108-Year-Old Midlands Trailblazer Passes Away
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)- Family friends of Donella Brown Wilson confirm the 108-year-old passed away Friday.
The Calhoun County native and former Booker T. Washington High School student was a longtime educator, civil rights activist, and fixture in the Waverly Historic District.
Before her death, Wilson was the oldest living Allen University graduate and one of the oldest members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated.
Wilson is well-recognized for her polling advocacy, never missing a voting election since she became eligible to participate in the 1940s.
In 2017, Wilson received the state’s highest civilian honor, The Order of the Palmetto, for her lifetime of service.
Governor McMaster tweeted his condolences Friday writing, “If anyone has lived a full and accomplished life, it was she. She will be missed, but we know she is rejoicing with The Lord today.”
I was blessed with the privilege of conferring upon Mrs. Donella Brown Wilson the Order of the Palmetto. If anyone has lived a full and accomplished life, it is she. It is bittersweet to hear of her homegoing. She will be missed, but we know she is rejoicing with the Lord today. pic.twitter.com/uQgH43PSwZ
— Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) January 13, 2018
Funeral arrangements for Wilson will be announced at a later date.
