Colleton County council member dies

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Colleton County is mourning the loss of one of its council members who served a little over two decades with the council.

Gene Whetsell died Wednesday at the age of 86, according to his obituary. The Colleton County Fire Rescue says Whetsell was battling a long illness.

The obituary states that Whetsell’s worked 57 years as a Registered Land Surveyor. He also served in the National Guard, worked for the South Carolina Department of Transportation and served 20 years as Colleton County’s first Tax Assessor.

He was then elected to the Colleton County Council in 2002, where he served continuously until earlier this month. Whetsell served on the county’s recreation commission, fire commission and planning commission. He also represented the county on the Lowcountry Council of Governments.

“Gene’s life was an example of the values and virtues of hard work, personal responsibility, faith in God, devotion to family and love for Colleton County,” the obituary reads.

The family will receive visitors at the Colleton County High Performing Arts Center, 150 Cougar Nation Dr. in Walterboro, Sunday at 1 p.m. The funeral service will follow at 3 p.m.

A private entombment will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens Mausoleum in Walterboro.

Click here to read the full obituary.

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