Obituary of John Brawner Duffie Jr.

Brigadier General John Brawner Duffie Jr., South Carolina Army National Guard (Retired), of Wedgefield, South Carolina, died surrounded by family on Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Sumter, South Carolina. He was 90.

Born September 25, 1935, in Sumter, South Carolina, he was the son of the late John Brawner Duffie Sr. and Louise Allen Duffie.

A son of Sumter through and through, he was a standout at Edmunds High School, where he was elected class president and lettered in four sports. He went on to Clemson College — class of 1957 — where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. At Clemson, he was elected class president, served as a cheerleader, commanded the Pershing Rifles, and was tapped for Blue Key, Tiger Brotherhood, and Scabbard & Blade. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army, beginning a military career that would span thirty years. On active duty, he trained as an air-defense artillery officer at Fort Bliss and earned his paratrooper wings at the Army's Airborne School. Assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, he served as a platoon leader in Battery C, 3rd Automatic Weapons Battalion, 62nd Artillery, and later as aide-de-camp to Brigadier General J. W. Stilwell Jr., the Corps' Deputy Commander.

While at Fort Bragg, he continued to court Jennie Linn McLaurin of Wedgefield, then a student at Limestone College. He carried her to the last Big Thursday in the fall of 1959, and married her in August of the following year. They were married sixty-five years, until her death in December 2025. She was always "the love of his life."

In 1961, he left active duty to pursue a degree in civil engineering. He returned to Columbia and earned that second bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina in 1962, and later pursued graduate study at the University of South Carolina and Golden Gate University. In 1962, he took his young family to London, England — he, Jennie Linn, and six-month-old Louise — to work for Wilbur Smith & Associates on the London Traffic Survey (then the largest study of its kind), where he served as Director of Computer Operations. There, he helped pioneer the use of computers in traffic engineering, developing mathematical models and software to simulate traffic flow on IBM mainframes. Wanting to be closer to family, they returned to South Carolina, where his primary focus was the design of municipal water and wastewater systems. He became a Registered Professional Engineer in South Carolina in 1970. He held several engineering roles with the federal government, among them Chief Engineer at Shaw Air Force Base. After forty-four years as an engineer, he retired in 2006 as Sumter County Engineer.

He had joined the South Carolina Army National Guard in 1961, and it became the heart of his military service. There he rose through the Field Artillery — commanding a headquarters battery as a captain, serving on battalion staff, and then serving as executive officer of the 4th Battalion, 178th Field Artillery. In 1980, he took command of that battalion and led it until 1985 — a command of which he was especially proud. The battalion was honored as "Top Gun" and "Top Unit" in South Carolina. An Honor Graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (1977), he later served as Chief of the Exercise Branch in the State Area Command's Mobilization Division, and retired in 1989 with the rank of Brigadier General. His military decorations included the Legion of Merit and the Army Commendation Medal with two oak-leaf clusters.

A man of deep and abiding faith, General Duffie gave a lifetime of service to the Presbyterian church. He and Jennie Linn were charter members of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Columbia. First Presbyterian Church in Sumter was their church home for most of their lives, and there he gave decades of devoted service — as Clerk of Session, as a ruling elder, as a member of the Pastor Nominating Committee, and as a teacher of the church's youth; he also served as Treasurer of Harmony Presbytery. He and Jennie Linn worshipped for a time at Wedgefield Presbyterian Church, near their home, where he served as an elder. He returned to First Presbyterian Church in Sumter in his later years. He gave generously of his time in his community as well, through the Sons of the American Revolution, the Sumter County Historical Society, the Sumter Community Concert Association, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Kiwanis Club, the YMCA, and the American Red Cross. A devoted Clemson man, he remained loyal to his alma mater through the alumni association, the Lettermen's Association, and IPTAY.

He was a father ahead of his time, eager to be present in his children's lives — coaching their teams, never missing an activity. He loved music, sports, a good run, and — above all — his family.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of sixty-five years, Jennie Linn McLaurin Duffie; his parents, John Brawner Duffie Sr. and Louise Allen Duffie; his sister, Mary Louise Duffie; a grandson, Christian J. Glover; and a son-in-law, Bill Richardson.

Survivors include two daughters, Louise Duffie Glover (Ron) and Linn Duffie Richardson; one son, John Brawner Duffie III (Kelly); Louise's adopted daughter, Brittany Ackerman (Corey); four grandchildren, Will Richardson (Rebekah), Jennie Linn Richardson, John Blake Duffie (Zoe), and Taylor Duffie; four great-grandchildren; and numerous loving cousins, nieces, and nephews. He is also survived by devoted caregivers, Mrs. Willie Mae Cokley and Mrs. Nicey Bossard.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 Saturday, August 8, 2026 at the First Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Dr. Stewart Rawson, Rev. Dr. Ronald Glover, and Bobby Richardson officiating.

The family will receive friends prior to the service from 12:30 – 2:00 in McLeod Fellowship Hall.

Burial will follow in the Wedgefield Presbyterian Church Cemetery, with military honors.

Honorary Pallbearers will be the members of the Mount Vernon Coffee Club and the Romeo Club.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 9 West Calhoun Street, Sumter, SC 29150.

Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com

Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad Street, Sumter, is assisting the family with final arrangements (803) 775-9386.