Charles R. Sanders, Jr.

OBITUARY WITH PHOTO – Charles R. Sanders, Jr. COLUMBIA – A memorial service celebrating the life of Charles R. Sanders, Jr. will be held at 12:00 Noon on Wednesday, January 2, 2019, at Centennial Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1413 Laurel St, Columbia, SC 29201. Pastor Jeremiah Thomas will officiate. Woodridge Funeral Home of Lexington is assisting the family. Charles R. Sanders Jr. was born in St. Matthews, S.C. on December 23, 1926. He was the son of Annie Lula Keller Sanders and Charles R Sanders Sr. As a small child, he lived in many South Carolina small towns (Hardeeville, Belton, Pickens and St. Matthews). He moved to Columbia at age 6, and grew up in the Shandon neighborhood, attending Schneider and Hand schools. As an eighth grader, he played in the Dreher High School band. In 1939, the family was transferred to McCormick, and he graduated from McCormick High, serving as class Valedictorian. He entered the University of South Carolina in 1943, and was a journalism major. At USC, he played drums in the band, was a sports editor of The Gamecock student newspaper, secretary of Clariosophic Literary Society, a member of Pi Kappa Phi social fraternity, was elected sophomore class president and was named to Blue Key national honor fraternity. After graduation from USC, he joined The Columbia Record afternoon newspaper, rising to the position of Managing Editor. In Columbia, he was a member of the Jaycees and President of the Eastern Columbia Lions Club. He was married to the late Frances Earle Halford of Johnston for 55 years. They have a daughter, Annie Frances (Fran) Sanders Perdue, and two sons, Charles R. Sanders III and James Gordon Halford Sanders. They have five granddaughters, two great granddaughters and 2 great grandsons. He was a member of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian denomination for many years, serving as a deacon and elder at Greenwood First ARP, Sherwood Forest ARP and Centennial ARP in Columbia. He left the newspaper to organize a Public Relation/Governmental Affairs department At Greenwood Mills in Greenwood, S.C. In Greenwood, he served as President of the area United Way and as/President of the Greenwood County Chamber of Commerce. Sanders served for 16 years on the state’s Probation, Parole and Pardon board, the last three as Chairman. He received the highest honor in South Carolina, The Order of The Palmetto. His last position was as a public relations professor at USC. Friends and family may sign the online guest book at www.woodridgefuneralhome.com