Charles L. Appleby

Florence, SC – Charles L. Appleby, Jr., a resident of The Manor in Florence, SC, died on November 2, 2021 at The Manor.  He was 98.   He was born in St. George, SC on April 6, 1923, a son of Dr. Charles L. Appleby, Sr. and Wehme Gavin Appleby.

During WWII, Mr. Appleby was a Navy shipfitter 1st class and participated in the Normandy Invasion in June 1944 aboard the USS Atlas, part of the D-Day battleship group.  The ship remained off Omaha Beach for another 10 days, repairing ships and rescuing troops, before returning to England where it had been docked for two months prior to the invasion.

He attended Clemson College prior to World War II.  After he returned, he attended the University of South Carolina.

Mr. Appleby retired from the Giant Portland Cement Co. in March, 1990, after thirty-one years working for the wholesale cement company as a manufacturer’s representative.

He may be best remembered for his role in developing the Republican Party in South Carolina and his dedication to the community of Florence.

He served as chair of the 6th District Republican Party from 1980 to 1991 and was a delegate to four Republican National Conventions.

He was the recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian award, and the Boy Scouts’ Silver Beaver Award.    He served on the Board of Trustees for the Medical University of South Carolina.

Appleby also served on the Governor’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Advisory Council, Florence Housing Authority, (Chair), National Advisory Council of Small Business Administration, SC Aeronautics Commission and the S.C. Board of Pharmacy.   He was active with the Big Brothers, State Home Builders Association, the Lions Club, Boy Scouts and Junior Chamber of Commerce.

He was a member of the Christian Family Sunday School Class at Central United Methodist Church and a former member of St. Paul United Methodist Church, both in Florence. His love of the St. George Cemetery was evident by his donations of the fence surrounding it and the flagpole. 

He was predeceased by his wife, Betty Lundy Appleby who died in 2005, and his brother Dr. J. Gavin Appleby who died in 1990.

Surviving are his children, Charles L. Appleby, III and his wife Pam of Columbia, SC and his daughter Jean Appleby Johnson and her husband Charles of Orr’s Island, Maine; three grandchildren: Charles L. Appleby, IV of Columbia, Stephen D. Jackson, Jr. and his wife Nicole and William B. Jackson, all of Washington, DC.

A family burial will be at the St. George Cemetery in St. George, SC. Arrangements are being handled by Bryant Funeral Home in St. George.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Mr. Appleby’s memory can be made to the historical Appleby’s Church in St. George, c/o Mrs. Margaret Appleby Myers, 201 Ridge Street, St. George, SC  29477, or to a charity of your choice. 

Messages of condolence may be sent to Charles L. Appleby, III, 413 Turkey Pointe Circle, Columbia, SC 29223 or Jean Appleby Johnson, 74 Back Shore Lane, Orr’s Island, Maine 04066.

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