The Reverend Dr. Daniel Murray Shull Jr., age 89, of Spartanburg, passed away Thursday, September 16, 2021.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Christine Wessinger Shull, his children Lori Shull Crumpton (George) and Michael Murray Shull (Betty), his grandchildren Megan Shull Coleman (Blake), Andrew Murray Shull (Eliza), Elizabeth Christine Hurd (Grant), and Katherine Evelyn Sexton (Wil) and two great-grandchildren (Karris Jane Coleman and Jayden Shull Coleman). He is predeceased by his father The Reverend Dr. Daniel Murray Shull Sr., his mother Mary Langford Shull, his brother Cyril Langford Shull, and his sister Mary Sue Shull Bedenbaugh (Lester Lee).
Reverend Shull was born on October 14, 1931. He attended Elloree High School and then gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Newberry College in 1953. Following graduation from Newberry, he attended the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and was ordained in 1956, on the same day that he and Christine were married, June 10th, 1956. Once married, he continued his graduate studies at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut for a year, before departing for Liberia, Africa where he preached in the native Kpelle language and baptized over 430 people. There, he and his wife served as missionaries for five years and had both of their children.
A devoted minister for forty years, he shepherded congregations at the following churches: Emmanuel Lutheran Church in West Columbia, St. James Lutheran Church in Sumter, SC and Holy Communion Lutheran Church in Spartanburg, SC. Even after his retirement, he continued to serve as interim pastor at numerous churches and served as the president of Greater Spartanburg Ministries.
Reverend Shull was also a known lover of reading and writing and served as the Editor of the South Carolina Lutheran for thirty years. He was on the Newberry College Board of Trustees for 16 years and received an honorary doctorate of divinity degree from Newberry College. His friends and family would describe him as a missionary, a wonderful listener, an advocate for social justice, a major sweet tooth and a role model for living a life for the cause of Christ.
A receiving of friends will be held Tuesday, September 21, at Joy Lutheran Church, 3980 Moore Duncan Hwy, Moore, SC 29369, from 9:45-10:45 am, followed by the funeral service at 11:00 am conducted by Pastor Lane Bembenek.
A graveside service will be held at 3:00 pm at St. David’s Lutheran Church, 132 St. David Church Road, West Columbia, SC 29170
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Newberry College; Office of Advancement, 2100 College Street, Newberry, SC 29108
