West Columbia - Faye Bennett Hightower died unexpectedly on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. She was born Dec. 28, 1946, in Orangeburg. A graduate of Orangeburg High School and Winthrop University, she dedicated her life to helping people with mental illness as a social worker for the South Carolina State Hospital and other facilities. She ensured that hundreds of South Carolinians could return to their families and communities to live healthy, productive, happy lives. In her later years, she was a committed advocate for and lover of animals. She loved antiques as well as reading and watching mysteries, usually figuring out whodunit first. Faye was a loving mother and grandmother, not to mention a frequent "honorary" mother to many, who found in her a fierce protector and a wise, understanding listener. She joins in heaven her husband, T. O'Neal Hightower, former mayor of Lexington; her parents, John and Evelyn Bennett; and her granddaughter, Matilda Faye Weaver-Hightower. Her beloved dog, Buddy, too. Faye is survived by her sons, Anthony Hightower and Marcus Weaver-Hightower; her daughter-in-law, Rebecca Weaver-Hightower; her sister, Beverly Bennett; her twin brother, John Bennett III; and her grandchildren, Harrison and Evelyn Weaver-Hightower. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 2, at Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington, 4720 Augusta Road, Lexington. A visitation will take place an hour before the service at the funeral home. Burial will be held following the service at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church Cemetery, 119 N. Church St., Lexington. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to a local animal shelter or the ASPCA. © The Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, SC, 1 Aug 2021