John Miller Grier Dr.

John Miller Grier of Due West died June 6, 2018 at the age of 97.

Born and raised in Clover, South Carolina, he was the son of Rev. Dr. William P. Grier and Nellie Brownlee Bigham Grier. He was preceded in death by his parents; his two brothers, Paul Livingston Grier and William P. Grier, Jr.; and one sister, Nelle Grier Sewall.

Dr. Grier received his bachelor’s degree from Erskine College in 1942 and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also studied at the University of Paris (Sorbonne). In 1948, Dr. Grier married Marjorie Hayward Davis of New York, a union of 49 years until Mrs. Grier’s death in 1997.

Dr. Grier held faculty roles at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, and at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. In 1963, he was named Dorn-Reeder Professor of Foreign Languages at Erskine College, a position he held until his retirement in 1987. Dr. Grier was awarded Erskine’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2010 and was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Society. He is remembered for the January student tours he led in Europe for many years with Mrs. Grier, also a Professor of Foreign Languages at Erskine.

Dr. Grier served as an officer in the U. S. Navy in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. He was a member and elder at the Due West Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, was elected to the Town Council, was a founding member of the Due West Rescue Squad, and served on the board of directors of the local Christian Action Council, the Due West Retirement Center, and numerous other organizations.

Later in life, he married Emily Harvin Hite of Huntersville, North Carolina, and enjoyed an extended family to include her daughters Martha Ann Hite Seay and Susan Hite Pollak, and sons David Hite and Ernie Hite (who died in 2009) and their spouses and children.

Dr. Grier is survived by Emily Hite Grier of Huntersville and his four children and their spouses: Mary Ann Grier of Easley; Dr. John Miller Grier, Jr. (Brenda) of Belton; Dr. Howard Davis Grier (Dr. Sandra Chaney) of Due West and Nevada, Missouri; and Paul Hayward Grier (Susan) of Greenville. He is also survived by five grandchildren: Benjamin Grier (Sharlie) and Jennifer Grier Jamison (Andrew); Anna Mei Chaney Grier; and Hayward and Elizabeth Grier; and eight great-grandchildren: Pressley, Jackson, Asher, and Eleanor Rose Grier and Caroline, Campbell, Catherine, and Drew Jamison. Dr. Grier's sister, Rachel Grier Hood of West Columbia, survives him along with nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family.

Funeral services will be conducted on Sunday, June 10, at 3:30 p.m. at Due West Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Calvin Draffin officiating.

Those desiring may make memorial contributions to Erskine College, P. O. Box #338, Due West, S.C. 29639.

The family expresses its appreciation to the staff of The Renaissance in Due West for their skilled and compassionate care of Dr. Grier over the last few years.

Merci à Dieu pour une vie bien vécue!

A message of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com .

Harris Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Abbeville is assisting the Grier family.

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