Dr. Robert Crawford Bankhead, or “Doc” as he was known to his parishioners and campers, Age 90, died February 9 at Westminster Retirement Community, St. Augustine, FL.
A graduate of Davidson College, Davidson, NC, Columbia Theological Seminary, Atlanta, GA, and the University of Basel, Basel Switzerland. He served as a Presbyterian Minister at Rocky Springs Presbyterian Church near Laurens, South Carolina, Ninety-Six Presbyterian Church in Ninety-Six, South Carolina, First Presbyterian Church in Fredricksburg, Virginia, Sion Presbyterian Church in Winnsboro, South Carolina, and the Carolina Beach Presbyterian Church in Carolina Beach North Carolina.
While in Ninety-Six he also ran Camp Fellowship, the Presbyterian Church’s Camp and Conference Center located on Lake Greenwood. Between churches in Fredricksburg and Winnsboro he served as the Associate Executive Presbyter of Wilmington Presbytery and ran Camp Kirkwood near Wilmington, North Carolina and Camp Albemarle located near Morehead City, North Carolina which were Wilmington Presbytery’s Camp and Conference Centers.
After retirement from active preaching he served as the Port Chaplain for the Wilmington Port Authority and traveled giving retirement seminars across the US for the Presbyterian Board of Pensions.
He was pre-deceased by his sister, Susie Boyd of York, South Carolina. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mary, or St. Augustine, FL and a son, Bill (Amy), of Jacksonville, FL. During the last days of life he was well-cared-for by the skilled nursing staff of Westminster St. Augustine.
No visitation planned. There will be a Celebration of Life service in April at the Sion Presbyterian Church in Winnsboro, South Carolina where he served as a minister for eleven years. Reverend Dr. Roger Horne will conduct the service.