Rock Hill, SC – Reverend George Kenneth “Ken” Walters, 80, graduated to Heaven on Saturday, October 21, 2023 in Newport, NC. He went to sleep on Earth and woke up in Heaven.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, October 27, 2023 at Southside Baptist Church, 1229 Anderson Road South, Rock Hill, SC 29730 with Reverend Tyler Donough officiating. Burial will be in Forest Hills Cemetery, 4290 Old York Road, Rock Hill. The family will receive friends from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm on Thursday, October 26, 2023 at Greene Funeral Home Northwest Chapel, 2133 Ebenezer Road, Rock Hill, SC.
Born in Charlotte, NC, Pastor Walters was the son of the late Martin Luther Walters, Sr and the late Elsie Cornelia Preslar Walters. He was also preceded in death by his brothers, M. L. Walters, and Duran Walters. He was retired as Pastor from Southside Baptist Church with over 43.5 years of service where he was still an active member.
Pastor Ken Walters was raised in Charlotte, NC. He was saved at the age of 19 while attending Baptist Bible College. He met his wife, Chris, in 1966 and they were married on May 27th of that year. In 1967, Preacher Walters founded the New Testament Baptist Church of Greensboro, NC. This church continues to this day. He served in different ministry positions until 1978 when he moved his family to Rock Hill, SC to become the Pastor of Southside Baptist Church. While pastoring at Southside, he taught several classes at Ambassador Baptist College in Lattimore, NC, and later served on the board of the college. Also, being that he loved missions and the deaf ministry, he also served on the Board of Silent Word Ministries International as Vice-Chairman of the SWMI Executive Committee. Upon his retirement as Pastor from Southside in January of 2022, he became a representative for Global Independent Baptist Mission, traveling far and wide in the USA and on foreign fields. During ministry, he was a wonderful husband to Chris, and a loving father to his girls. He loved spending time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He loved watching his grandkids participate in sports and other activities. He liked classic cars, especially the 1962 Chevrolet Impala. He liked Juicy Fruit gum, Certs, NASCAR, and music. He loved watching the deer in the backyard. He loved humor and making people laugh. He never met a stranger. He was a friend, mentor, and an encourager to so many people. His greatest love in the ministry was for missions; that was his heart!
Pastor Walters is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Christine Smith Walters; four daughters, Rebecca Anne (Daniel Lee) Bennett of Brazil, Deborah Kaye (Mike) Reeder of Williamsburg, Ohio, Tammy Rene’(Charlie) Tyree of Rock Hill, Bethany Suzanne (Daniel) Popov of Rock Hill; his brother, Dwight (Laura) Walters of Rabun Gap, GA; three sisters, Carolyn W Williams of Greenville, SC, Vivian W (John) Brooks of Charlotte, NC, Joyce W (Terry) Taylor of Rock Hill, SC; 16 grandchildren, nine grandsons, Timothy (Ester), Joseph (Cheryl), Nathan, Luke, Gabriel, Josue, Matthew, Elias, Samuel; seven granddaughters, Rachel, Anna (Ryan), Charli (Andrew), Deborah, Gracelyn, Ariana, Christine; and four great-grandchildren Joel, Alyssa, Micah and Levi.
Flowers may be sent to Greene Funeral Home Northwest Chapel or memorials may be made in honor of Pastor Ken Walters’ name to Southside Baptist Church, Missions Fund, 1229 Anderson Road South, Rock Hill, SC 29730.
Condolences may be made at www.greenefuneralhome.net.