Cecil O. Browning

DATELINE HILTON HEAD CECIL BROWNING Cecil Oba Browning, born in of Greenwood, SC on December 13, 1915, passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, May 17, 2009. He was the son of Lorayne Mobley and Oba Franklin Browning. Cecil was a life-long resident of Greenwood until February of last year when he moved to the Broad Creek Care Center in Hilton Head, SC since February of last year. Cecil graduated from Clemson University (Class of 1937) with a degree in textile engineering and joined Greenwood Mills. After being assistant vice president in 1955 and vice president of sales in 1962, he was elected to the board of directors and became executive vice president in 1968. He was also president of Greenwood Mills Marketing Company in New York and president of Greenwood Export Company of New York. He held those positions until retirement. In 1982, Cecil received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from Clemson University. In World War II, he proudly served as a First Lieutenant in the First Armored Division until he was seriously wounded in North Africa. He spent a year and a half recuperating at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. Cecil served as president and director of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, was a member of the advisory board of the Chemical Bank of New York, was a member of the board on the Clemson Alumni Association, and president of the Greenwood Clemson Club. He served on the South Carolina District Export Council under the auspices of the Dept. of Commerce. A former Lions Club member and YMCA board member, he was also a member of Main Street United Methodist Church where he was past chairman on the administrative board and served as pastor parish relations committee chairman. He also served as a member of the board of the Orangeburg Methodist Home in Orangeburg, SC. He was a past chairman of the board of directors of the Mutual Savings and Loan Association of Greenwood and a director of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. He was a trustee of The Lander College Foundation and a trustee of the Greenwood Methodist Home. Cecil was preceded in death by his wife Edith, daughter Sandra McTeer of Columbia and a sister Elsie Adair. He is survived by his daughter Joan Sanders and son-in-law, Peter of Hilton Head; son-in-law, Thomas McTeer of Columbia; sisters, Sybil Traylor of LaGrange, GA, Lottie Hodges of Madison, GA and Joyce Wharton of Sumter; grandsons, Christopher Sanders and wife, Wendy of Hilton Head and Dr. Jason Sanders and wife, Beth of Charlotte, NC; granddaughters, Lisa Taylor and husband, John of Florence, Ashley Love and husband, Mac of Columbia and Meredith Smith also of Columbia; great grandchildren, Chase, Weston, and Griffin Sanders of Hilton Head, Cooper and John Sanders of Charlotte, Jay, Whit, and Sarah Taylor of Florence, William and Thomas Love of Columbia, and Laurie Smith also of Columbia. A memorial service will be conducted Thursday at 2:00 PM at Main Street Methodist Church in Greenwood with Reverend James D. Dennis, Jr. officiating. Private burial will be at Edgewood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers and because of Cecil's great love for children and his church, remembrances may be made to The Children's Center, 145 Mathews Drive, Hilton Head, SC 29926, Main Street United Methodist Church, 211 Main Street, Greenwood, SC 29646, or a charity of your choice. Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Browning family.