Francis Lee File

Francis (Choc) File, 94 years old, passed away Saturday, July 20th, after a brief illness. He was surrounded by family in his last hours but even at 94 he was taken from us much too soon. He faced complications from an injury and, due to other health issues, was unable to endure the necessary procedures to get well.

Francis was born October 20th, 1929, to a mill-working family of 11 children in the Chestnut Hill area of Salisbury, NC. He is the last living member of his generation. He was raised in the Episcopal church, attending St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Salisbury as a child; later joining St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church when he and his family moved to Spartanburg, SC in 1964. As a small child, he loved chocolate and was given the nickname Chocolate, or “Choc.” His family never owned a car during the Depression. His father rode a bicycle to work at Cone Mill, and as a young boy, he delivered groceries in the basket of his bicycle to earn money for his family. 

Following high school graduation from Boyden High School, he joined the US Air Force, then worked as an electrician with Norfolk Southern Railway for 42 years. He met his wife, Mary Fuller (Tootsie) File of Spencer, NC when he worked at the Spencer Shops. He and Mary moved their family to Spartanburg, SC in 1964 to continue his trade with the railroad and lived the remainder of his life there. Francis and Mary (Choc & Tootsie) were married for 70 years. 

Francis was a member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Spartanburg from 1964 until his death. He served on the church vestry and as a lay reader, and even helped fellow member, Bruce Thurmond, build one of the first altar rails, and the large wooden cross that remains on the wall inside the church to this day. In his later years, he purchased rental property and helped many young families have a decent place to live. He treated his renters with respect and was always willing to give them time when rent was hard to come by. His only “hobbies” were doing electrical work for people, reading his Bible, and exercising. In his 80’s, he swam at the Spartanburg Swim Center with his retired friends from the railroad; and later, he and Mary attended water aerobics classes at White Oak.

Francis is survived by his wife, Mary File, his son, Robin File (Jacqueline) of Spartanburg; daughter, Mary Kaye Bennett (Bryan) of Greensboro, NC; and 4 grandchildren, Lucy B. Carte (Chuck) of Spencer, NC; Rebecca Hicks (Chris) of Reidsville, NC; Rachel Bennett of Asheville, NC; and Maria File of Charleston, SC. He also has 1 great-grandchild, Olivia Baker.

A funeral service will be held at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 101 St. Matthews Lane, Spartanburg, SC 29301 on Friday, July 26th at 1 pm, followed by a reception at the church and private burial in the church cemetery. The family welcomes flowers, or a donation in Francis’ memory could be made to Nazareth Children’s Home, P.O. Box 1438, Rockwell, NC 28138; or to St. Matthew’s Food Pantry at the address above.