Whitt "Buck" Earl Barton Jr.

Whitt “Buck” Earl Barton, Jr. of Summerville, SC passed peacefully on Monday, June 2, 2025, at the age of 97. Buck was born December 26, 1927 in Spartanburg, SC, son of Whitt Earl Barton, Sr. and Lizzie Mae Gregory Barton. He is survived by his loving wife of 70 years, Essie “Toots” Pollock Barton, his children Kenneth Whitt Barton and Karen Barton Perea (Maurice), his grandchildren Kenneth Ryan Barton, Stefan Alexander Perea, and Samantha Perea Broadwater (Ethan), and his great-grandchild Barrett Alexander Perea. Since a young age, his nickname of “Buck” became how he introduced himself. His grade-school years were spent in Charleston, SC, but he and his brother spent many summers in Spartanburg, SC with cousins on their grandparents’ farm. At the age of 18, he enlisted and served in the Army for 18 months as Clerk for General Mark W. Clark. He was deployed to Austria and Germany, spending 3 weeks on a troop carrier ship crossing the Atlantic there and back. During his service, he was awarded the Army of Occupation Medal and World War II Victory Medal. Upon his return home, he worked for Southern Bell Telephone Company for 38 years until his retirement in 1985. As a young lineman, he was one of the few who volunteered to run phone cables across the old Cooper River Bridge, working hundreds of feet above the water. Buck met Toots in Spartanburg, SC and married in Travelers Rest, SC on May 30, 1955. They moved to and raised their family in Summerville, SC. Just after his retirement, they were able to purchase a small mountain cabin, lovingly nicknamed “Poverty Knoll,” in Pickens, SC, where he and Toots spent many seasons enjoying fresh air and beautiful flowers. He had a great love of American history, finding bargains at flea markets, and any type of plant. He was preceded in death by his brother Johnny McDonald “Donnie” Barton (Mary). A gathering of family and friends will be held on Tuesday, June 10th, 2025 from 2pm to 4pm at James A. Dyal Funeral Home, 303 South Main Street, Summerville, SC 29483. Interment will be a private ceremony at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg, SC. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either the Pioneers (www.pioneersvolunteer.org) or the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired SC (www.abvisc.org).

Whitt "Buck" Earl Barton Jr.

December 26, 1927 - June 2, 2025