Grover Snelson Robinson

Grover Snelson Robinson, 79, of Columbia, passed away peacefully at home on August 9, 2011 after fighting a courageous battle with lymphoma. Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 12, 2011 at 11:00 A.M. at White Bluff Baptist Church in Kershaw, where Snelson’s father was pastor for many years. Following burial in the church cemetery, friends and family are invited to attend a gathering in the fellowship hall to celebrate his life. Snelson, as he was called by family and friends, was the son of the late Rev. Grover Jackson Robinson and Helma Elizabeth Snelson Robinson. He was born in Kershaw, SC on Jan. 4, 1932, and he grew up in the nearby community of White Bluff; no matter where his travels eventually would take him, White Bluff was the place he always called home. Snelson graduated from Flat Creek High School in 1949 and attended Berry College in Mt. Berry, Georgia. After completing his freshman year, he enlisted in the United States Air Force; he was honorably discharged as Airman First Class in 1959. Snelson attended the University of South Carolina and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 1958. Following his graduation, Snelson worked as an auditor with the United States Atomic Energy Commission. In 1962, Snelson married his long time sweetheart and the love of his life, Aletha Jane Williams; he also began working for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as a Foreign Service officer. Snelson was an Auditor for the USAID Mission to Laos from 1962-1966 and Chief Auditor from 1966-1968; Chief Auditor for the USAID Mission to Turkey from 1968-1970; Controller for the USAID Mission to the Philippines from 1970-1975; Chief of the Systems Task Force in the Office of the Controller in Washington, DC from 1975-1978; Controller of the USAID Mission to Kenya from 1978-1981; Director of the Regional Financial Management Center in Nairobi, Kenya from 1981-1982. He was appointed to the Senior Foreign Service by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Due to the needs of his family, Snelson retired in 1982. He and his wife and children moved to Columbia, SC where he continued to work as a Certified Financial Planner in the private sector. Snelson was a member of Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church for 28 years. Snelson was an extraordinary man. He was a loving and devoted husband to Aletha and an outstanding father and grandfather to his two children and three grandchildren. He will always be remembered for his dedication to his family as well as for his integrity, generosity, and kindness. The world was a better place while he was in it. We love him deeply, and we are profoundly saddened by his loss. Snelson is survived by his beloved wife, Aletha; his daughter, Sarah Robinson Paschal; his son and daughter-in-law, Derek and Kathy Robinson; his grandchildren, Joshua Robinson, Zachary Paschal, and Zoe Paschal; his brother and sister-in-law, Jack W. and Kathy Robinson of Kershaw; his sister, Eloise Hinson of Kershaw; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. Snelson’s family would like to thank Dr. Fred Kudrik and his team at South Carolina Oncology Associates for their care and compassion as well as the Rev. Dr. L. Franklin Fant and the Rev. Alice A. Odell of Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church for their kindness and support. Memorial gifts may be sent to the following: White Bluff Baptist Church, 3125 Duckwood Road, Kershaw, SC 29067; Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church, 530 Saint Andrews Road, Columbia, SC 29210; The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202.