Bennie Richard Bellflower

Bennie Richard Bellflower, 95, of Fairview, passed away Thursday, January 23, 2014. A native of Georgetown, SC, he was a son of the late Peter Thomas and Lottie Owen Bellflower. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Jennie Mae Bellflower, and by brothers Grover and Albert, and by sisters Nita and Cherry. Mr. Bellflower joined the U.S. Navy Reserves, and his unit was activated in 1939. His unit commissioned the USS Guadalupe in Norfolk, VA, which sailed throughout the world, sailing into Pearl Harbor three days after the invasion. He transferred to a destroyer, The Bancroft, which was active in many battles. He contracted tuberculosis during the war, and was sent to the Charles George VA Medical Center in Oteen, where he recovered and met his future wife, Jennie Mae. He worked at S&W Cafeteria after the war, and at Bellflowers Key and Bicycle Shop until the Korean War. Starting in 1952, he worked for Hoyle Office Supplies. He received office machine training in New York, retiring in 1980. Mr. Bellflower lived in Fairview since 1972, and especially enjoyed working on his property, and riding his tractors. Mr. Bellflower is survived by his son, Richard H. Bellflower and wife Ann; grandchildren Kimberly Kendall and Bennie Bellflower and wife Emily; great grandchildren Hunter Kendall, Ava Bellflower, and Austin Richard Bellflower; and a number of nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday in the Western Carolina State Veteran's Cemetery Chapel, with the Rev. Dr. William D. King officiating. Interment with military honors will follow. His family will receive friends from 4:00 to 5:30 P.M. Sunday at Groce Funeral Home on Patton Ave. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Beverly Hills Baptist Scholarship Fund, 777 Tunnel Rd., Asheville, NC 28805.