Reverend George Benet Shealy

Walhalla, SC—The Rev. George Benet Shealy, 76, Pastor Emeritus of St. John’s Lutheran Church, died Monday, May 25, 2009, after an illness of many years. Born in Newberry, SC, he was the youngest of 11 children of the late Olin O’Neal and Cora Wise Shealy. He grew up on Mollohon Mill Village where he worked his way through Newberry College, graduating in 1953. He was a 1956 graduate of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC, where he later did post-graduate study. While in Seminary, Rev. Shealy was summer pastor of St. Timothy and Augsburg Lutheran churches in Whitmire and Union counties, and was student assistant pastor of St. Johannes Lutheran Church, Charleston. Rev. Shealy was pastor of Trinity and St. Nicholas Lutheran churches in Fairfax, Allendale County; Silverstreet Lutheran Church and supply pastor of Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Newberry County; Faith Lutheran Church in Batesburg County and supply pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Ridge Spring, Aiken County; St. Johannes Lutheran Church in Charleston; St. John’s Lutheran Church in Walhalla from 1968-1980; and Redeemer Lutheran Church in Greer. In later years he was instrumental in organizing Faith Lutheran Church in Pickens. He and his wife attended and were part of the family at Eternal Shepherd Lutheran Church in Seneca. Rev. Shealy was Chairman of the Oconee County Bicentennial Committee and one of the organizers and first presidents of the Oconee County Community Theater. He also was instrumental in the restoration of the 1914 auditorium of the old Walhalla High School, which led to the organization of the Walhalla Auditorium Restoration Committee. He was on the Walhalla Sesquicentennial Committee, serving as chairman of the Historical Committee. He also served on numerous committees of the Lutheran Synod of South Carolina. He was Grand Marshall of the Walhalla Christmas parade in 1990 and 2000, making one in two centuries. He was the first person to be awarded The Award of Achievement by The Oconee Arts and Historical Society and celebrated his 5oth year of Ordination in 2006. Following a massive heart attack in 1981, Rev. Shealy had to retire from the active ministry in 1982. Friends and former members in Walhalla and elsewhere built him, his wife, and son a home in Walhalla where he and his wife have lived since. He was made Pastor Emeritus of St. John’s Lutheran Church in 1989; the first former pastor to be so designated in St. John’s long history. In retirement, Rev. Shealy devoted himself to study, research and writing. He is the author of Walhalla: A German Settlement in Upstate South Carolina and Gen. John A. Wagener: Charleston and South Carolina’s Most Influential German American, Founder of Walhalla and MOLLOHON: A Newberry Mill and Village. He was the instigator and co-compiler of Shealy Family Genealogy 1752-1992. At the time of his death he was working on a book on the history of St. John’s Lutheran Church. Rev. Shealy is survived by his devoted wife of 54 years, Gloria Hawkins Shealy; two daughters and son-in-law, L. Carol Shealy; and Julie S. and Henry Gambrell, all of Walhalla; one son and daughter-in-law, Frank O’Neal and Melody G. Shealy of Walhalla; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild, Justin and April Smith of Travelers Rest; Leslie H. and Nate Bellamy of Loris; Zack, Erica, and Addison Smith of Rock Hill and Grant Shealy of Walhalla; a brother, Ralph C. Shealy of Spartanburg; and two sisters, Mrs. Wyman (Ruth) Frick of Mint Hill, NC; and Mrs. George P.(Reba) Lester, Jr. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by a son, George B. Shealy, Jr.; a granddaughter, Meghan Rebekkah Hellams; three brothers, Eugene, Ray and John Pat Shealy; four sisters, Mary Anna Shealy, Mrs. J. D. (Sara) Golden, Mrs. William J. (Gladys) Clamp and Mrs. Dorothy Stewart. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at St. John’s Lutheran Church at 4:00 p.m., with burial in St. John’s Cemetery. The body will be placed in the church one hour prior to the service. There will also be a memorial service at Eternal Shepherd Lutheran Church at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 27. Memorials may be made to Hospice of The Foothills, Attn: Foundation Office, 298 Memorial Drive, Seneca, SC 29672; Eternal Shepherd Lutheran Church, 220 Carson Road, Seneca, SC; or St. John’s Lutheran Church, 301 West Main Street, Walhalla, SC 29691.