SIMPSONVILLE—Deacon Henry Dillard, the fourth African American deacon ordained in the Diocese of Charleston, died on March 8. He was 86.
The Mass of Christian Burial was held March 14 at St. Anthony of Padua Church. Burial was in Resthaven Memorial Gardens.
Deacon Dillard was born on April 25, 1928, in Greenville County, a son of the late Henry and Harriett Dillard. He attended St. Anthony of Padua School and was a graduate of Sterling High School.
He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served in the Korean War for which he was awarded the Purple Heart medal. He went on to become an account executive for WHYZ Radio Station. He also worked at Woodside Mills of Greenville where he was the first African American to integrate into the company. His civic duties included working with the NAACP, People United to Serve Humanity, the Boy Scouts of America, and volunteering with the City of Greenville recreation department. He was a member of Knights of Columbus 1668, Fourth Degree Assembly 1073.
Deacon Dillard became a member of St. Anthony of Padua in 1942 and was the commentator for the women’s council and served on several committees.
He was married to the late Mildred Norman Dillard.
He is survived by his daughters: Ethelyn Anderson of Fayetteville, North Carolina; Treva J. Norman of Bowie, Maryland; and Angela Milam and Adrian C. Dillard of Greenville; a son, Alexey G. Dillard of Louisville, Kentucky; 10 grandchildren, and many great- and great-great grandchildren. He is also survived by his three sisters, Loretta Hailstock, Mary Joan Williams and Lillie Mae Dorgan, all of New Jersey.
