Obituaries

Lester Province Branham Jr., 89, of Florence, died Oct. 22, 2023. A native of Camden, he was a longtime member of Springvale Baptist Church, Lugoff, where he first was called to ministry. He was a graduate of Wake Forest... Continue Reading »

Joseph “Joe” Borgkvist Jr., 79, of West Columbia, died Oct. 23, 2023. A native of Portsmouth, N.H., he served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam and was led to Christ by a Southern Baptist chaplain. After his call to... Continue Reading »

Ryan Bellman Eklund, 91, of Greenwood, died Sept. 18, 2023. A native of Orangeburg, he was a graduate of Furman University and served in the South Carolina Army National Guard. After graduating from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville,... Continue Reading »

Ron Satterwhite, 69, of La Belle, Mo., died June 21, 2023, at the Baptist Home in Ironton, Mo. A native of Tallahassee, Fla., he was a graduate of Florida Bible College, Hollywood, Fla., and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.... Continue Reading »

Ronald Eugene Hasty, 84, of Graniteville, died March 18, 2023. He served as pastor of Baptist churches throughout Georgia and South Carolina, led Bible studies, taught seminary classes, and shared the good news of Jesus through mission trips during... Continue Reading »

Leon Barry Gray, 73, of Elgin, died April 22, 2023. A native of Brunswick, N.C., he was a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as pastor in Sand Springs, Okla., before answering a call in 1996 to... Continue Reading »

Steve Allison Rutledge, 85, of Greenville, died March 5, 2023. A native of Atlanta, Ga., he served as pastor of Swift Creek Baptist Church, Darlington; Portside Baptist Church, North Charleston; Northside Baptist Church, Rock Hill; and Welcome Baptist Church,... Continue Reading »

Joseph Benjamin “Buster” Benton III, 70, of Conway, died Feb. 15, 2023. A native of Conway, he was pastor of several South Carolina Baptist churches during his ministry. At the time of his death, he was pastor of Gurley... Continue Reading »

Lawrence “Larry” Southerland, of Anderson, died Jan. 29, 2023. A native of Easley, he was a graduate of Erskine College, Furman University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Japanese Language... Continue Reading »

David Eugene Duncan, 65, of Macon, Ga., died Dec. 11, 2022. A native of Pickens, he was a graduate of Southern Wesleyan University. He served in many ministry positions, including minister of music, youth pastor, and senior pastor for... Continue Reading »

Henry Lee Chennault, 84, of Aiken, died Jan. 17, 2023, following a period of declining heath. He was a native of Dalhart, Texas, and was ordained into the ministry in 1956 at First Baptist Church, Altus, Okla. He was... Continue Reading »