Gerald "Jerry" Calvin Rawls returned to his Heavenly Father on August 22.  He was 79 years old.

He is preceded in death by his father, Joseph "Joe" Allen Rawls and mother, Vivian D. Redmond.  He is survived by his wife, Katia and son, Allan Rawls of Brazil; former wife, Peggy and their children, Rusty (Teresa) Rawls and Jeannie Rawls Moore; sisters, Joanne Famiano and Jackie Rawls, and brother and best friend, Allen "A.C." Rawls. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Timothy Jerry "TJ" Lee, Brantley Rawls Hicks, Levi Tucker Moore, Jaden Taylor Moore, Chelsea Rawls and BrayLee Rawls; eight great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Jerry was a US Navy Veteran and served during the Vietnam War on a ship in the South Pacific. The Navy is where he learned part of his trade as a Boiler Technician and after his service as an Industrial Electrician with Fluor.  Little did he know at the time that these trades would take him around the globe to work in many US Foreign Embassies and Consulates.  After his time ended with foreign missions, he met and made many friends working in Nuclear Power Plant Outages and Projects. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, pit barbequing, cooking and gardening. As an avid fan of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, he looked forward to every football and baseball season.  He was always willing to lend a helping hand to others and he found pleasure in working on many projects.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, September 9 at 1:30 pm at Thompson Funeral Home at Greenlawn, 845 Leesburg Road, Columbia, SC 29209. Burial will be at Fort Jackson National Cemetery at 3:00 pm.