Jeannyne A. Greer
DARLINGTON — Jeannyne A. Greer, 91, wife of the late Judge Benny R. Greer, went to be with the Lord, with great joy, on Dec. 6, 2020, at her daughter’s home in Columbia. Graveside services by her home church, First Baptist, Darlington, were held at Grove Hill Cemetery in Darlington on Friday, Dec. 11. All funeral arrangements were made by Belk Funeral Home, which livestreamed the service on their website. There was a viewing and family visitation at the funeral home Friday from 12-1:30. Pallbearers and Honorary Pallbearers were: her sons and grandsons, Ray and Tom Greer, Charles Moss, Danny Robinson, Tommy White, Cam Moss, John Ballentine, Miles White and great-grandsons, Jacob and Ben Ballentine. Jeannyne was born April 3, 1929, in Columbia, was adopted and raised by Gertie T. Allsbrook, and her sister Tommie (Aunt Tommie) Thompson Blakely. She met and married Benny R. Greer in 1946 in Columbia, where they lived until moving to Darlington in 1951. It was there that they raised their family, and were faithful members of First Baptist Church, where she served in many capacities over the years before retiring to the Bethea Home for three years, then moving to Columbia in January 2019 to be near her family. Mrs. Greer is predeceased by her husband and her daughter Kim Robinson. She is survived by her children B. Ray Greer Jr. and Jackie Hendrix of Pensacola, Fla., Becky and Charlie Moss of Columbia, Danny Robinson of Fripp Island, Tom and Beth Greer of Lexington, and Annie and Tommy White of Anderson; her grandchildren Cam and Mary Moss, Carrie and John Ballentine, Blakely Ann Greer and Jordan Elizabeth Greer; and her great-grandchildren Jacob, Anna Greer, Ben and Lolly Ballentine and Andrea and Charlie Moss. Her extended children are Betsy White Roosmann of Anderson, Miles White of Charleston, Barbara Truluck Benjamin of Darlington, Pat Christmas Hobbs of Anderson, Kathy Moody of Florence, Susie Flowers Wall, Jeannie Flowers Young, Viola Oakley, and Billie Ann Williams, all of Darlington. She also leaves behind a lifelong friend, Betsy Bird, and family, Jimmy, Trey and Marina, and Brad and Melissa. Jeannyne, above all things, loved God and the word of God. She is known for imparting that love and knowledge into a life of giving and serving others, which she considered her service of worship to God. She was given by God a unique ability to “walk as Jesus walked,” seeing needs and involving herself in the lives of those who most needed help. She freely offered love, support and guidance to those who otherwise may never have received help. Her love and concern for the hurting led her to help establish “His-In-Service,” an inner-city ministry in Darlington, formed in 1972. She also co-developed the idea for a home for troubled children who needed temporary housing. This ministry evolved into the Darlington Youth Home. But what she was most known for was her willingness to make herself available to anyone who needed her, sharing her faith in Jesus Christ at every opportunity. Jeannyne’s involvement in the lives of others reaches far beyond the boundaries of Darlington. She served as a member of the President’s White House Conference on Families in 1978, and was elected in 1989 to the Furman University Board of Trustees where she served for five years. She was chosen in 1994 by Precept Ministries of Chattanooga, Tenn., to teach at St. James Bible College in Kiev, Ukraine. As a result of her teaching in the school and ministering to the students, Jeannyne founded a nonprofit organization, Barnabas Ministries, as an outreach into the country of Ukraine. Barnabas Ministries has been in existence for over 20 years, meeting spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of the men, women and children in the Ukraine. Jeannyne made 17 trips to Ukraine, where she poured her heart into its people, who became her family. And Barnabas Ministries, under the supervision of Debbie Phipps, continues to support a number of pastors and their families in the area, along with two orphanages. Her last international trip was to Shanghai, China, where she was able to deeply touch others’ lives in the month she stayed there. Jeannyne became especially thankful, in her last years, to be a vital part of the community of the Bethea Retirement Home. Her love for the Lord radiated, and is what fueled her passion to love and serve others, being involved, wherever she was, in every way she could, living out the truths of God’s Word in her daily life. She has been an example to her family, her extended family, and the world that “It is truly more blessed to give than receive.” Memorial gifts to honor the life of Jeannyne A. Greer may be made to Barnabas Ministries Inc., Box 215, Darlington, SC, 29540, her ministry to the people of Ukraine. The family can be contacted through Becky Moss, 27 Nob Hill Rd., Columbia, 29210. Though Jeannyne is no longer with us on this Earth, her legacy and beauty of love, concern, and self-sacrifice will remain, in light of the countless lives she touched, which she considered an “act of worship” to the Lord. To know her was to have a glimpse of the character of the Lord Jesus, whom she loved with all of her heart. We, in our earthly sadness, rejoice that she is finally in His presence, where there is “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore”! Live stream and an online guestbook will be available at www.belkfuneralhome.com.
