John Travis Bodenheimer

AIKEN, SC -- John Travis Bodenheimer, beloved husband, father, brother, and grandfather; died after a battle with melanoma August 18, 2007 in Aiken, SC. He is survived by his wife, Kay Felder Bodenheimer, of Aiken; a son, John Travis Bodenheimer, II, of Burke, Virginia; two daughters, Beth Dworjanyn (Pete), Melissa McInnis (Jonathan); four grandchildren, Jack and Nick Dworjanyn, and Aidan and Kate McInnis, all of Columbia, SC; and a sister, Helen Clark of Newport News, Virginia. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles A. and Mae Bodenheimer of Manning, SC, brother Charles A. Bodenheimer, Jr. of Atlanta, and brother-in-law William Clark of Newport News, Virginia. Mr. Bodenheimer was born in Manning, SC, September 19, 1932. He graduated from Manning High School and attended the University of South Carolina, graduating in seven semesters in the top 15% of his class and as a Cadet Major in ROTC. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. He served in the US Air Force during the Korean Conflict and returned to the University of South Carolina Law School, graduating in January, 1954, in the top quarter of his distinguished law class. He served as a Captain in the Air Force Reserve. Mr. Bodenheimer’s early careers included grocery clerk, delivery boy, cannery assistant, parts salesman, encyclopedia salesman, insurance salesman, and worker in the SC Highway Department and the US Post Office. After graduating from law school, he served as Federal Judicial Clerk for Judge George Bell Timmerman, Sr. He entered the practice of law in Aiken in January, 1962, joining the firm of Henderson, Salley, and Cushman, soon becoming a partner. Later he established his own firm, then merged to form Bodenheimer, Busbee, and Hunter, Attorneys at Law. He served as member of the SC Bar Nominating Committee, a delegate to the State Bar House of Delegates, Chairman of the Judicial Qualifications Committee, a member of the Board of Commissioners on Grievances, and on several special SC Bar committees. He served briefly as an interim Family Court Judge. He carried the top rating in the Martindale-Hubble Directory, and was listed in the directory of preeminent lawyers. He was a member of The Law Class of Aiken First Presbyterian Church. Formerly, he served as Deacon and a Trustee of the Presbyterian church, as well as serving on three pulpit search committees. John enjoyed being a member of the Downtown Morning Coffee Club, the Businessman’s Club, and was a past president of the Downtown Rotary Club. He served as a President of the TB Association (now American Lung Association), a member of the Ethics Committee of the Aiken Regional Medical Center, and as Board Member and Chairman of the Salvation Army Board. John was an avid reader and storyteller. His family always expected to hear a new story or to see him with a book or a newspaper in his hands. He will be sorely missed by his family and his many friends. Memorial services will be at Aiken First Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, August 21, at 11:00 a.m., with a reception at the church following the ceremony. Interment will take place Wednesday at 11:00 AM in the Manning Cemetery, Manning, SC. Memorials may be made to Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders (3333 Burnet Avenue, Concinnati, OH 45229-3039), or the Aiken Chapter of the Salvation Army. Honorary Pallbearers will be Don Pennington, Joe Babb, Patty and Bubba Shipes, Mike Farmer, Andy Griffith, Henry Summerall, Gerald Gordon, Henry Watts, Austin Scott, Larry Andrews, Downtown Morning Coffee Club, Businessman’s Club and members of the Aiken Bar. SHELLHOUSE FUNERAL HOME, 924 HAYNE AVE., AIKEN, SC To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Travis Bodenheimer, please visit our flower store.