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tree
planted in memory of Lloyd Charles Vickery Jr.
Obituary for Lloyd Charles Vickery Jr.
Retired Barnwell fire chief Lloyd Charles Vickery Jr., 91, of Barnwell, died peacefully in his sleep at home on Friday, March 20, 2020.
A graveside service officiated by Rev. Bart Kelley and Rev. Mark Epperson will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 23, 2020 at the Barnwell United Methodist Church Cemetery on Hagood Avenue. Masonic Rites will be accorded. Visitation will follow. A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date.
Born on July 12, 1928, Lloyd was the only child of Lloyd Charles Sr. and Anna Willie Mims Vickery. He was a life-long resident of Barnwell.
On December 11, 1949, Lloyd married the flame of his life, Imogene Hartzog Vickery. They were married for 65 years until her death in 2015.
Known as “Shorty” or “Chief” to many in the community, Lloyd dedicated his life to helping his community.
He was a member of the Barnwell City Fire Department, which was started by his family in 1919. He started with the department as a volunteer firefighter in 1942 while still in school and was appointed Assistant Fire Chief in 1972. In 1979 he became the third member of his family to become Fire Chief, although he was the department’s first paid chief. He retired in 1994 after 52 years of service.
During his tenure as chief, Lloyd went above and beyond his expected responsibilities through his concern for his fellow firefighters and citizens. His actions and guidance led to a greater community awareness of the importance of adequate training and knowledge in preventing injuries and destruction due to fire.
Some of his local accomplishments include: establishing a strong fire prevention awareness program for school children, enlarging the fire station, obtaining new equipment and fire trucks, implementing training sessions for all volunteer firemen to become S.C. State Certified Interior Firefighters, lowering insurance ratings for city residents through improvements/upgrades of fire equipment and personnel training, and establishing pre-planned operating procedures for various situations to provide quick and consistent response from the department. At the age of 60, he completed the certified training as a South Carolina Interior Structure Firefighter, Pump Operations, and Emergency Vehicle Driver Training.
His impact also helped people outside of Barnwell. Some accomplishments include: implementing the city/county mutual aid fire response agreements with surrounding departments, assisting in the development of the Barnwell County Fire Commission to ensure adequate fire coverage across the county, acting as county coordinator for the “Get Alarmed, South Carolina” program that installed smoke detectors in the homes of needy families, and assisting in establishing an aluminum can collection project in the county to raise money for the Children’s Burn Unit at the Medical University in Charleston.
On the state level, Lloyd was a member of many organizations, including serving 10 years on the S.C. Firefighters’ Association’s legislative committee where he helped lobby for improvement of conditions/operations for firemen throughout the state. He was also a state certified resident fire marshall and assisted in the formation of the Lower State Firemen’s Association, in which he served as its first president.
In recognition of his accomplishments, he received the S.C. State Firefighters’ Association’s James B. Murphy “Fireman of the Year Award in 1990 and was inducted into the Association’s Hall of Fame in 2000.
In addition to his service as a firefighter, Lloyd was a farmer and operated Vickery Oil Company for many years. He was a long-time member of Barnwell First Baptist Church. He was also a member of Harmony Lodge #17 for 70 years, the Scottish Rite for over 60 years, and Omar Temple for over 60 years.
Known as “Dede” to his beloved grandchildren, he lit up when he talked about his family. He loved spending time with family and friends, especially fishing trips to Florida, outings on Lake Murray, and telling stories of days gone by. His grandchildren will miss those delicious fried fish and hushpuppies he always cooked for fish fry suppers and the annual Hess truck scavenger hunts at Christmas. They will also miss his stories of days gone by and his lessons in “Vickery-rigging” to get anything to work, even if it wasn’t in conventional ways.
In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by a grandson, Lloyd Charles "Little Charles" Vickery IV of Barnwell.
Survivors include one son, Lloyd Charles (Sharon) Vickery III of Barnwell; one daughter, Carla Ann (Mark) Eggl of Greenville; three grandchildren, Ashley (Michael) Talbot of Greenville, Stephen Eggl of Greenville and Jonathan Vickery of Barnwell; great-granddaughter, Charlotte Ann “Charlie” Talbot of Greenville; and his four-legged companion Evie.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (225 N. Michigan Avenue, 17th Floor, Chicago, IL 60601) or Shriners Hospitals for Children (950 W. Faris Road, Greenville, S.C. 29605).
The family is especially grateful to caregivers Carol Jones, Caroline Wilson and Grace Creech for their love and support over the last five years.
Mole Funeral Home of Barnwell is in charge of arrangements. Sign the online guestbook at molefh.com.
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A graveside service officiated by Rev. Bart Kelley and Rev. Mark Epperson will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 23, 2020 at the Barnwell United Methodist Church Cemetery on Hagood Avenue. Masonic Rites will be accorded. Visitation will follow. A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date.
Born on July 12, 1928, Lloyd was the only child of Lloyd Charles Sr. and Anna Willie Mims Vickery. He was a life-long resident of Barnwell.
On December 11, 1949, Lloyd married the flame of his life, Imogene Hartzog Vickery. They were married for 65 years until her death in 2015.
Known as “Shorty” or “Chief” to many in the community, Lloyd dedicated his life to helping his community.
He was a member of the Barnwell City Fire Department, which was started by his family in 1919. He started with the department as a volunteer firefighter in 1942 while still in school and was appointed Assistant Fire Chief in 1972. In 1979 he became the third member of his family to become Fire Chief, although he was the department’s first paid chief. He retired in 1994 after 52 years of service.
During his tenure as chief, Lloyd went above and beyond his expected responsibilities through his concern for his fellow firefighters and citizens. His actions and guidance led to a greater community awareness of the importance of adequate training and knowledge in preventing injuries and destruction due to fire.
Some of his local accomplishments include: establishing a strong fire prevention awareness program for school children, enlarging the fire station, obtaining new equipment and fire trucks, implementing training sessions for all volunteer firemen to become S.C. State Certified Interior Firefighters, lowering insurance ratings for city residents through improvements/upgrades of fire equipment and personnel training, and establishing pre-planned operating procedures for various situations to provide quick and consistent response from the department. At the age of 60, he completed the certified training as a South Carolina Interior Structure Firefighter, Pump Operations, and Emergency Vehicle Driver Training.
His impact also helped people outside of Barnwell. Some accomplishments include: implementing the city/county mutual aid fire response agreements with surrounding departments, assisting in the development of the Barnwell County Fire Commission to ensure adequate fire coverage across the county, acting as county coordinator for the “Get Alarmed, South Carolina” program that installed smoke detectors in the homes of needy families, and assisting in establishing an aluminum can collection project in the county to raise money for the Children’s Burn Unit at the Medical University in Charleston.
On the state level, Lloyd was a member of many organizations, including serving 10 years on the S.C. Firefighters’ Association’s legislative committee where he helped lobby for improvement of conditions/operations for firemen throughout the state. He was also a state certified resident fire marshall and assisted in the formation of the Lower State Firemen’s Association, in which he served as its first president.
In recognition of his accomplishments, he received the S.C. State Firefighters’ Association’s James B. Murphy “Fireman of the Year Award in 1990 and was inducted into the Association’s Hall of Fame in 2000.
In addition to his service as a firefighter, Lloyd was a farmer and operated Vickery Oil Company for many years. He was a long-time member of Barnwell First Baptist Church. He was also a member of Harmony Lodge #17 for 70 years, the Scottish Rite for over 60 years, and Omar Temple for over 60 years.
Known as “Dede” to his beloved grandchildren, he lit up when he talked about his family. He loved spending time with family and friends, especially fishing trips to Florida, outings on Lake Murray, and telling stories of days gone by. His grandchildren will miss those delicious fried fish and hushpuppies he always cooked for fish fry suppers and the annual Hess truck scavenger hunts at Christmas. They will also miss his stories of days gone by and his lessons in “Vickery-rigging” to get anything to work, even if it wasn’t in conventional ways.
In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by a grandson, Lloyd Charles "Little Charles" Vickery IV of Barnwell.
Survivors include one son, Lloyd Charles (Sharon) Vickery III of Barnwell; one daughter, Carla Ann (Mark) Eggl of Greenville; three grandchildren, Ashley (Michael) Talbot of Greenville, Stephen Eggl of Greenville and Jonathan Vickery of Barnwell; great-granddaughter, Charlotte Ann “Charlie” Talbot of Greenville; and his four-legged companion Evie.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (225 N. Michigan Avenue, 17th Floor, Chicago, IL 60601) or Shriners Hospitals for Children (950 W. Faris Road, Greenville, S.C. 29605).
The family is especially grateful to caregivers Carol Jones, Caroline Wilson and Grace Creech for their love and support over the last five years.
Mole Funeral Home of Barnwell is in charge of arrangements. Sign the online guestbook at molefh.com.
To plant a tree in memory of Lloyd Charles Vickery Jr., visit the Tribute Store.
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