Florence, SC John Gerrit Banks, 89, of Florence, SC died Saturday, January 12, 2013, at Presbyterian Home in Florence. John was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on April 30, 1923, son of the late Charles Michael and Faith Marguerite Bennett Banks. John served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps in WWII, flying a B-17 bomber. After the war, he graduated from Iowa State with a civil engineering degree and worked for DuPont for many years. He was a gifted woodworker and also clarinetist who played in the symphony of every town he lived in. John was active for years in Kiwanis and at First Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder. He was also a Scoutmaster for many years and took pride in the professional accomplishments of his Scouts as they grew up. John loved his family and friends and was beloved by those who knew him as a kind, gentle man. John is predeceased by his parents, his first wife, Doris Kingsbury Banks, and his brother, Charles Judd Banks. . John is survived by his wife, Patricia Peele Banks of Florence, South Carolina; two daughters, Judy Banks Okawa and her husband Benn, of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Patty Banks Griffith and her husband Lance, of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina; one son, James Russell Banks of Arnold, Maryland; sisters, Jean Mazur of Burlington, Iowa, and Mary Ferley of Minneapolis, Minnesota; 7 grandchildren, Aya Okawa, David Okawa, Megan Sandefur, Lori Griffith, Alex Banks, Maggie Banks, and Julia Banks; 2 great grandchildren, Lily Sandefur and Jackson Sandefur. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 19, 2013, at First Presbyterian Church in Florence. The family will receive friends following the service at the church. A committal service will be held at 12:30 PM at Florence Memorial Gardens with military honors, directed by Cain Funeral Home.