Leonard Carl Womble, Jr.

Leonard Carl Womble, Jr., 80, of Hampton, S.C. died Sunday, July 29, 2018.  Born in Charleston, S.C., he was the eldest child of the late Leonard Carl, Sr. and Vivian Trussell Womble.  Carl fondly recalled his early youth in Savannah, Georgia as a member of the "Knot Hole Gang" at Daffin Park, selling newspapers at the corner of Abercorn and Victory Drive, buying groceries at City Market, taking the train to Savannah Beach and golfing at Mary Calder Golf Club.  With the opening of the Savannah River Plant in the early 1950s, his family moved to Fairfax, S.C., where he enjoyed hunting and fishing, along with golfing at Fairdale Country Club.

Carl was among the last graduates of Fairfax High School, Class of '56, where he played football.  With their father, a sign painter, he and his brothers helped supply hand-lettered advertising on buildings and vehicles in the area.  He also worked at the bus station and as a life guard at Tuten's swimming pool.  While still in high school, he joined the South Carolina National Guard in Allendale, S.C., eventually retiring as a Master Sergeant after 33 years, principally in Hampton.

After high school, Carl enlisted in the United States Air Force, especially enjoying his posting in England at RAF Greenham Common.  He returned stateside to work for International Harvester in Charleston, then on to Cocoa Beach, Florida to join the Guided Missile Range Division of Pan American World Airways.  With Pan Am, he served as a civilian supply officer on the USNS Coastal Sentry, a NASA tracking ship, gaining treasured memories of Japan, Australia, South Africa and Ascension Island.

Later, he owned the Alamo Plaza Motel near Statesboro, Georgia before joining the Hampton County (S.C.) Assessor's Office, from which he retired after 18 years as the second assessor in the county's history.  As assessor, he combined his love of people with his artistic talent, both helpful as the county transitioned from paper to electronic records.  Carl loved his farm in Hickory Grove, where he tended plants and animals with tender loving care.  He looked forward to early-morning breakfasts with friends at the Hampton Restaurant and late-morning sessions at the Olympic Gym.

Carl was a member of Harmony Presbyterian Church in Crocketville, S.C., where he served as Sunday school teacher, deacon and elder, and where he and his wife wed in 1972.  He was also a member of the Crocketville Masonic Lodge and the Hampton County Historical Society.

Survivors include his wife, Ann Chisolm Womble; son, Carl Lister Womble; two brothers, George Ronald Womble (Barbara) and Herbert Brooke Womble (Gail); two sisters, Marta Lynn Buchman (George) and Brenda Sue Hnatko (Joseph); two nephews, John Leonard Womble (Mary) and Lawton Rutledge Connor; two nieces, Vivian Kate Strickland (Jeff) and Kathryn Way Connor; and two great-nephews.  He was predeceased by his parents and a nephew, Herbie Womble.

The immediate family thanks the doctors, nurses and staff of Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia, S.C. for their dedication and support.

Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 1, 2018 at Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home in Hampton.  The funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 2, 2018 at Harmony Presbyterian Church in Crocketville, with burial immediately following in the Crocketville & Presbyterian Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to Harmony Presbyterian Church, 3897 Bamberg Highway, Hampton, SC 29924; Crocketville & Presbyterian Cemetery Association, PO Box 158, Hampton, SC 29924; and Hampton County Historical Society, PO Box 152, Hampton, SC 29924.