Katherine Cooner Bailey, age 70, died February 3, 2025, in Spartanburg, SC. She was born in Anderson, SC on December 23, 1954.

Katherine was the daughter of Louis Shelton (Shep) Sawyer and Katherine Bland Sawyer. She grew up in Columbia, SC, but her childhood memories are rooted in Johnston, SC. Katherine attended Dreher High School and Clemson University, where she met her lifelong friends.

Katherine settled in Spartanburg, SC, and taught 9th-grade English at McCracken Jr. High School, making lifelong friends and significantly impacting her students' lives.

Katherine was preceded in death by her parents and grandson, Samuel Methvin. She is survived by her children, Elizabeth Cooner (John) of San Antonio, Texas; Sarah Methvin (Gordon) of Greenville, South Carolina; and William Cooner (Jordan), of Charlotte, North Carolina; her former husband, Bill Cooner of Greenville, South Carolina; a brother, Shelton Sawyer (Judy) of Marietta, Georgia; and two grandchildren, Thomas Methvin and Riley Cooner.

A memorial service will be held at Mercantile Funeral Home Johnston Chapel in Johnston, South Carolina at 2pm on Thursday, February 6th. A visitation will be held at 1pm prior to the service. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Spartanburg Humane Society.