ARCHIE H. CHANDLER JR.

Mr. Archie H. Chandler Jr. passed away on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at The Foothills Retirement Community in Easley. A Celebration of Life for Archie will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, at Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church, 4544 St. Charles Road, Bishopville, with the Rev. Michael Sorrell officiating. The family will receive friends in Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall immediately following the service. The directors of Hancock-Elmore-Hill Funeral Home of Bishopville are caring for the family.
Born in Florence, Archie was the son of the late Archie H. Chandler Sr. and the late Marie LaCoste Chandler. Archie attended Bishopville High School and Clemson University. He enjoyed working for Carolina Eastern Inc. for over 40 years. Archie was heavily involved with his church, Mt Zion Presbyterian, where he was a member for 74 years. Archie had many roles at the church including serving as a deacon, elder and treasurer of the Mt. Zion Church and Cemetery Trust. He also had a passion for making sure that the church's history was recognized and preserved. He was instrumental in the restoration of the 125-year-old Session House of the church and having it recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. Archie was recently named as an elder emeritus at the church for his many years of faithful service. Archie also had a passion for his community in Lee County. He served on the Lee County Hospital Board, was a member of the Lee County Arts Council, The Clemson Alumni Association, and he served as president of the Matthew Singleton Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. He also served on the board of Robert E. Lee Academy, the board of the South Carolina Plant Society and the board of the Lee County United Way. As a personal interest, Archie enjoyed being around the men and women at the Shaw Air Force Base. He served as a member of the Sumter/Shaw Community Relations Council. In 2007 The Chandler Deployment Center at Shaw Air Force Base was named for him and his wife for their 30 years of service to the men and women at the base. He enjoyed hosting many of the officers and enlisted men to dove shoots and quail hunts on his property. Archie was an avid hunter and Clemson fan. You could always count on him to be looking forward to dove, deer and quail season. He was known to be a great shot! He also loved Clemson and watching the ball games. Above all, Archie loved his family. Archie was known to be a Southern gentleman by all. He always showed hospitality to those around him and never met a stranger.
Archie is survived by his wife of 63 years, Anna Phillips Chandler; his son Archie "Trey" Chandler III (Norma) of Greenville; and his grandchildren, Madeline Howard (Parker), Mary Gragg (Jacob) and Matthew Chandler; and his great-granddaughter, Mary Charlotte Howard (Madeline and Parker).
Memorials may be made in Archie's name to Mount Zion Presbyterian Church care of Don Mathis, Treasurer, 145 Coopers Mill Road, Bishopville, SC 29010. The family wishes to thank the staff at The Bridge at Foothills Retirement Community in Easley and Bathsheba Floyd for their loving care over the past year.