John Benjamin Raffield III, husband of Dr. Kay R. Raffield, died Monday, June 19, 2017, at Palmetto Health Tuomey in Sumter.
Born Nov. 18, 1938, he was the son of the late Christine Lybrand Raffield and John Benjamin Raffield Jr. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his first wife, Patsy Bullock Raffield.
Survivors besides his wife include his two sons, John Benjamin Raffield IV (Johnny) and his wife, Jodie, and Christopher Bullock Raffield; a sister, Joan Raffield; a step-daughter, Dr. Kathleen D. DuRant and her husband, Joe; a step-son, Charles Joseph Davis Jr. and his wife, Emily; four grandsons, Joseph Cecil DuRant, Justin Robert DuRant, Jared Keith Davis and Noah Benjamin Davis; and a brother-in-law, John Oliver Ridgill Jr., and his wife, Barbara.
Benny was a graduate of Hillcrest High School in Dalzell and the Lake City School of Forestry in Lake City, Florida. He served as the Sumter County coroner during the 1970s and on the Dalzell Water District Board during the 1990s. The majority of his career was spent in real estate and housing. He was a real estate broker before beginning a long career with the Sumter Housing Authority. Prior to his retirement in 2000, he served as the Executive Director of the Housing Authority for 18 years. During his 17 years of retirement, he found his true calling as a "gentleman farmer" at The Sanctuary, his home in the country.
Benny’s experiences as a young man shaped his character to be a person who loved his Lord, his family and his friends. He loved the outdoors and was most compassionate toward animals of any kind. Benny was a member of First Baptist Church of Sumter and the Friend and Followers Sunday School Class. He was a long time member of the Horatio Hunting Club, the Sandy Island Club, the Cattlemen’s Association, and enjoyed the camaraderie of his card-playing friends. All who knew him could attest to his wonderful sense of humor and his ability to have friends and to be a friend. If wealth were measured in relationships, he would have been a truly wealthy man.
Visitation will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, June 21, 2017, at Bullock Funeral Home, and other times at the home.
A funeral service will be held 2 p.m. Thursday, June 22, 2017, at First Baptist Church of Sumter, with interment following at Tirzah Presbyterian Church cemetery in Dalzell.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Benny’s name to Feed My Starving Children Sumter FMSC, P.O. Box 354, Mayesville, SC 29104; the Beatty Scholarship Fund for Veterinary Students, P.O. Box 1334, Sumter, SC 29151; or the First Baptist Church Benevolence Fund, 109 E. Liberty St., Sumter, SC 29150.
You may go to www.bullockfuneralhome.com and sign the family’s guest book.
The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home of Sumter for the arrangements.
