Colonel Abernathy

Colonel Warren H. Abernathy, 85, of 111 Hillbrook Drive, died Monday, June 22, 2009. A native of Spartanburg, SC, he was the son of the late George and Effie Hines Abernathy and the husband of the late Margaretta Scruggs Abernathy. A graduate of Spartanburg High School, he attended Wofford College and graduated from Spartanburg Methodist College and the University of South Carolina where he was a cheerleader. He later received a Masters in Business Administration degree from C&GS College, Fort Leavenworth, KS. In September 1992 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Voorhees College in Denmark, SC. He was a Veteran of World War II and a retired Colonel with the U.S. Army Reserves. He served as Administrative Assistant to then Governor J. Strom Thurmond and was State Assistant to Senator Thurmond's office with 49 years of service. He was the former secretary-treasurer of the Strom Thurmond Foundation, a U.S. Marshall, a member of the Civil Service, and an honorary member of the SC Law Enforcement Division. In September 1997 a portion of Highway 29 from Blackstock Road at Westgate Mall to I-85 was renamed as the Warren H. Abernathy Highway by the SC Department of Transportation. Mr. Abernathy was the recipient of the Order of the Palmetto on April 13, 1998, from Governor David Beasley. On May 1, 2007, he received the Spartanburg County Bar Association, E. C. Burnett, III, Contribution to Law and Justice Award for his contributions as a non-lawyer to the overall improvement of the legal system in Spartanburg County. He was a member of Southside Baptist Church where he was a member of the Layman's Sunday School Class and a former Deacon. Survivors include his daughter, Dr. Marcia Duncan and her husband Dale of Gaffney; grandchildren, Colin Duncan and his wife Meredith of Columbia, Warren Duncan and Elizabeth Duncan, both of Gaffney, and Hayes Abernathy of Spartanburg; cousins, and nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a son, Warren H. "Wren" Abernathy, II; sisters, Ruby Sims, Blanche Creech, Mary Witherspoon, and Betty Israel; and brothers, Horace Abernathy, Joseph Abernathy, George Abernathy, and Bill Abernathy. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, 2009, at Southside Baptist Church conducted by the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Littlejohn, the Rev. David M. Blanton, and the Rev. Dr. Clyde P. Thomas, Jr. Eulogies will be offered by John B. White, Jr., Ben C. Harrison, the Honorable William W. Wilkins, Jr., and Warren Yates Duncan. Burial with military honors will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. Following the committal service, the family will receive friends at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Leland Bomar, 107 Briarwood Court, Spartanburg. Pallbearers will be Dale Duncan, Colin Duncan, Warren Duncan, Sterling Anderson, Alvin McAbee, Chief Robert Stewart, Senator John E. Courson, and The Honorable Joseph McCrorey. Honorary Escort will include John B. White, Sr., Henry Harrison, Jim Ward, Rob Smith, Bill Stribling, Jack Rushing, Vic Bailey, Jr., J. Strom Thurmond, Jr., Paul Thurmond, the Layman's Sunday School Class, and Hack Cook and Weldon Dennis (the Loyal Lunch Duo). In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Strom Thurmond Foundation, Inc., P. O. Box 50214, Columbia, SC 29250; or to Southside Baptist Church Building Fund, 316 South Church Street, Spartanburg, SC 29306. Special thanks to Willie Moore and Warren Duncan, his caregivers, for their compassion and devotion. The family especially wishes to express gratitude to Drs. Julian Williams and Paul Cook for their enduring care and friendship and for making sure he made it to breakfast at Ike's every Saturday morning. Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Colonel Warren H. Abernathy please visit our Sympathy Store.