Francis Laval “Val” Green, III was born August 13, 1942 to the late Francis Laval Green, Jr. of Bishopville and Mary Hazel Aiken Green of Winnsboro. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Nelia Eckley Green, and his brothers, Wade “Bubba” Aiken Green, and Douglas Yancey Green.
Val was a graduate of Bishopville High School, Clemson University, and the University of Texas, El Paso, earning his degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He proudly served his country as a 1st Lieutenant at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas.
Following his time in Texas, he returned to his hometown of Bishopville where, over the next 10 years, he utilized his knowledge of waste water engineering by teaching at Sumter Tech and working at DHEC. In 1976, Val moved his family to Salem Crossroads to try his hand at farming – a venture that did not produce any financial success, but allowed him to return the place he held dear and to share that love of land with his young family. In 1978, he returned to the daily grind as a mining engineer for SC Land Resources Commission. After a little more than a decade of ‘govmint work’, Val ventured west to accept a teaching position in engineering at New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology. After several tree-less seasons in Socorro, the pull of ‘the homeplace’ and 3 grandchildren in South Carolina, drew him back to Fairfield County. Val spent his final 20 years in the workforce at SERCAP. He was uniquely suited for his work at SERCAP because of his interest in, and vast knowledge of, different disciplines – which involved engineering, clean and waste-water systems, geology, topography, SC history, and Native American culture. His projects included aiding small communities in obtaining quality water systems, educating community leaders on capacity development and land management, and petitioning with Native American groups for Federal recognition. Val worked in many capacities as a teacher, civil engineer, history sleuth, and Native American advocate. A proud 9th-generation South Carolinian, Val was passionate about family, land, genealogy, history, and Native American culture. He became fascinated with buffalo and, at one time, was the owner of the largest herd of buffalo in the state. Among his many contributions to South Carolina history, Val solved the mystery of the exact route walked by English Explorer, John Lawson, in 1701. Lawson’s book, “A New Voyage to Carolina”, was published in 1713 and is still in print. As a civil engineer and historical sleuth, Val actually walked the fields and forests of Lawson’s journey in order to confirm his research.
Val is survived by his children, Eugenia Green Baker (Don) of Manning, Lesley Green Abbott (Charlie) of Lexington, Elizabeth Aiken G. Hodge (Lawrence) of Winnsboro, Francis Laval Green, IV (Jennifer) of West End, NC, and David Yancey Green (Emily) of Pendleton; his grandchildren, Mary Hyatt Grant (Colin), Donny Baker (Holly), Ryan Abbott (Whitney), Bradley Abbott, Tyson Hodge, Abby Hodge, Matthew Hodge, Samuel Hodge, Eli Green, Chloe Green, Alex Green, Malachi Green, Johnny Green, Lizzy Green, and David Green; his great-grandchildren, Phoebe Abbott, Olive Ann Abbott, Baker Grant and Presley Grant (due February); numerous nieces and nephews; and his companion, Pelham Lyles.
A graveside service was held at 2:00pm Saturday, January 20th, 2024 at Salem Presbyterian Church in Blair, SC. The family received friends in the fellowship hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Salem Presbyterian Church.
