Staff Writer

The flag at the Union County Courthouse is being flown at half-mast today in memory of a man who served five terms in office as county supervisor.

John Lewis Greer, 80, of 636 Sardis Road, died Friday at his home after a period of declining health. Greer was the widower of Betty Jo Bailey Greer, who had served as probate judge for Union County. Greer served as Union County supervisor for 16 years. During that time he also served as president of the South Carolina Association of Counties.

Union County Supervisor Donnie Betenbaugh, who lives in the Sardis Community and attended Sardis United Methodist Church with Greer, said Greer was a cherished leader in the community and the church and will be missed.

“John as county supervisor was a pioneer for home rule for counties in South Carolina and lead the Association of Counties as president in 1971,” he said. “He was one of the organizers of the association that today represents the voice for local county government in South Carolina. He represented the citizens of Union County very well throughout the state.”

Roger Bailey, another Sardis resident, said he considered Greer one of the pillars of the community.

“He was one of the greatest ambassadors of the Sardis Road we have ever had, along with his wife, Betty,” said Bailey, vice president at Arthur State Bank and also a member of Sardis United Methodist Church. “Together, they were a great political team. I think John Greer paid people back whether they voted for him or not by attending funerals. I know of no other person who attended as many funerals as he had to pay respect.”

Greer was a veteran who really loved his county and his country, Bailey said.

“And one of the greatest things I can say about him is he taught me how to treat people professionally,” he said.

A native of the Sardis Community, Greer was one of 10 children of the late James and Sallie Edwards Greer. After graduating from Union High School, he attended Wofford College and served in Japan during World War II.

Greer and his wife, Betty, were married in 1950. At that time, she was working in the probate judge's office.

“She told me that if we were going to get married, I needed two things: A job and a will,” Greer said in a 2000 interview. “I obtained both and we got married. I went to work as an agent for Liberty Life Insurance.

Early in the Greer's marriage, Betty's health began to deteriorate. The couple's only child, Kay, was born in 1968. It wasn't until the 1970s that Betty was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She remained active, however, and was appointed probate judge in 1964 with the death of A.G. Kennedy. She later was elected to the position. She served until June of 1981 and died in 1992.

“Betty was largely responsible for a lot of my success,” Greer said. “She had good judgment and she was able to discern what was appropriate.”

Greer's family had been politically involved for many years. His father served as county supervisor, dying in office in September 1952. Greer's brother, the late Manley Greer, ran for supervisor and was elected to a four year term in 1954. Manley Greer was defeated in 1958. John Greer decided to run in 1962.

Greer said when he was considering throwing his hat in the ring for supervisor in 1962, he asked Kennedy for advice. Kennedy was a good friend of John and Betty Greer and knew something about politics because probate judge was an elected position.

“He said, ‘Son, if you can make a living any other way, I wouldn't do it,'” Greer said. “He was a fine gentleman whose advice was priceless. That was the only time I ever went against his advice.”

As county supervisor, Greer was chief administrative officer for the county and chairman of the Union County Governing Board. He oversaw county workers, was the county paymaster, was over roads and bridges and was over the prison farm and the county home.

Looking back, he praised the people he worked with for helping him run the county smoothly- from his office staff to the employees in other departments and the county council members, who initially were called “Township Commissioners.”

“We had excellent commissioners and I just had good cooperation from everybody,” he said. “That makes you if you are surrounded by good personnel. When you surround yourself with good people, you can do anything.”

One of his accomplishments as supervisor of which Greer said he was most proud was the construction of water lines to rural areas.

“Working through the Farmer's Home Administration, we got districts organized and had elections,” he said. “At one time, Union County ranked high in the state in the number of areas that were served with rural water districts. That was a real plus for our county.”

In the 1960s, Greer met with other elected officials from throughout the state and formed the South Carolina Association of Counties. He was named the first vice chairman and served as the third president of the association

In another move to help the county, Greer, with the cooperation of the legislative delegation, had many roads placed in the state system.

“That way they were state-maintained,” he said. “We didn't have the personnel to do all that with.”

Also while he was supervisor, the county's first official landfill was established on the Neal Shoals Road and the plans were made for the Union County Courthouse renovation that was completed in the 1970s.

During Greer's tenure, several new industries located in Union County, including the Rosemont Plant in Jonesville in 1980. During a ceremony at the opening of the plant, Spartan Mills President Walter Montgomery Sr. said the plant had located in Union County largely because of two people and Greer was one of them.

Greer left office in 1987. He spent his time cattle farming, buying and selling real estate, hunting and fishing and enjoying his family. He was a member of Sardis United Methodist Church where he taught the Ladies' Sunday School Class. He had inherited the class from his mother when her health began to fail.

He was a member of Union Masonic Lodge #75, the Soil and Water Conservation Board, Union County Cattleman's Association and was an emeritus member of the Salvation Army Board. He was a past district commissioner of Boy Scouts of America and had received the Silver Beaver Award.

Greer is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Kay and Randy Wilburn of Union; his grandson, John Logan Sarvis Greer of Union; two brothers and their wives, Paul and Margarette C. Greer and Hubert and Linda Greer of Union; and a sister-in-law, Julia Greer.

Graveside funeral services for Greer were held Sunday at Sardis United Methodist Church.