Elaine Crider Ferrell, 84, of Columbia, passed away peacefully on Friday, September 20, 2024, at Still Hopes, in Cayce, South Carolina.

Elaine was the daughter of David Hilliard Crider and Mary Agnes Ezekiel Crider of the Sunny Plains Community of Calhoun County. She graduated from St. Matthews High School where she had been president of her sophomore class, and then enrolled at Columbia Commercial College where she met her future husband, Robert V. Ferrell, who was also a student there. After her graduation, Elaine began her career with the State of South Carolina when she joined the staff of the South Carolina Service Bureau. She later moved on to the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department where she remained until she retired after a thirty-year career in state government. During her years working in state government, Elaine was active in the Columbia Council of Career Women and held several offices in that organization.

Elaine was an inveterate traveler to places both near and far away. The mountains of North Carolina held a special attraction for her, and she often combined trips there with her passion for antiques, which she enjoyed collecting. Cooking special meals was also a favorite activity and she and Robert enjoyed playing doubles tennis with other couples. In her retirement years, she traveled abroad to visit exotic spots around the world, including Spain, China, Italy, and Mexico.

Elaine is survived by her husband of sixty-four years, Robert V. Ferrell, retired CPA, of West Columbia; her sister Virginia C. Inman, of Columbia; and niece Denise MacMillan, of Asheville, North Carolina.

Elaine's funeral service will be conducted at Thompson Funeral Home, 4720 Augusta Road, Lexington, South Carolina, on Monday September 23, 2024. Visitation begins at 1:00 PM and the service will follow at 2:00 PM. Burial will be at Southland Memorial Gardens, 820 W. Dunbar Road, West Columbia, South Carolina.