JOHN S. BUXTON
John Snowden Wilson Buxton, 86, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. The son of the late Julian Thomas and Lucy Wilson Buxton of Sumter, he is survived by his wife of 51 years, Caroline Floyd Buxton, of Union.
A native of Sumter, he was a 1951 graduate of Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, Virginia, where he was on the wrestling, football and baseball teams. He was a graduate of Davidson College in 1955, where he was captain of the wrestling team for two years and a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and the football team. He was also Army ROTC at Davidson and was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation. He then transferred into the United States Marine Corps, where he spent time in Japan during reconstruction. While in the Marines, he was a Pathfinder in 1st Marine Second Force Recon.
After an honorable discharge at the rank of captain, he spent 45 years in the furniture industry, 20 of which were at Williams Furniture in Sumter as vice president of sales.
A lifelong Episcopalian, he grew up at Holy Comforter in Sumter where he served for years as a lay reader and the director of the acolytes. He was also a member of Christ Church Mount Pleasant in Mount Pleasant.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by: his sister, Elizabeth Buxton Dietz, and her husband, Burt, of Raleigh, North Carolina; his five children, Caroline Buxton Avinger and Mauldin of Greenville, John Snowden Wilson Buxton Jr. and Kristie of Mount Pleasant, Heathley Buxton Cassels and Warren of Greenville, Robert Edward Thomas Buxton of Charleston, Sara Lilian Preot Buxton of Raleigh, Angela Caldwell Buxton of Mount Pleasant and Lindy Leigh Pryer of Raleigh; and his beloved grandchildren, Louise (Lucy) Buxton Cassels, Caroline Olivia Avinger, Robert Warren Cassels Jr., Virginia Corzine Buxton, Robert Edward Thomas Buxton (Thomas) Jr., Mary Mauldin Avinger, Lillian Elizabeth Buxton (Lilly) and John Snowden Wilson Buxton III (Wilson). He is predeceased by his brothers, Julian Thomas Buxton Jr. and George Edward Preot Buxton.
Pallbearers are Julian Thomas Buxton III, Mills Blake Buxton, Burton Henry Dietz Jr., Robert Lee Floyd III, Samuel Steven Floyd Jr., John Edward Buxton and Kenneth Elijah Branham II.
Honorary pallbearers are William Wallace Buxton, George Edward Preot Buxton Jr., James Taylor Hughey Buxton, George Ingram Preot Buxton, retired USMC Major Isaac G. Dixon III, retired USAF Master Sgt. Paul H. Simmons, retired USAF Reserves George F Von Kolnitz IV, and retired U.S. Navy Edmond W. Frampton.
Services will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at Christ Church Mount Pleasant.
The family will receive friends and family after the service at Hobcaw Yacht Club, 180 Hobcaw Drive, Mount Pleasant. Interment will follow at a later date at Beaufort National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to: USC-Union Fund, www.sc.edu/giving; the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society-Lowcountry, 941 Houston Northcutt Blvd., Suite 203, Mount Pleasant, SC 29414; and the Wounded Warrior Project, www.woundedwarriorsproject.org.