Stephen Christopher Guilfoyle

Stephen Christopher Guilfoyle

WOODRUFF, SC-- Stephen Christopher Patrick Guilfoyle, 82, passed away June 29, 2013, at his home surrounded by family.
Born December 5, 1930, in New York, NY, Mr. Guilfoyle worked as a credit manager in the textile industry, for Springs Mills in New York City, then with Reeves Brothers in Spartanburg.
He was a veteran, first serving in the 165th Division of the U.S. Army National Guard "The Fighting 69th," he then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, serving in the American Occupation Force in Germany, reaching the rank of Sargent.
He and the love of his life, Mary Enright Guilfoyle, celebrated 50 years of marriage on June 1, 2013. They have four children whom they never stopped loving and teaching.
As a youth, he went for what was to be a brief stay with his grandmother in Limerick, Ireland. With the outbreak of World War II, he was forced to remain in Ireland for the duration of the war. When he finally was able to return, his Irish friends were still calling him "Yank" because of his American accent. But when he returned to New York, his friends noticed his Irish accent.
He had a remarkable tenor voice that he kept mostly to himself, but he joined it with others as a member of the choir of St. Raymond Catholic Church, the mother church of the Bronx, and the Bronx Chorale Society.
When Mr. Guilfoyle moved his family to Spartanburg in 1980 he was able to escape, for a time, the childhood nickname of "Buddy" his brother had bestowed on him in his crib. But it gradually returned as "Bud."
He was a Boy Scout in Ireland when he was young. As an adult in the Bronx, he became a volunteer leader of Cub Scout Pack 56 at St. Raymond's when his sons joined. However, when his sons advanced to the Boy Scout troop, he remained with the pack as its leader. For assisting in leading Scouts to develop their Catholic faith, he earned two awards given to adult Scout leaders - the Bronze Pelican and the St. George's Cross.
In Spartanburg, he and his wife Mary became early members of Our Risen Savior Parish, where he served for a time on the parish finance committee.
He was a fan of the Dodgers, and his favorite player was Jackie Robinson. But when the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles, he never followed a professional sports team again. He became a fan of the University of South Carolina when his son began attending.
He was predeceased by his parents, John P. Guilfoyle and Mary "Mae" Hayes Guilfoyle, as well as his older brother, John P. Guilfoyle Jr.
In addition to his wife, Mary Enright Guilfoyle, he is survived by his sister, Eileen Guilfoyle Skeahan and husband, John Skeahan of San Antonio, Texas; his daughter, Anne Guilfoyle Pyle and husband Glenn of Villa Rica, GA; daughter, Catherine Mary Guilfoyle of Spartanburg; son, Stephen C. Guilfoyle, Jr. and his wife Patricia of Fort Mill; grandson, Stephen C. Guilfoyle III of Fort Mill; son, John Michael Guilfoyle and wife Deborah Gardner Guilfoyle of Spartanburg; and many beloved nieces and nephews, cousins and friends. They will all remember Mr. Guilfoyle as a kind, gentle, funny man. In his youth, like most men, he kept a little black book. Unlike most men, it was not a collection of phone numbers of young ladies. His had a couple of pictures of his service days, and jokes, witty quotes, poetry and conversation starters. He lived always to find a new audience for his routine of jokes. He tried to give out smiles, belittle no one, and taught others by his quiet example.
A Rosary will be recited at 6:30 PM Monday, July 1, 2013, at Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel, 2075 East Main Street, Spartanburg, SC 29307. Visitation will follow until 8:30 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 AM Tuesday, July 2, 2013, at the Catholic Church of Jesus Our Risen Savior, conducted by the Rev. Frank Palmieri, CRM. Burial will be in Westwood Memorial Gardens, 6101 Reidville Road, Moore, SC 29369.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Catholic Church of Jesus Our Risen Savior Building Fund, 2575 Reidville Road, Spartanburg, SC 29301 or Spartanburg Regional Hospice Home, 686 Jeff Davis Drive, Spartanburg, SC 29303.
The family is at the home.
An online guest register is available at www.floydmortuary.com
Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel