Obituary

Beloved Physician Dies At Florence Dr. Furman P. Covington Passes Away Suddenly

Florence, Oct 6- Special: Sadness and gloom has spread over this town and section today because of the death of Dr. Furman P. Covington. A widely beloved physician, which occured at his home shortly before midnight last night, aged about fifty-seven years. Dr. Covington was feeling badly yesterday but was up and attending to duties as a member of the Florence County board of exemption and worked hard all day. After retiring that night about 11 o'clock he became ill and requested his wife to call a physician to give him a hyperdermic. This was done and for the moment relieved and told the members of the family to retire as he would soon be alright. Shortly afterward he was taken worse and in a few minutes had passed away.

Dr. Covington was a native of Richmond County, N.C., and after graduating in medicine married Miss Townsend of Red Springs, N.C. and came direct to Florence and began the practice of medicine. He made a great success and had won for himself a widespread reputation.

Dr. Covington was a member of the First Baptist Church and was the senior deacon of that church. It was through his efforts that denomination has grown to large proportions in Florence and through his efforts the splendid First Baptist Church, the Immanuel Church, and the Magnolia Heights Church as well as the Mars Bluff Mission have such splendidly appointed homes. He was a great worker in his denomination, not only in Florence but in the Florence Association, the Baptist State and the Southern Baptist conventions. He was devoted to missions and to education and was a member of the board of trustees of Coker College at Hartsville. The First Baptist Church here is a monument to his work.

Last year he was elected as one of the city commissioners and labored ardiously to secure for Florence an ample supply of pure artesian water and that goal having been reached only this week, he resigned from the board yesterday in order that he might be relieved of the pressure on his physical condition. Dr. Covington was forced some six or eight years ago to give up the practice of medicine and it was with great and sincere regret that his hundreds of patients consented.

He was a man of strong conviction for right, honor and justice and never wavered in the slightest although at times he fought for what was right in his opinion he was censured but soon his critics were ready to apologize because they found out he was right and was doing his conscientious duty.

Besides his religious duties, which he never shirked, he was a splendid businessman and always sought for advice by many. His going away has cast a great gloom over this town today and the one expression of the populace heard on the streets was "Florence has lost one of her very best and most useful and substantial citizens." Dr. Covington leaves his wife, two sons, Benjamin W. Covington, of Florence; Richard Covington, of Cerrogorda, N.C., and two daughters, Mrs. Grugsby Chandler, of this city and Mrs. A. L. Hardee, of Wilmington, N.C., besides two brothers Henry L. Covington, of Pensacola, Fla., and W. Hampton Covington, of Alabama, and one sister Mrs. Robert L. Edwards, of Pensacola, Fla., and other near relatives.

The funeral services will be held at Mount Hope Cemetery at this place at 4 o'clock tomorrow afternoon, following the interment in that cemetery. The reason the funeral will be in the open is because of the epidemic of Spanish influenza at this place, which has caused the board of health to close the churches and schools. Florence has lost a valuable citizen and the State a patriot.

printed in the News and Courier-Oct 7, 1918

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Furman married Frances Townsend Jan 24, 1883, in Robeson County, NC. He finished his education at New York University Medical College in 1885.
Furman had 5 children.