Mr. William Llewellyn Pope

William Llewellyn "Bill" Pope, or "Gaga" as his grandchildren fondly called him, was born on March 4, 1933, in Greeleyville, South Carolina, and died peacefully at home in Columbia, SC, on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. Bill was a very loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend to many. He will be remembered for his wonderful sense of humor delivered with a twinkle in his eye. Bill was predeceased by his parents, The Right Reverend Llewellyn E. Pope and Frances Tarpley Pope, his sister Bettyline Pope Moylan (Jack), and his brother-in-law, William Lowndes Cain.
Bill is survived by his wife, Eleanor Cain Pope, with whom he has been married for 66 years, their four sons William L. Pope, Jr. (Hunter), Joseph High Pope (Pamela), Thomas Lowndes Pope (Laine) and Mason Tarpley Pope (Anne) and eleven grandchildren Will Pope, Johnson Pope, Lucas Pope, Joseph Pope, Jr., Pamela Ann Pope, Lowndes Pope, Jr., Coleman Pope, Banks Pope, Mason Pope, Jr., Eleanor Pope and Auggie Pope, his sister-in-law Margaret Cain, nieces Betty Llew Sanders and Ann Moylan, nephew John Moylan, III, nieces Anne Maybank Kellum and Margaret Taylor Firth.
Growing up in small South Carolina towns where his father was a Methodist minister, Bill graduated from Mullins High School and attended Wofford College. He lettered in football and baseball for the Terriers, was president of SAE fraternity, and a member of ROTC. Following graduation in 1954, Bill was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (which would become the CIA), where he worked in counter-intelligence in Washington, DC.
After serving his country, Bill returned to South Carolina to attend the University of South Carolina School of Law. He graduated in 1959 and went to work for the SC Attorney General's office, serving as Assistant Attorney General (1960-1965). In Jan 1963 as one of his assignments he was Harvey Gantt's armed escort as he led the desegregation of Clemson University as its first African-American student.
Bill continued his legal career as a civil litigation defense attorney in private practice. He served many professional organizations, including the Richland County (President, 1982-1983), South Carolina Bar (President, 1977), and American (State Delegate) Bar Associations; American Judicature Society; Defense Research Institute, and as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (Chairman, South Carolina Chapter, 1986-1988).
In 1984, Bill was appointed Chairman of the SC Mental Health Commission by Governor Dick Riley, and in 1986 was awarded the SC Order of the Palmetto for his tireless advocacy for the mentally ill. In 2001, the Richland County Bar Association awarded Bill the Charlton Durant Distinguished Public Service Award for his extensive work in the legal profession. He was awarded the Distinguished Citizenship award from Wofford College in 2025.
In 2005, at the age of 72, he retired from the law and moved to Ireland to earn a Master's Degree in International Human Rights at the University of Galway. He went on speak at the United Nations on several occasions regarding the rights of elderly populations around the world.
Bill was an active member and adult Sunday School teacher at Washington Street Methodist Church for many years. He was a member of the Camden Hunt, Centurion Club, and the Pine Tree Hunt Club, among other social organizations.
A visitation will be held at the family home on Sunday, November 9, from 5-7:00 PM. A funeral service will be held on Monday, November 10th at 2:00 PM at Trinity Cathedral, Columbia, immediately followed by a burial at Elmwood Cemetery. The funeral will be live-streamed through Trinity Cathedral, www.trinitysc.org. Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, is assisting the family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to: Kanuga Conference Center, 130 Kanuga Chapel Road, Hendersonville, NC 29839; or to Wofford College, 429 N. Church Street, Spartanburg, SC 29303