William Pinckney Irwin IV

Pinckney Irwin, 78, beloved husband of Susan Hodge Irwin, died on June 1, 2024 at Regional Hospice Home.

He was born in Greenville to W. P. Irwin III and Ellen Vernon Ellerbe. He graduated Spartan High, Spartanburg Methodist College, and Wofford College, and served his country in the Air Force Reserve.  A descendant of Revolutionary War patriots Thomas Ellerbe (SC) and Christian Reinhart (NC), he loved history and valued his connection to his Irish great-great-grandfather, William Irwin (1818-1893), an educator and a founder of Church of the Advent in Spartanburg and Christ Church in Greenville.

Pinckney enjoyed a long career in sales in the textile industry with several companies, including 19 years with Hoechst, retiring from Albany International.  He maintained customer relationships across the US, Canada, and Mexico, where his gift for listening served him well. He was a past member of Kiwanis Club.

Pinckney grew up in Duncan Park, enjoying childhood summers at Lake Summit and college road trips to the beach, raising his two children with his first wife, Nancy, and sharing the family’s enthusiasm for University of Georgia football, tennis, and water-skiing.   Later, with Susan, he loved traveling abroad, dancing the shag from Budapest to Hilton Head, and visiting historical sites.

Pinckney was predeceased by his first wife of 42 years, Nancy Amelia McWhorter, and two siblings, Elizabeth Anne (“Sue”) Irwin and Lacoste (“Co”) Ellerbe Irwin.

He is survived by his devoted wife of nearly 12 years, Susan; his son William Pinckney Irwin V (Bill), and wife Joy Draper, MD; his daughter Elizabeth Irwin Beasley and husband The Rev. Dr. Nicholas Madden Beasley; four grandchildren, William Madden Beasley, Andrew Irwin Beasley, Walter Boyd Irwin, and Francis Isaac Irwin; his sister-in-law Nancy Hicks Irwin Crow (Wade); and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Pinckney recently said he would describe himself as “laid back, hard-working, and loving,” and will be remembered as a gentle man whose greatest love was for his wife and family.

A funeral service will be held at Church of the Advent in Spartanburg at 11:00 am on Friday, June 7, 2024, conducted by The Rev. Paula Griffin, The Rev. Christy Walton, and The Rev. Nicholas Beasley. Burial will be in the church’s Columbarium. The family will receive friends afterward in the Parish Life Center.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Church of the Advent Foundation, 141 Advent St., Spartanburg, SC 29302, or to Spartanburg Regional Foundation, Box 2624, Spartanburg, SC 29304 (for either Cancer or Hospice Division).