Obituary of William Garner

William S. ?Bill? Garner, Sr. Mount Pleasant & formerly of Columbia and Union, SC Bill Garner, age 96, passed away June 24, 2011. He was born on February 11, 1915 in McDonough, Georgia and was the son of Kenny Garner and Vera Stroud Garner. He was the widower of LaVonne P. Garner, who he married in 1943. Bill attended Georgia Tech and earned his BS degree in textile engineering. Bill served in the U.S. Army from 1943-1946 and was in London on VE Day. After the war he stayed in England for a short time and took classes at the University of Nottingham. While there Bill was pleased to attend an event hosted by the university honoring General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bill?s father was the founder of the First Baptist Church in Oxford, Georgia. Consequently Bill was an active member of the Baptist church wherever he has lived. He served on the Board of Deacons, was a fundraising chairman, and a Sunday school teacher. The Baptist churches that Bill attended the longest are Mon-Aetna in Union, SC, The First Baptist Church in Union, and the First Baptist Church in Columbia. He has been a member of the First Baptist church in Columbia for 40 years. Bill joined the Lions Club on June 1, 1950, being a member for 61 years. He served several clubs in various positions including president. The International Lions Foundation presented Bill with the Melvin Jones Fellow Award for ?dedication and humanitarian services.? Bill is survived by two sons; William S. (Bud) Garner, Jr. and Michael C. Garner. Bud and his wife Annette live in Mt. Pleasant. Mike and his wife Joan live in Lake Forest, Illinois. Bill is survived by his three grandchildren Katie, Callie and Michael. A service for Bill will be held on Monday, June 27, 2011, at 2:30PM at Greenlawn Funeral Home Chapel, located at 845 Leesburg Road in Columbia, SC. A visitation hour with the family will be held from 1:30 ? 2:30 PM on Monday, also at the funeral home. (Please contact Greenlawn Funeral Home at 803-776-1092 for details.) In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Columbia Northeast Lions Foundation in care of Guy Watson, 3832 Fernleaf Road, Columbia, SC 29206.