Cora Eva (Gunter) Bodie

Cora Eva Gunter Bodie of Wagener, SC, died Monday, February 17, 2020. She was born in the community of Seivern, SC, in July of 1929 to Owen Compton Gunter and Myrtis Iola Grandy Gunter.

Cora began her education in a two room school house at Seivern. She completed Wagener High School in 1946 as class Valedictorian. While there she lettered in basketball. Cora earned her BA in Elementary Education at Lander University. She was yearbook editor, May Queen 1950, and Valedictorian of her college graduating class.

Immediately after graduation Cora married her high school sweetheart, William Gordon Bodie (Bill). At the time of Bill’s death in 2017, they had been married for 67 years.

Serving God and her family were Cora’s greatest pleasures. She and Bill were instrumental in starting two churches in Huntsville, AL---University Baptist and Mountain View Baptist. Cora led Sunbeams and VBS, taught Sunday School, and was President of WMU. She continued to be active when she and Bill moved back to Wagener in 1984.

In Huntsville Cora was a member of Green Valley Garden Club. She participated in planting at the Huntsville Botanical Garden and in the restoration of the gardens at Burritt’s Museum. She also won numerous blue ribbons for her fabulous flower arrangements. She grew roses and irises at home and dug up the irises to take with her from Huntsville to Wagener.

Cora taught school for five years in North Augusta, SC, Savannah, GA Tripoli, Libya, and at Chapman Elementary in Huntsville, AL. She enjoyed those years immensely but decided that she was needed more at home.

In Wagener Cora became involved with Wagons to Wagener, the Aiken County Historical Society, and was a docent for the Wagener Museum. She wrote a paper on the Seivern Community and donated a scrapbook of pictures and newspaper clippings about Wagener to the museum.

Cora was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She is survived by her daughters Lynne Bryant (Henry) and Jamie Hartzog (Richard). Her daughter Melanie Pitts died in 2016. Her four grandchildren are Courtney Bryant, William Bryant (Sarah), Justin Pitts, and Danielle Kitchens (Brandon). The great grandchildren are William Pitts, Owen Bryant-Molyneaux, Alice Bryant-Molyneaux, James Bryant, and Caroline Bryant.

Visitation for Cora will be from 4pm to 6 pm Sunday, February 23, 2020 in the chapel of Blizzard Funeral Home and Cremation Services. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Monday, February 24, 2020 at 2 pm at Wagener First Baptist Church with the Reverend L. Kenneth McDonald officiating. Interment will follow in the Wagener Cemetery.

Flowers welcomed. Memorials may be made to the Wagener Museum at P. O. Box 1004, Wagener, SC 29164 or the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org.

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