Anne Springs Close, founder of popular Fort Mill greenway, dies

FORT MILL, S.C. — Noted conservationist and philanthropist, Anne Springs Close, died Friday at her Fort Mill home.

Close, 95, was the founder and namesake of the popular greenway in York County.

According to the obituary posted on the greenway’s website, Close died from injuries from a falling tree.

She and her daughter, Gracie, were struck by a falling limb from a live pecan tree near Close’s home on Monday. Close was treated at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte but returned home Thursday where she died peacefully in her sleep surrounded by her family.

Close was the sole heir to her father Elliot Springs’ textile fortune following her brother’s death in 1946. In addition to owning seven cotton mills in four towns, Springs was a best-selling author and highly decorated aviator in World War 1.

Visit York County is saddened to learn of the passing of Anne Springs Close, the namesake of the Anne Springs Close Greenway.

While Ms. Close's impact on preserving nature can be felt nationwide, we are thankful for her vision to protect 2,100 acres of land in Fort Mill. pic.twitter.com/zbuHpNMSqo
— Visit York County (@visityorkcounty) August 20, 2021

Close attended public school in Fort Mill and continued her education at Ashley Hall in Charleston and Chatham Hall, graduating in 1943. She attended Smith College, where she studied physics.

She founded and created the Anne Springs Close Greenway, a 2,100-acre nature conservancy in Fort Mill that opened to the public in 1995.

Her obituary reads like a movie script, full of travel, adventure and accomplishments.

Close was the last living person to have flown across the Atlantic aboard the German airship Hindenburg. She and her mother were passengers aboard the airship’s last U.S.-bound flight of the 1936 season, about seven months before the famous crash. On the 80th anniversary of the disaster, Close was given a plaque by the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society.

Over the course of her life, Close traveled to more than 60 countries, including Swaziland, Bhutan, Mongolia, Iran, Mali and Yemen. Every summer, she took her ever-growing brood of grandchildren and great-grandchildren to Switzerland on hiking trips; as well as on horseback trips on Sheep Mountain in Washington State, which was said to be one of her favorite places.

She and her son “Buck” visited Haiti many times, where she supported a group of nuns who affectionately called her “La Reine”, which means the Queen.

Close was the first woman board member at Wofford College in Spartanburg and eventually served as chair for a couple of years. She also served on the board of the National Recreation Association for 15 years.

Close was preceded in death by her husband, Bill Close, her brother Sonny Springs and her daughter, Monnie McKee Reed.

She is survived by her eight children, 28 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at the Comporium Amphitheater on the Anne Springs Close Greenway Sunday at 2 p.m.

Fort Mill is grieving the loss of its most celebrated local environmentalist & philanthropist, Anne Springs Close, who died Aug. 20. She is remembered as a hands-on member of the community with a strong dedication to conservation & recreation. Read more: https://t.co/AHmSedM2cb. pic.twitter.com/1HKkxBaabU
— Town of Fort Mill (@townoffortmill) August 20, 2021

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Fort Mill School District Superintendent Chuck Epps’ released a statement on the passing of Anne Springs Close:

Our hearts are with the Close family, friends, and the entire Fort Mill community as we mourn the loss of Anne Springs Close.

In addition to her numerous accomplishments and contributions to our town, Mrs. Close leaves behind an incredible legacy of support and service to the Fort Mill School District. As chairwoman of the Springs Close Foundation, she had an immeasurable impact on the students of Fort Mill and the surrounding area through higher education and social service programs including the backpack program, summer reading initiative, and the student loan program (among others). In 2018, Mrs. Close was one of the few non-educators inducted into the Fort Mill Hall of Fame, in appreciation for her lifelong contributions to our schools.

Throughout our school district, as well as those in York, Chester and Lancaster counties, few students’ lives haven’t been positively impacted in some way by Mrs. Close.

On behalf of the Fort Mill School Board, district staff and the entire Fort Mill family, please join us as we remember her life with warmth and gratitude for her innumerous contributions to our community.

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