Smith Funeral Home of Florence, LLC. | Florence, SC

Obituary For Mr. Roland Poole, Jr.

Funeral service for Deacon Roland Arrowsmith Poole, Jr. will be conducted 11:00 AM Saturday, May 4, 2019 at Savannah Grove Baptist Church, 2620 Alligator Rd., Effingham, SC. Entombment will follow in Florence Memorial Gardens & Mausoleum directed by Smith Funeral Home of Florence, LLC.

Roland was born September 7, 1932, in Darlington, SC to the late Roland Poole Sr. and Annie Davis Poole. He died on Sunday, April 28, 2019.

Roland graduated from Mayo High School in Darlington, SC in 1955. He served in the United States Armed Services and later relocated to Somerset, NJ.Roland was trained as a certified mechanic and was employed with American Can Company, Johnson and Johnson Corp., and Proctor & Gamble Corp., from which he retired. He became an entrepreneur and owned and operated an auto garage and a filling station.

Roland was baptized at Round O Missionary Baptist Church in Darlington, SC. He was ordained at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Garden in Somerset, NJ under the leadership of Pastor Charlie H. Brown, Jr. and later served under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Deforest B. Soaries, Jr. as a Deacon as well as other capacities within the church.

After relocating to South Carolina, Roland joined Savannah Grove Baptist Church in Effingham, SC and under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Ralph W. Canty, Sr. served on the Deacon Board and other capacities of the church.

He was employed with Smith Funeral Home of Florence and KJ's Market (Ebenezer) until his health declined.

Survivors include his wife, Zenobia Stackhouse Poole; five children, Kelvin B. "Randy" (Nicole )Poole, Roland A. (Kai) Poole III, Diane LaFonda Smith, Lawrence Vincent (Dr. Stephanie L.) Poole, and Colie Best; seventeen grandchildren; nineteen great grandchildren; two sisters, Loretta (Poole) Hill and Evangelist Dr. Marilyn Poole (Frank) Hines; two brothers-in-law, Zigmond (Gwen) Stackhouse and Henry E. (Susan) Sumpter; one sister-in-law, Zena (Joseph) Smith; a host of nephews; nieces; other relatives and friends.

The family will receive friends 7:00 PM 8:00 PM, Friday, May 3, 2019 at Savannah Grove Baptist Church Chapel and other times at 3277 W. Hampton Pointe Dr., Florence.

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We can look forward to the day when there will be no more sickness and death. Revelation 21:4 says: "And he [God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away." God cares for the brokenhearted; Psalm 34:18 assures us that he is close to them. Please accept my sincere condolences. Always remember God loves you and he cares for you! (Psalm 36:7; 1 Peter 5:7)

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