The Reverend Warwick Aiken, Jr., age 95, died February 1, 2016, at Hospice of Rockingham County, NC.
A Memorial service will be held on Saturday February 6, 2016 at 11 a.m. at St. Lukes Episcopal Church. The family will receive friends on Friday evening from 6 - 8 pm at Fair Funeral Home.
He was born May 8, 1920, in Memphis, TN, the son of Jean Allen Aiken of Memphis and Warwick Aiken of New Orleans, LA. His early years were spent in Memphis and Texas, where his father was the rector of several Episcopal churches. Later, he attended Stony Brook School in Stony Brook, NY, and then graduated from Louisiana State University and Dallas Theological Seminary.
He married Marianne Sewell of New Orleans, LA. in 1946. They served four years at the Bible Institute of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Then Rev. Aiken completed an extra year of Episcopal studies at the Philadelphia Episcopal Seminary, and was assigned by the bishop of Mississippi to Epiphany Episcopal Church in Tunica, MS., south of Memphis. He served there four years, and then was called to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, "the Rock Church," in Eden, NC, arriving in 1955.
He served St. Luke’s and later also St. Mary’s–by-the Highway, for many years. During that time, he also served for one year, 1963, at St. Botolph’s Church in Barton Seagrave, England, in an exchange with the Rev. Gurth Fothergill a British clergyman. He and his wife Eva ministered for the year at St. Luke’s in a very happy association that produced many friendships, as did the Aikens’ experience in England. Also from 1967 to 1973, Rev. Aiken served three years at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Rockingham, NC, and another three years at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, before returning to Eden to resume his ministry at St. Luke’s and St. Mary’s. He retired from St. Luke’s in 1983, but continued on at St. Mary’s for several more years.
The Reverend Mr. Aiken enjoyed working for many years at Morehead Memorial Hospital in Eden as a volunteer chaplain. He is widely remembered by many as "the candy preacher," because he always had a pocketful of candy to offer to all. But he was also renowned for the depth and range of his Biblical knowledge and his ability as a teacher of the Bible. In his later years, the Christian ministers of the community graciously included him in their weekly Bible study, where he enjoyed the fellowship and the opportunity to keep his skills sharp.
The Rev. Mr. Aiken served on the board of St. Paul’s House, a rescue mission in New York City with ties to both St. Luke’s and St. Mary’s, for thirty-five years, and was Chairman of the Board for most of that time. He was a loyal Rotarian for over 50 years, and was named "Citizen of the Year" of the City of Eden in 1994.
He is survived by his wife Marianne, his son, Dr. Warwick Aiken, III, and wife Dr. Janet Aiken of Gastonia, NC; his daughter, Everall Peele and husband Stuart Peele of Eden; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts would be welcomed at Hospice of Rockingham County (PO Box 281, Wentworth, NC 27375) or St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (600 Morgan Road, Eden, NC 27288).
Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.fairfuneralhome.com
