Category: 1944

George Thomas Sherrill, 98, died peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on Saturday, December 4, 2021.

Born September 8, 1923, in Mooresville, NC, he was a son of the late Troy Lee and Dessie Reed Sherrill. His siblings were Pauline Ingle and Marshall Sherrill.

George graduated from Mooresville High School in 1940 and then attended Davidson College. When WWII came along, he left college to join the Naval Air Corp. He became a pilot in service of his country until honorably discharged in 1945. Following his military service, he was employed by Duke Power in Mooresville, NC. In 1947, he was transferred to Greenville, SC as Duke’s territory claims agent until his retirement in 1982. Following retirement, George volunteered his time delivering Meals on Wheels. He also volunteered to serve as an independent arbitrator to settle disputes between businesses and their customers under the Better Business Bureau National Consumer Arbitration Program.

On September 14, 1946, George married the love of his life, Ethel Mayes. They recently celebrated 75 years of marriage. George is also survived by his son, Stephen Sherrill of Greenville; daughter, Nancy Coster and her husband Steve Barbrey of Greer; granddaughter, Kristen Coster; and his great-grandson, Easton, both of Greer.

George was a member of the Greenville Lions Club and the American Legion for 76 years holding various committee and chairman positions.

George was instrumental in the origination of St. Matthew United Methodist Church of which he and Ethel are charter and devoted members since 1955. George was the 1st chairman of finance for St. Matthew. He also held various other positions including President of his Sunday School class.

The family would like to extend their appreciation to those at Open Arms Hospice for their care and support keeping George comfortable at home until his passing.

A visitation will be held Friday, December 10, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. until 1:45 p.m. at St. Matthew United Methodist Church. The service will follow at 2:00 p.m. Entombment will be private.

Memorials may be made to St. Matthew Beyond Campaign, 701 Cleveland St., Greenville, SC 29601, or to a charity of one’s choice.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.thomasmcafee.com.

Rear Admiral Horace B. Robertson, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired) of Durham, North Carolina died on November 19, 2020, after a brief illness.

Admiral Robertson was born on November 13, 1923 in Kannapolis, North Carolina. He attended Davidson College for two years before being appointed to the Naval Academy in 1942 and graduating in 1945. He attended Georgetown University Law School, graduating in 1953.

In 1970, then-Captain Robertson was tapped by Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, the Chief of Naval Operations, to be his Special Counsel, where he served for two years before his selection for Rear Admiral and appointment by the President as Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy.

In 1975, the President appointed Rear Admiral Robertson as Judge Advocate General, the highest uniformed lawyer of the Navy. Admiral Robertson retired from the Navy in August 1976. Following retirement from the Navy, Rear Admiral Robertson was appointed Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law.

Rear Admiral Robertson was an internationally recognized authority on the law of the sea and the law of armed conflict at sea. He served as a member of the United States delegation to two United Nations conferences on the law of the sea.

Rear Admiral Robertson is survived by his two sons, Mark, of Columbia, South Carolina, and James, of Austin, Texas; their wives, Deborah Robertson and Melinda Taylor; four grandchildren, Emily and her husband David Bosch, Helen, Nicholas, and Julia; and one great-grandson, Robertson Henry Bosch. Admiral Robertson’s wife, the former Patricia (Trish) Lavell, whom he married in 1947, died in 2016.

A private memorial service for Admiral Robertson was held at Epworth United Methodist Church in Durham. A celebration of his life will be held at Epworth United Methodist Church, and a graveside service at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, at a time later to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to memorialize Admiral Robertson may make a gift to the Endowment Fund of Epworth United Methodist Church, Durham, N.C., or to the Horace B. and Patricia L. Robertson Scholarship at Duke University School of Law.

The family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service. For full obituary and online condolences: www.hallwynne.com – select obituaries.

Copyright (c) 2020 The News and Observer

Francis Hansell “Hank” Watt was born on February 24, 1923, to William Augustin and “Bob” Mary Lindsey Watt of Thomasville, GA.

The third of four sons, Hank enjoyed practical jokes, poetry, and literature, hunting, fishing, FSU football, baseball, and exploring the natural world.

After high school and a thwarted attempt to join the Army at 17, he graduated pre-med from Davidson College (ODK,1944), then entered Johns Hopkins Medical School. There, he was part of the first surgical team success at blue baby heart repair in 1947-48.

While in medical school, he met his future wife and physician, Dr. Henrietta “Honey” Watt, whom he married in September 1948.

He served as a captain in the US Army (stationed in Puerto Rico) he continued his lifelong participation in medical missions Ometepec and Morelia, Mexico, Haiti, Kenya, the former Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo), Malawi, and Indonesia, all the while maintaining practice as a general surgeon.

Dr. Watt established the first intensive care unit at Tallahassee Memorial Regional Hospital and performed a wide range of surgical procedures there, also serving patients from nearby towns like Havana, Quincy, and Monticello, often accepting payment in corn, beans and garden produce.

A deeply committed Christian, Dr. Watt served as an elder at Faith Presbyterian Church for over 50 years, taught Sunday School, and attended the weekly Men’s Bible Study well into his nineties.

He continued international medical mission outreach, starting a Green Stamps drive to buy a plane for missionaries to Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) and co-founded the Medical Benevolence Foundation (1964) (PCUSA) which provides direct physician care in several foreign countries.

Dr. Watt loved to hunt, fish, and grow his own produce in his hydroponic garden. At one point, he raised quail to help in training his Llewellin setters. After mastering fixed-wing gliders, he earned his instrumentation pilot’s license at 67.

He was a naturalist of the first order, able to identify every tree, fish, fowl, reptile, and weather pattern. He loved the Big Bend and was committed to preserving its natural resources.

Dr. Watt was a committed family man, taking his family on far-flung jaunts to Mexico, the World’s Fair (1964) and vacations at St Teresa, and Cape San Blas. He is pre-deceased by his wife of 63 years, and his son, Francis Hansell Watt, Jr.

He leaves behind six daughters, Lindsey Watt March, Helen E. “Betsy” Watt, MD., Laura Watt “Jeanie” Casati (Bill Lacey), Sandy Watt Hearn (Tom), Jamie Watt Jones and Carolyn Watt Cantwell (Jeff), and daughter-in-law, Margie Best Watt, 16 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren; 3 cousins, George Watt, Marianne “Sissy” Jeffries Williams, and Maggie Watt Roddenberry, and a host of longtime friends.

The Watt family wishes to extend our heartfelt gratitude to his devoted caregivers.

Interment will be Sunday, August 18, at 10 a.m. at Laurel Hill Cemetery, Thomasville, GA, with a 2 pm memorial service at Faith Presbyterian Church, Tallahassee, FL, Reception in the Fellowship Hall to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Medical Benevolence Foundation, (9555 W Sam Houston Pkwy S Suite 170, Houston, TX 77099), and the Haitian American Friendship Foundation (HAFF- P.O. Box 1349 State College, PA 16804-1349 USA)

Special thanks to Rocky Bevis of Bevis Funeral Home in assisting this family with these arrangements. Phone (850/385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com).

To plant a tree in memory of F. Hansell Watt M.D., please visit Tribute Store.

Copyright 2019, Thomasville Times-Enterprise / CNHI, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

John Thompson Wardlaw, 94, passed away on Sunday, April 15, 2018.

He was born in Atlanta, GA to the late James Thompson and Belle Thompson Wardlaw and attended Pine Street School, Spartanburg High School, Darlington School, Davidson College and Georgia Tech.

John served in the Navy as a destroyer escort communications officer during World War II. He worked with Milliken and Co., Kentucky Woven Label Co., Bo-Buck Mills and later founded Wardlaw Sales in Spartanburg before retiring in 1995.

He was actively involved in the Spartanburg community serving as President of The Spartanburg Rotary Club; the Spartanburg County Foundation Board of Trustees and Investment Advisory Committee.

He served on the Spartanburg Music Foundation Board, Friends of the Spartanburg County Library Board, Commissioner on the Spartanburg Housing Authority, Chairman of Total Ministries Board, Habitat for Humanity Board, President of the Narrow Fabrics Institute and was the Founder, Chairman, Director and Board Chair Emeritus of The Adult Learning Center. John was a devoted and faithful member of The Episcopal Church of the Advent, where he served on the Vestry, as senior and junior warden.

His service and commitment to Spartanburg has been recognized with multiple civic and state awards. John received the SC Order of the Palmetto from Governor Mark Sanford; the Neville Holcombe Distinguished Citizen award presented by the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce; the Wofford College Algernon- Sydney Sullivan Award for public service; the Mary Black Foundation Dr. Sam O. Black, Jr. Health Promotion Award for Leadership; 2014 Kiwanis Club of Spartanburg Citizen of the Year; the Dean Griffin Public Service Award from Georgia Tech; and the National Service to Mankind Award from the Sertoma Club.

John is survived by his wife of 60 years, Mary; his daughter, Saunders McCollum and her husband, David, of Anderson, SC; and his grandchildren, Ashley and John McCollum.

A celebration of his life will be held at The Episcopal Church of the Advent, on Wednesday, April 18th, 3:00PM, officiated by The Reverend Dr. Clay H. Turner and The Reverend J. Edward Morris.

The family will receive friends following the service at The Parish and Community Life Center.

In remembrance of John, memorials may be made to The Episcopal Church of the Advent, 141 Advent St., Spartanburg, SC 29302, The Adult Learning Center, 145 N Church St., Spartanburg, SC 29306, or Spartanburg Regional Home Health and Hospice, 686 Jeff Davis Drive, Spartanburg, SC 29303.

Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.JMDunbar.com.
Dunbar Funeral Home & Crematory

Published in Spartanburg Herald-Journal from Apr. 17 to Apr. 18, 2018