administer, rule.
There were no doubts here or any other place about why we went to war then.
There were, of course, sacrifices by everyone. Sometimes it was life itself. Few complained, though. They knew the stakes of losing ..... and winning. That national attitude of togetherness was indicative of a unanimity that dissipated somewhere between Korea and Vietnam. It continues today in the Middle East.

THOSE WHO REMEMBER DO indeed measure everything by the patriotism and the love of freedom that marked those dark years long ago. They have a hard time understanding the attitudes of those today who see no parallel between then and now. Today many just don’t understand why we should assume the leadership, or even participate, in efforts to rid the world of terrorism.
It should be no mystery to anyone, though. In many respects terrorists are more dangerous than Hitler and his killers ever dreamed. Radical Islamic terrorists would and do destroy anyone, even their own, who are not as radical. Life means nothing, and any opportunity will be taken to make that point. It’s simple. We oppose terrorism now or we’ll have to do it later ..... and pay a terrible price in between.
World War II veterans and their families have no doubts about that. Today, they remember ..... and wonder about tomorrow.

Obituaries

John David Abney

SUGAR HILL, Ga. — John David Abney, 51, formerly of Greenwood, S.C., died Sunday, June 4, 2006 at Emory Hospital in Atlanta.
He was a son of the late Joel Richard Abney Jr. and Carolyn Abney of Myrtle Beach.
Survivors include his wife, Jo Cheezem Abney and three daughters, Sylvia Carson Abney and Mattie Julia Abney, of Georgia and Anna Carolyn Abney, of Greenwood.
Services are 6 p.m. Wednesday at Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church, Duluth, Ga.
The wake is after the services at the home in Sugar Hill.

Charles H. Aldridge III

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. — Charles H. Aldridge III, 77, husband of Jean Aldridge, died Wednesday, May 31, 2006 at his home, of lung cancer.
Born in Winona, Miss., he was a son of the late Charles Howard Aldridge Jr. and Lydia George Aldridge. He graduated from Winona High School and attended Mississippi State University, where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. After working with WCRS radio station, Greenwood, S.C., and WIS-TV news station, Columbia, S.C., he joined his father in the farming and cattle business in Mississippi. He won the commercial appeal “Plant to Prosper” in 1958 and worked for Equitable Life Insurance Society from 1962-83 in Winona, Jackson, Miss., Sioux City, Iowa and Memphis, Tenn. and retired as agency manager. After retiring from the life insurance business, he started a family-owned Christmas tree farm, Merry Noel Trees. He was first married to the late Mary Noel Harton Aldridge.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Charles H. Aldridge IV of Memphis; a daughter, Mrs. Neal L. (Mary N. “Cissy”) Keck of Moscow, Tenn.; a sister, Betty Aldridge Brown of Winona; a stepdaughter, Mrs. Joseph (Cynthia) Picaza of Johnson City; two grandchildren; three great-grandchildren.
Services were Sunday at Collierville Funeral Home, conducted by Johnny Leake. Burial was in Oakwood Cemetery, Winona.
Pallbearers were John Whitaker, Steve Harris, Nelson Eddleman, Walter Carston, Carey Embry and Steve Brown.
Memorials may be made to Camp Blessing, T4232 Blessing Road, Wausau, WI 54403.
Collierville Funeral Home, 535 W. Poplar Ave., was in charge.

Allie Mae Crawford

ABBEVILLE — Allie Mae Crawford, 70, of 405 Branch St., died Sunday, June 4, 2006 at Anderson Area Medical Center.
The family is at the home of a stepdaughter Lula Mae Crawford, 200 Raymond Road.
Services will be announced by Richie Funeral Home.

Mr. James Wilbur Ginn

April 10, 1925 — June 4, 2006
IVA, SC — Mr. James Wilbur Ginn, age 81, husband of Louise W. Ginn formerly of 106 Morgan Avenue, died Sunday, June 4, 2006 at the AnMed Health Medical Center in Anderson.
Born in Iva, SC on April 10, 1925, Mr. Ginn was a son of the late Leland V. Ginn and Estelle Ginn. He was retired from Jackson Mill and was a member of Bethel United Methodist Church. He was a United States Army World War II veteran having served in the Battle of Normandy, Northern France and Central Europe. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and P.O.W. Medals and was also awarded numerous other medals, citations and emblems. He was a member of Iva American Legion.
He is survived by his wife, Louise W. Ginn; a step-daughter, Rebecca Freeman and her husband, Stan of Columbia, SC; brothers, Paul Ginn and David Ginn both of Anderson, SC; two step-grandchildren, Marty Freeman and his wife Cristina of Lexington, SC; Christy Miles and her husband Kevin of Rock Hill, SC and three step-great-grandsons, Thomas Freeman, Ben and Ryan Miles. The family wishes to acknowledge their thanks to the caregivers of Summit Place and a special nephew Tony Ginn. He is also survived by a number of nephews.
A brother, Alfred Ginn preceded him in death.
The Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, June 6, 2006 at 3:00 pm at Bethel United Methodist Church officiated by Rev. Sam Thomason. Interment will follow in Iva City Cemetery with Military Honors.
The family will receive friends from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the church on Tuesday.
Memorials may be sent to Bethel United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 535, Iva, SC 29655.
A message of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting www.mcdougaldfuneralhome.com. THE MCDOUGALD FUNERAL HOME IS ASSISTING THE FAMILY.
PAID OBITUARY

Stanley Olin ‘Ted’ Merritt

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Mr. Stanley Olin “Ted” Merritt, of Evans, GA., beloved husband of Mrs. Bernice Whitmire Merritt, entered into rest on Monday, June 5, 2006 at Specialty Select Hospital at University Hospital.
A graveside service will be held at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 in Rehoboth Methodist Church Cemetery, Greenwood, SC. with Rev. Kevin Steele officiating.
Additional survivors include three sons, Stanley W. Merritt and Meril of Evans, GA., Don Merritt of Augusta, GA. and David Merritt of North Augusta, SC.; a brother, William Edward Merritt and Ellen of Miami, FL.; a sister, Rose Payne of Lantana, FL.; a grandson, Joshua A. Merritt.; numerous beloved nieces and nephews. Mr. Merritt was preceded in death by his sisters, the late Elizabeth Ross and the late Dorothy Bell Hines.
A native of Fingerville, South Carolina, Mr. Merritt was the son of the late Stanley Olin Merritt and the late Annie Ross Merritt. A graduate of Erskine College, Mr. Merritt was retired from Richmond Academy where he taught for thirty-five years, touching thousand of lives. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army in Italy. Upon returning home from W.W.II, he played the saxophone in a Jazz Band in Greenville, South Carolina. He was an avid outdoorsman and had a great love of music. Stanley and Bernice recently celebrated their fifty-fifth wedding anniversary. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather.
If so desired, memorials may be made to Rehoboth United Methodist Church Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 656, Greenwood, SC. 29646.
The family will receive friends on Tuesday, June 6, 2006 at Platt’s Funeral Home from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM.
Platt’s Funeral Home, 337 North Belair Road, Evans, Georgia, 30809, 706-860-6166.
PAID OBITUARY

Rev. Rufus Mitchell Sr.

ANDERSON — The Reverend Rufus Mitchell Sr., 94, husband of Willie Mae Mitchell, formerly of 2801 Bellview Road, died Sunday, June 4, 2006 at Abbeville Nursing Home.
Born in Greenville, he was a son of the late William and Vester Moore Mitchell. He was in the ministry for 65 years, a retired evangelist and a former pastor of Gluck Mill Baptist Church, Anderson and Augusta Highway Baptist Church, Greenwood. A graduate of Furman University, he was an Army veteran and a member of Gethsemane Baptist Temple.
Survivors include his wife of Abbeville; three sons, Rufus Mitchell Jr. and Billy Mitchell, both of Anderson, Jack Mitchell of Greenwood; a daughter, Mrs. Haskell (Betty) Moon of Anderson; 11 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; a great-great-grandchild.
Services are 4 p.m. Wednesday at McDougald Funeral Home, officiated by the Revs. Bill Ellison, Alvin Hodges and Sam Duncan. Entombment is in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Mausoleum.
Visitation is 2-3:30 Wednesday at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of his daughter, Betty Moon, 2803 Bellview Road.
Flowers are accepted. Memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, Upstate SC Chapter, 521 N. McDuffie St., Anderson, SC 29621 or Hospice of the Upstate, 1835 Rogers Road, Anderson, SC 29621.
The McDougald Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.mcdougaldfuneralhome.com

Roddie Joe Moon

NEWBERRY — Roddie Joe Moon, 67, of 599 Bush River Road, died Saturday, June 3, 2006 at Newberry County Memorial Hospital.
Born in Newberry County, he was a son of the late Willie James and Stacie Moon Robinson. He was a member of St. Mary AME Church and the Sons of Aid Society.
Survivors include four brothers, Charles Robinson, Louis Robinson, Jackie Robinson and Bennie Robinson, all of Newberry; six sisters, Mrs. O.J. (Julie M.) Lindsay of Dover, Del., Mrs. James (Shirley) Kinard of Newberry, Mrs. Joseph (Willie Mae) Caldwell of Ninety Six, Mrs. Glynn (Betty R.) Boles of Greenwood, Mrs. Dexter (Nancy) Darbins of Clinton and Mrs. Bruce (Jerdine) Bookman of Little.
Services will be announced by Wilson Funeral Home.

Willie Ruth Moore

McCORMICK — Services for Willie Ruth Moore are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Walker Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Albert Bell. Burial is in Overbrook Cemetery.
Pallbearers and flower bearers are friends of the family.
The family is at the home of Mary Ferguson, 995 Old Hodges Road, Abbeville and Anthony Moore, 236 Highway 10, McCormick.
Walker Funeral Home is in charge.

Rev. John David ‘JD’ Oglesby

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Rev. John David “JD” Oglesby, 81, husband of Murlena Turner Oglesby, died Saturday, June 3, 2006 at his home.
Born in Bowman, Ga., he was a son of the late Rev. Jasper and Emma Pledger Oglesby. He was assistant pastor at St. Mark Baptist Church, a graduate of Brewer High School, Greenwood, S.C., and a member of Chosen Friends Masonic Lodge No. 43. He was a former member of Willow Springs Baptist Church, Edgefield, S.C.
Survivors include his wife of the home; a daughter, Nancy Burgess of Statesville, N.C.; a brother, Walker Oglesby of Highland Park, Mich.; three grandchildren; five great-grandchildren.
Services are 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Mark Baptist Church, Harrisburg.
Visitation is 6-8 Wednesday at Hooper Memorial Funeral Home.
Hooper Memorial Funeral Home, 3532 Walnut St., is in charge.
Announcement courtesy of Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc., Greenwood.

John Ollie Payne

HODGES — John Ollie Payne, husband of Laquitta White Payne, died Sunday, June 4, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of Annie Smith Payne and the late Sam Payne. He was a member of Second Damascus Baptist Church and the Black Cats Motorcycle Club.
Survivors include his wife of the home; his mother of Hodges; three daughters, Cierra, Ashley and Brittany Payne of the home; a sister, Ojetta Smith of Hodges; three brothers, Kendrick Payne of Hodges, Codi Sanders of Philadelphia and Leon Wideman of Greenville.
The family is at the home, 413 Freetown Road.
Services will be announced by Parks Funeral Home, Greenwood.

Helen Miller Leaman Petit

GREENWOOD — Helen Miller Leaman Petit, 78, resident of 104 Highland Drive, wife of Dr. Edward L. Petit, died June 4, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center after an extended illness.
Born in Greenwood County, Nov. 21, 1927, she was a daughter of the late Samuel Madden and Helen Griffin Leaman of Cross Hill.
She was educated in the public schools in Cross Hill and Clinton and earned a bachelor’s degree in history and education from Winthrop College. She taught elementary school in North Carolina and later was an office manager for her husband’s dental practice in Greenwood. She was a former member of the Unit 1 Garden Club and the Greenwood Woman’s Club.
Mrs. Petit is survived by her husband of the home, and daughters Karen Petit of Columbia and Kathy Petit of Greenwood; a sister, Josephine Leaman DeBruhl of Lexington; a brother Samuel M. Leaman Jr. of Greenwood; granddaughters Leaman Mosby of Myrtle Beach and Caroline Mosby of Greenwood; and the family’s devoted dog, Hoover.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 A.M. Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Archie Moore of Greenwood Presbyterian Church officiating.
Burial will be in Liberty Springs Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Cross Hill where members of the Leaman family have worshiped for more than 200 years.
Pallbearers will be Louis DeBruhl, Jack DeBruhl, Paul Koon, Samuel M. Leaman, III, Jack Littlefield and Jessie Hammonds.
Honorary escort will be members of the Northwest Volunteer Fire Department.
The family is at the home in Idlewood and will receive friends at the funeral home from 10 to 11 A.M. Wednesday.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Greenwood Presbyterian Church, 1414 Calhoun Road, Greenwood, SC 29649 or to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 West Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Petit family.
PAID OBITUARY

Edward J. Stampf

Edward J. Stampf, 57, died Saturday, May 20, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Memorial services will be announced by Cremation Society of South Carolina.

Velma L. ‘Sonny’ Williams

Velma L. “Sonny” Williams, 59, of 405-A Taggart Ave., died Monday, June 5, 2006 at his home.
Services will be announced by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home.

Jackie Woods

GREENWOOD — Jacqueline “Jackie” Holloway Woods, 76, of 218 Irvines Circle, widow of William M. “Monk” Woods, died June 5, 2006 at the Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Estill, SC on December 22, 1929, a daughter of the late Jack Graves and Mossie Mae Watson Holloway. She was a graduate of Greenville High School and retired from Piedmont Technical College. She was a volunteer with Hospice Care of the Piedmont and was a member of the Sunrise Seniors Club. She was also a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Ninety Six.
Survivors include 2 daughters, Deborah W. and husband Jack Threadgill of Ninety Six and Susan and husband Phil Ramsey of Charleston; son, Mark H. and wife Ginny Wiggins Woods of Middlesboro, KY; grandchildren, Mary Melissa Threadgill of Ninety Six, Nathan Ramsey and Paul Ramsey of Charleston and Maggie Woods, Mark Woods, II and Grayson Woods, all of Middlesboro, KY; brother, Robert and wife Jane Holloway of Summerfield, NC. She was preceded in death by a son William Gregory “Greg” Woods.
Graveside funeral services will be conducted Wednesday at 2:00 PM at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg with Dr. Steven Todd officiating.
The family is at the home, 218 Irvines Circle, Greenwood.
The family respectfully requests that flowers be omitted and memorials be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 West Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646 as Mrs. Woods was an avid Hospice volunteer.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Woods family.
PAID OBITUARY