J. Stuart Hepler, 90, of Bennettsville, a long-serving pastor, died June 29, 2010.
Hepler was born in Thomasville, N.C., on April 19, 1920. He entered Mars Hill College in 1940, transferring after one year to Furman University. His Furman studies were interrupted by World War II, as he entered the U.S. Army in January 1943 at Camp Croft. He served three years in the European theater, participating in the battles of Ardennes and Rhineland.
Upon completion of his Army service, he returned to Furman University, from which he graduated in 1948. He then attended Southern Seminary, graduating in 1952.
Hepler served the following pastorates in South Carolina: Welsh Neck Baptist Church, Society Hill; Beulah Baptist Church, Horrell Hill; Mount Pisgah Baptist Church near Jefferson; Sand Hill Baptist Church near Varnville; Gum Branch Baptist Church near Hartsville; and First Baptist Church, McColl, where he retired in 1982 after 14 years as pastor of that church. He continued serving as interim pastor for other churches, including Brownsville Baptist Church near Blenheim.
He was predeceased by his wife, Anne Elizabeth Roberts Hepler, in 2006.
Survivors include three sons and eight grandchildren.