MENDEL A. COWARD

Mendel A. Coward, 80, widower of Marguerite McGee Coward and Eva Witherspoon Coward, died Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital.

Born Oct. 13, 1939, in Coward, he was a son of the late Archie Coward and Minnie Cooper Coward. He was reared by his adoptive parents, Luther and Bertha Coward Tedder. Mr. Coward worked for A&P and Piggly Wiggly grocery stores and later retired from Santee Print Works.

Survivors include three daughters, Wendy Barfield (Jimmy), Sheila Towery (Eddie) and Robin Beasley (Tony), all of Sumter; four grandchildren, Dustin Towery, Lacey Towery (L.C.), Grayton Beasley (Roxie) and Cassidy Beasley; seven great-grandchildren, Addie, Kellan, Aedin, Patrick, Annsley, Axel and Kayden; one brother, Jack Coward of Columbia; and one sister, Ann Hyman of Florence.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday in the Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Mitch Towery officiating. Burial will be in the Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Dustin Towery, Grayton Beasley, Jay Tedder, L.C. Evans, Danny Kelly and Mike Lloyd.

Honorary pallbearer will be Tony Tedder.

The family will receive friends from noon to 1 p.m. Sunday at Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and other times at the home of his daughter, 2097 Winterbury Road, Sumter.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Saving Sumter's Strays, 1070 Foxridge Court, Sumter.

Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements.