Floyd B. O'Neal

Floyd Breland O'Neal of Augusta, beloved husband of Edwina (Wink) G. O'Neal, died on October 14, 2023 at the VA Hospital, Augusta, GA at the age of 95. He was a retired analytical chemist.

The family will receive friends at Trinity On The Hill Methodist Church in Augusta at 10 am before his funeral service, which will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Interment will be at Fairfax Cemetery later that day at 3:30 pm with Military Honors. (Fairfax Cemetery, Boundary Street, Fairfax, South Carolina, 29827) Honorary Pallbearers will be the Caring Shepherds.

Floyd was born at home to the late Gilmore Simms O'Neal, Jr. and Susie Breland O'Neal in Fairfax, SC. He held degrees, all in chemistry, from The Citadel (B.S.), Tulane University (M.S.), and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Ph.D.). He taught college chemistry for thirty-three years, first at the University of Texas at El Paso and later at what is now Augusta University. At AU, he was chairman of the Department of Chemistry for ten years and active in committee work, including chairing three reaccreditation Self-Studies. He served in the Air Force as an F-51 fighter pilot during the Korean War.

He was a member and frequent teacher of the Damren Sunday School Class at Trinity On The Hill Methodist Church, where he also held various church lay positions. He was a past member of the Rotary Club of Augusta where he was named a Paul Harris Fellow. He was an emeritus member of The American Chemical Society (over sixty years service); a past member of The Society of The Sigma Xi; a former member of the New York Academy of Science and The Georgia Academy of Science; and an elected fellow in both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Georgia Academy of Science. He served as a consultant to the El Paso Natural Gas Company, the Oak Ridge Associated Universities, The Department of Energy and various industries (short-term work for these). After retirement, he served as a volunteer with Trinity (originally St. Joseph) Hospice and the Citizen's Advisory Panels of the Juvenile Courts in Columbia and Richmond Counties. He loved his Lord, his family, music, and the outdoors.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife Billie Jean Manning O’Neal, and brothers Gilmore Allen O'Neal, LTC Julius Elliott O'Neal, USAF (KIA, Korea), Henry Algenon O'Neal, and Harry Simms O’Neal; as well as a sister, Charlotte Christine O’Neal Raybon. Survivors, in addition to his loving wife Wink, include: sons Miles Elliott (Sharon) O’Neal of Round Rock, Texas and William “Bill” Floyd (Laura) O’Neal of Beech Island, SC; daughters Sharon Leigh O’Neal Corey (Gary) of Millbrook, Alabama, Beverly Kathleen O’Neal Cartledge (George) and Kelly Jean O'Neal Perez (Damion) of Augusta; and his step-children J. Carleton (Marjorie) Vaughn III of Atlanta, Edwin Campbell (Kim) Vaughn of Augusta, and Margaret Louise Vaughn Joyner of Augusta; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; and a great many friends including the Caring Shepherds who were a source of deep friendship, fellowship, and service. Floyd was very proud that all six of his father’s children served this great nation’s armed forces as commissioned officers and that all five sons in his family were graduates of The Citadel.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to any of the following: The Citadel Foundation (Chapel Organ Fund), 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409-6230, Trinity On The Hill Global Methodist Church Foundation, 1330 Monte Sano Avenue, Augusta, GA 30904-4699, or to Africa University - online at https://support.africau.org/