A WREATH was placed on the grounds of the Dillon County Courthouse in memory of Mrs. Julia W. McLaurin and in honor and recognition of her work on the Courthouse Restoration Committee along with other civic organizations. Mrs. McLaurin died Monday. The streamer on the wreath reads “Thank You, Mrs. McLaurin.” (Photo by Johnnie Daniels/The Dillon Herald)
Julia Lane Wallace McLaurin, 91, died Monday, July 2, 2012 in the McLeod Regional Medical Center in Dillon.
Funeral services will be held 2:30 P.M., Thursday, July 5, 2012 at the Main Street United Methodist Church in Dillon, SC, with burial in Greenlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 2:30 P.M. prior to the service at the Church. Kannaday Funeral Home in Dillon is assisting the family.
Mrs. McLaurin was born March 3, 1921 in Dillon, SC, the daughter of the late Owen Lane and Anna Bell McCall Wallace. She married the late Jewell Pierce McLaurin, Jr. in 1947 and they were married for fifty years before he predeceased her on April 11, 1997.
She graduated from Dillon High School in 1937 and Winthrop College in 1941 majoring in English. She was a retired School Teacher with over thirty years of service, most of them with Dillon School District #2.
She was a faithful member of Main Street United Methodist Church where she had many dear and devoted friends. She was a member of the Sarah Allen Handbell Choir, a member of the Wightman – Cottingham Circle, and served three terms as President of the United Methodist Women.
Mrs. McLaurin was dedicated to the town she loved dearly and had a passion for keeping Dillon clean and beautiful. She served on the Dillon County Courthouse Restoration Committee, Dunbar Library Beautification Committee, and the City of Dillon Tree Committee. She served for three years on the Pee Dee Girl Scout Board, was past President of the Rose Garden Club, past President of Dillon Council of Garden Clubs, past Director of Coastal District of Garden Clubs, and a South Carolina Life Member of Garden Clubs.
She was honored as South Carolina Mother of the Year in 1979, Dillon County Citizen of the Year in 1989, and South Carolina Senior of the Day in 2006. In 2002, she was presented the Governor’s Order of the Silver Crescent. She also received the Mary Dean Brewer Women of Achievement Award in 2006.
Mrs. McLaurin cherished her dear friends and family with all her heart. She was affectionately known as “Mamoo” by those who loved and knew her. She had a gift for writing and of laughter. She loved music, gardening, sports, and was an avid fan of the Lake View Wild Gators.
She is survived by her son, Jewell P. McLaurin, III of Dillon, SC; her daughters Julia Kate “Kay” (Jack) Lynn of Dillon, SC and Anne Wallace (Winston) Lawton, Jr. of Estill, SC; brother, Osbourne L. (Betty) Wallace of Dillon, SC; sisters, Mattie Lou W. Strickland of Dillon, SC and Sarah W. Payne of Greenville, SC; grandchildren Robert M. (Connie) Tallon, III of Dillon, SC, Julia L. (David) Bevon of Charleston, SC, Tressa L. (Eric) Jordan of Berwyn, PA, and W. A. “Trip” (Allison) Lawton, III of Estill, SC; great grandchildren, Rob, Katelyn, Lawton, McCall, Hunter, Anne Asbury, and McLaurin; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a grandchild, Lelia McLaurin.
Memorials may be made to Main Street United Methodist Church, 401 East Main St., Dillon, SC 29536.
You may sign the online guestbook at www.kannadayfuneralhome.com.
