Claude Wayne Boone

May 12, 1939 - January 28, 2020

Saluda, SC Claude Wayne Boone Saluda, SC – Brigadier General Claude Wayne Boone (known to most as “Wayne”) entered into eternal rest on January 28, 2020 at Self Memorial Hospital in Greenwood. Funeral services will be held at Butler United Methodist Church on Friday, January 31, 2020 at 2 p.m. The family will receive friends on Friday, January 31 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Butler. Born on May 12, 1939, Brig. Gen. Boone was the son of the late Gaines and Sudie Bryan Boone. He was a 1957 graduate of Saluda High School and a 1961 graduate of Clemson University, where he was a member of Alpha Zeta Fraternity and the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. Brig. Gen. Boone was also a graduate of the Field Artillery Basic and Advanced Officer Courses of the United States Army Field Artillery School. Brig. Gen. Boone held multiple military positions throughout the state during his thirty-four year military career. He joined the United States Army in 1962, and he served in the Army through January of 1964. He then served in the National Guard for thirty years. When he was promoted to the rank of full colonel, Brig. Gen. Boone was one of the youngest men in the state of South Carolina to achieve this rank. He was also the commander of the 151 Brigade in Sumter, where he assisted with rebuilding Sumter, McClellanville and Charleston counties after Hurricane Hugo. During his time in the service, Brig. Gen. Boone earned several military awards and decorations including the Army Commendation Medal, the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara, the National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal (AFRM) and Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (ARCAM). Brig. Gen. Boone also worked as a claims adjuster for State Farm Insurance Company. He worked in locations such as Greenwood, Columbia and Clearwater for more than 30 years before retiring in 1999. Brig. Gen. Boone was an active member of Butler United Methodist Church, where he was involved in the addition of the church’s new fellowship hall. He was also an active member of the community and had a heart for helping others. He was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by numerous friends, who he greatly cherished. Surviving are his beloved wife of 59 years, Shirley; son, David; and daughter Ashley, all of Saluda. Also surviving are his grandchildren; Kirstie Jones (Thomas) of Mount Pleasant; Carley Boone (Nathan Downer) of Sumter; and Nicki Boone of Saluda. Also surviving are his sister, Ilene Davis; and brother, Gaines Orin Boone. Brig. Gen. Boone was preceded in death by his brother, William “Bo” Boone; and his sisters, Lois Perry and Winona Smith. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to Butler United Methodist Church c/o Karen Ringer, 178 Andrew Coleman Road, Saluda, SC 29138.