McKelvey, Walter
MCKELVEY Sr., Dr. Walter Henry
Funeral services for Reverend Dr. Walter Henry McKelvey, Sr., husband of Loretta Felder McKelvey, will be held 1:00 PM Tuesday, August 23, 2022 at Francis Burns United Methodist Church, 5616 Farrow Road, Columbia, SC. The family will receive friends from 11:00 AM until the hour of service. The Alpha Phi Alpha Omega Service will be held at 12:30 PM. Entombment will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park, Columbia, SC. On Monday, August 22, 2022, Rev. Dr. McKelvey may be viewed by the public from 1-5:00 PM at Palmer Memorial Chapel, 1200 Fontaine Place, Columbia, SC. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: The Walter H. McKelvey, Sr. Scholarship Fund at Gammon Theological Seminary, 653 Beckwith St., SW Atlanta, Georgia 30314 or visit Gammon-Itc.org.
Rev. Dr. Walter H. McKelvey, Sr. transitioned on August 15, 2022 at his residence in Columbia. Born in Greenville, SC, he was a son of the late Eliza Thompson McKelvey and Joseph L. McKelvey. He was a graduate of Sterling High School in Greenville and Morris Brown College in Atlanta, GA. He married Bettie Holmes of Cleveland, OH and they became the parents of Angela Cleo and Walter McKelvey, Jr.
He earned a Bachelor of Divinity at Gammon Theological Seminary/Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA, Master of Arts in Evangelism at Scarritt College in Nashville, TN and Doctor of Ministry at Drew University in Madison, NJ. He received the Doctor of Divinity (DD), Honoris Causa from Gammon Theological Seminary/Interdenominational Theological Center in 1984. He was Certified in Executive Management by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1991. Dr. McKelvey served in three United Methodist Church Conferences: South Carolina Conference, Tennessee Holston Conference and the Western North Carolina Conference. His service began in the Central Jurisdiction. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
Surviving are his loving wife, Loretta Felder McKelvey of Columbia, SC; children, Angela Cleo (Theodore) Jenifer, McDonough, GA and Walter H. (Wangui) McKelvey, Jr., Atlanta, GA; 4 grandchildren; sisters, Grace L. Gary, Simpsonville, SC and Mary E. Welch, Nashville, TN; and a host of other relatives.
Condolences may be made on his Tribute page, found at: www.PalmerMemorialChapel.com
Professional services rendered by the Palmer Memorial Chapel.
View the obituary on Legacy.com
Funeral Home Information
Palmer Memorial Chapel - Columbia
1200 Fontaine Place
Columbia, SC
29202
