Obituary of Gertrude "Hon" Folsom Keith

Gertrude “Hon” Folsom Marshall Keith, 97, died Monday, July 28, 2025, at Prisma Tuomey Health Hospital. Born in Sumter, she was a daughter of the late John Benjamin Folsom and Gertrude Elizabeth Hunt Folsom. Mrs. Keith was twice married, first to the late John Styles Marshall and then to the late H.H. “Boots” Keith. Hon’s “claim to fame” was she was the youngest nationally accredited National Flower Show Judge in South Carolina at the age of 24 and always won awards for her flower arrangements. She was also a member of the Colonial Dames, Cantey Division. She was a joy to be around, always had a sharp wit, and a great comeback to anything that was said. She loved Sumter and never wanted to live anyplace else. She loved her family and her friends. She will be missed by everyone who knew her, and as she would always say, “Sumter born and bred, I’ll live in Sumter till I’m dead.” She was preceded in death by her beloved Daddy, John “Benny” Folsom and beloved brother, John Benny Folsom, Jr. who at the age of 22 gave his life for freedom in World War II, her mother, Gertrude Hunt Folsom and sister, Estell Folsom Holmes. She leaves two daughters, Mildred “Mimi” Marshall McGowan of Florence and Eileene Marshall Evatt of Sumter, and a son, John B. Marshall of Nashville, TN; 12 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends at the Sumter Cemetery at 10 A.M. Wednesday, August 27, 2025, with a graveside service to follow with Steve Gooch officiating. The family will also receive friends following the graveside service at 13 Palmer Drive. Memorials may be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 230 Alice Drive, Sumter, SC 29150. Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad Street, Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements (803) 775-9386.