William C. Ervin
DARLINGTON — William Cowan Ervin (Willie) died Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at McLeod Hospice House in Florence. He was 90 years old. Willie was born March 27, 1931, to Samuel Fulton and Jane Barron Ervin and was reared with his six brothers and sisters in the Back Swamp Community where he attended St. Winnifred’s Academy, a one-room schoolhouse, until the sixth grade. He graduated from McClenaghan High School in Florence and attended Clemson College, where he was a two-miler and captain of the track team under Coach A. Rock Norman. After graduation from Clemson, he entered the Air Force and served as a pilot. After leaving the Air Force, he and his brother Jake ran Ervin Engineering Co. in Florence for over 40 years. For most of his adult life, Willie was a member of St. Matthew’s Church in Darlington, where he served as a choir member, vestryman, warden and treasurer. He also served as youth leader of the parish for over 30 years. Willie was predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth Shuman Ervin, his sisters Bunkie, Martha and Janet, and his brothers Jake and Rion. He was also predeceased by his brother-in-law Bill Clarkson and sister-in-law Ludie Ervin. He is survived by his brother Samuel Fulton Ervin Jr. (Sam), and his sisters-in-law Susann Finklea Ervin and Ellen Gunkel Ervin. He is also survived by his son William C. Ervin Jr. (Bill) and wife Julie, his son Joe Shuman Ervin and wife Gena, his daughter Lynne Sherron, and grandchildren Virginia Elizabeth Ervin Thebo and husband Paul, Alice Dargan Ervin Reynolds (Allie) and husband Brent, William C. Ervin III (Will), and Rosanna Royall Ervin (Anna), and by great-grandchildren Dargan and Caroline Thebo, along with many beloved nieces and nephews and their children. Willie will be buried in Grove Hill Cemetery in a private service directed by Belk Funeral Home. A celebration of Willie’s life will be held once the pandemic has subsided. Memorials may be made to the St. Matthew’s Church Endowment Fund, 210 S. Main St., Darlington, SC 29532. A guestbook is available online at www.belkfuneralhome.com.
