Jasper Marshall Dye II

Beloved father, husband and business pioneer Jasper Marshall Dye II, peacefully passed away at age 92 on March 10, 2020 at his home in Greenville, South Carolina. He was surrounded by his children and loving caregivers.

Marshall was born on Jan 18th, 1928 in Westpoint, Mississippi to parents Jasper Marshall Dye Sr. and Dorothy Ligon Dye.

Marshall enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and became a Sonar Specialist assigned to the USS Spokane, a Juneau-Class Cruiser, hunting submarines in the Asiatic Pacific Campaign of WWII. He was called back into service as a Sonar Instructor during the Korean War, teaching submarine hunting skills to newly enlisted sailors.

Marshall graduated with an MBA from The University of Mississippi and married Barbara Nell Miller on March 3rd of 1956.

Marshall was well respected for his leadership and vision in the group insurance industry. He started his career at Provident Life and Accident, now UNUM, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before moving to Greenville, South Carolina in 1966.

Marshall was known for his work ethic, high expectations and no-nonsense approach to business affairs, but he always held a deep commitment to his family and employees as well as a dedication to helping people in their time of need. 

He is best remembered as the trailblazing executive responsible for expanding Provident Life and Accident into the Carolinas providing health insurance coverage and administration to almost all of the major textile and manufacturing firms in South Carolina, including Michelin North America, Regal Textile, Bowater, Alice Manufacturing, Spartan Mills, and more. Marshall built Provident’s Textile Industry medical claims and service center at 250 Commonwealth Drive in the Patewood Medical Center in Greenville, SC employing over 120 administrative personnel.

In 1980, Marshall worked closely with Mr. Roger Milliken, CEO of Milliken & Company, to design and implement one of the country’s first voluntary payroll deducted employee benefit programs. 

In 1990 at age 62, Marshall retired from Provident and formed Carolina Benefit Corporation.

Soon after, Provident began to exit the Major Medical market. Marshall began placing his large group business with Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC and quickly became recognized in his new role as Broker. 

In 2007 in London, England, Marshall was honored by Mr. Edward Sellers, then CEO, now Chairman of Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina where Mr. Sellers stated at a gathering at the Royal Courts of Justice that “many of BCBS of SC’s best practices were learned from Marshall Dye.”

Over his 40-year career, Marshall received numerous industry awards and is considered to be one of the most important figures in the creation of the voluntary employee benefits segment of the insurance industry.

Marshall quietly supported his community of Greenville, South Carolina with anonymous donations to charities and individuals in need. His favorite organizations were Boy’s Town, a nonprofit providing assistance to the orphaned or abandoned, and Meals on Wheels, providing warm food to the shut in and elderly. 

Marshall was preceded in death by his loving wife Barbara, and is survived by two children, J. Marshall Dye III "Jay", Barbara Teresa Dye, along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

Family, friends, and others whose lives Marshall touched are invited for a viewing and funeral service at the Thomas McAfee Chapel, 639 N. Main Street, Greenville, SC. The viewing will be held on Sunday, March 15th beginning at 6:30 P.M. 

The funeral service will be held on Monday, March 16th at the Thomas McAfee Funeral Home at 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Burial service will take place at Springwood Cemetery, 410 N Main Street, Greenville, SC. directly following the service. 

Upon conclusion of the burial service, a reception will take place from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. in the event space next to Roost restaurant located at 220 North Main Street Greenville, SC 29601. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served as we celebrate and remember the life of Jasper Marshall Dye II. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Alzheimer’s Association, 123 W Antrim Dr, Greenville, SC 29607, link below: https://alz.org/sc