Harold Lee Pitts, 90, of Newberry, SC, passed into eternity on June 24, 2017, at his farm from heart failure. Born December 26, 1926, he was the youngest of five children of the late Walter Oscar and Mary Lee Stilwell Pitts. He was a life-long member of Smyrna Presbyterian Church, and a former elder. After graduation from Bush River High School in 1944, he served in the Navy during WWII on the heavy cruiser USS Los Angeles. His favorite war-time memory was discovering his best friend, Marine Pete Boozer, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on the deck of the troopship USS Gen. J. C. Breckinridge to which Harold had been assigned when the war ended. Harold and his daughter Jenny participated with other South Carolina WWII veterans on the Honor Flight trip to Washington DC in April 2012. On February 11, 1947, he married Hazel Ballentine. That same year he became a partner with his father, working on the family cotton farm. Soon afterward, Harold and Hazel bought ten Holstein cows, which they milked by hand. In 1954 they built a small dairy complete with two used milking machines, and purchased their first 70 acres of farm land. By the late 1960s, they had established Bel-Ivy Farms, milking dairy cattle, raising beef cattle, and planting row crops. Harold received numerous farm awards over the years for beef, forage, dairy Holstein, soybean, and wheat production. In 1961, Harold and Hazel were named the Newberry Young Farm Family of the Year. He was named the 2000 Commercial Cattleman of the Year by the SC Cattlemen's Association, the 2001 Pioneer Agriculturalist by the citizens of Newberry County, after being nominated by then 16 year-old Jimmie Lee Shaw, and the 2003 Lancaster/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern South Carolina Farmer of the Year. He was a member of the Bush River Young Farmers, the Newberry County Cattlemen's Association, and the Newberry County Soil and Water Conservation District. He was a former president and honorary lifetime board member of the Newberry County Farm Bureau. He served on the Newberry Electric Cooperative Board of Directors for 32 years. Harold enjoyed beach trips with family and friends, annual Farm Bureau Conventions, and fall dove shoots. He looked forward to attending Clemson football games and tailgating with Hazel and their friends. Most of all Harold loved farming, especially spring planting, which he did for over 70 years. He was happiest on the tractor or the combine, and his greatest trial was breaking his hip in April 2016, which ended his ability to actively farm. Up until his final illness, he managed his farm daily from his wheel chair. David and Alain Dennis granted his final wish by giving him a tour of his crops and cattle a few days before his death. Surviving are his daughter, Jenny Strickland (Don) of Greer, SC; grandsons Nathanael Strickland (Monica) of Lumberton, TX, and Thomas Strickland of Simpsonville, SC; great-grandchildren Daphne, Charlotte, and Robert Strickland; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents; his wife Hazel in 2015; and his brothers and sisters and their spouses: William and Juanita Pitts, Van and Sarah Walton, Mac and Dot Buford, and T.D. and Mary Pitts. His family thanks many in his community, in his church, and on his farm for their friendship, support, and service over the years, especially the Wade Pitts family, the Cindy Pitts family; the Pete Boozer family; the Lee and Jimmie Lee Shaw families; the David and Alain Dennis families; the Henry Longshore family; members of the Dove Club; his farm employees who gave him decades of hard work; and his home care givers from whom he received loving care - Cynthia, Sandy, Kendrall, Anntonett, and Nancy. Visitation will be Tuesday, June 27, 5:30 pm-7:30 pm at Whitaker Funeral Home. Funeral services will be Wednesday, June 28 at 6:00 PM at Smyrna Presbyterian Church conducted by Rev. Dan Ratchford. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Active pallbearers will be Lee Shaw, Jimmie Lee Shaw, David Dennis, Alain Dennis, Obie Long, Donnie Crawford, Terry Longshore, and Thomas Strickland. Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. Stanley Baker, Fred Ballentine, Bob Bannister, Neel Boozer, Pete Boozer, Mike Brehmer, Bobby Greene, Craig Kesler, Johnnie Pitts, Wade Pitts, Walter Pitts, John Ringer, Milton Senn, Sedley Senn, Andrew Shealy, members of the Dove Club, and past and present members of the Board of Newberry Electric Coop Inc. Memorials may be sent to Smyrna Presbyterian Church, 32 Smyrna Rd., Newberry, SC 29108. Whitaker Funeral Home of Newberry is assisting the family.