5
trees
planted in memory of Stephen Hayes Pack
Obituary for Stephen Hayes Pack
Stephen Hayes Pack, 72, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Sunday October 4, 2020, peacefully in the comfort of his home.
Born in Old Hickory, Tennessee on December 26, 1947, “Pappy” was the son of the late Richard Hayes Pack and Erma Dell Blackburn Pack, and he was the brother of the late Richard Terry Pack. He moved to Barnwell, South Carolina in 1952, making it his home to raise his family for the next 67 years. He retired from the Savannah River Site in October 2005 with 30 years of employment. He was a member of the Ellenton Agriculture Club and the Barnwell Mason’s Harmony Lodge #17 He was a faithful member of First Baptist Church and Hagood Avenue Baptist Church. Throughout his life he was a loving son, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, and coach. He was the beloved husband to Lillian Mell Carter Pack for 52 years.
Pappy was a loving man with many passions. He lived life to the fullest, he never met a stranger, and he brought a smile to everyone who met him.
In addition to his loving wife, he is survived by his three sons, Edwin Joel Pack (Aiken, South Carolina), Richard Noel Pack (Lexington, South Carolina), and Travis Layfette Pack (Greenville, North Carolina); two daughters-in-law, Heather Riddle Pack (Aiken, South Carolina) and Erica Spitzer Pack (Lexington, South Carolina); two granddaughters Sydney Heather Pack (Lexington, South Carolina) and Chloe Hayes Pack (Aiken, South Carolina); two grandsons Brandon Carter Pack (Lexington, South Carolina) and Jacob Camden Pack (Greenville, North Carolina); two sisters-in-law, Cindy Gardner Pack (Oak Ridge, Tennessee) and Ann Templeton Carter (Greenville, South Carolina); brother-in-law, Starling Edwin Carter Jr. (Greenvillle, South Carolina); and the following nieces and nephews: Misty Pack Skvoretz (Charlotte, North Carolina), Russell Terry Pack (Oak Ridge, Tennessee), Starling Edwin Carter III (Greenville, South Carolina) and April Carter Nolan (Reidville, South Carolina).
Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 9, 2020 at 11:00AM in Hagood Avenue Baptist Church with Rev. Ken Catoe and Rev. David Turner officiating. Graveside services will follow in the Barnwell County Memory Gardens on Reynolds Rd. The family will greet guest outside the church one hour prior to the service. Due to Covid-19 guest are asked to use social distancing. For those unable to attend in the church, the service will be broadcast on 96.1FM for cars in the parking lot and also on Hagood Avenue Baptist face book page.
The family would also like to thank the many healthcare providers who took such good care of our Pappy over the past four years.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hagood Avenue Baptist Church, 1144 Hagood Avenue, Barnwell, SC 29812.
Steven Hayes Pack
December 26th, 1947-Oct 4th, 2020
The following is a life story of Steve Pack (aka daddy, aka pappy, aka Papa Steve, aka Pacman) …. through the eyes of his sons: Joel, Noel, and Travis. We realize that we are definitely leaving out some folks that were dear friends and some that meant a lot to Dad, but we had to narrow it down to the stories that stuck out to us as a reflection of his life.
Dad was born in 1947 in Old Hickory, Tennessee the son of Richard Hayes Pack and Erma Dell Blackburn Pack. He moved to Barnwell when he was 5 years old. Even though he grew up during tough times, he often spoke affectionately of growing up in Peach Tree Gardens. He talked of playing sports and getting into trouble with Danny McCants, Wendy Paulk, and his cousins Betty Carol Agee Unrue and Herbie Agee. Friends would meet at his house to eat breakfast each morning and then walk to school. Granny Pack was an awesome cook and dad loved to eat. As rumor has it, many kids were jealous of dad because his mom made him a real hamburger for lunch every day.
Dad played quarterback on the junior high football team. Just recently he received a letter from Coach Earney wishing him well and saying that dad was the best quarterback he ever coached. When dad played JV football, he would play on W.W. Carter Field on Thursday nights and then march with the band on Friday nights. He was a very proud member of the Scarlet Knights Band, which won the National Championship for Marching Bands at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. in 1963. After they won the Championship, his mother found a church in Washington D.C. to attend that Sunday before heading home so he could keep his consecutive Sunday school attendance streak going. Hagood Avenue Baptist Church and the people there were like his second home. Baseball was his favorite sport growing up. We remember seeing newspaper clippings that Granny Pack saved with high school and summer ball showing batting averages over .600. One of his favorite people ever was the late Coach Gwynne Hupfer. Coach Hupfer wrote in his senior annual…” To Steve, the only player I ever coached that could hit a deep fly ball to centerfield and had to slide to make it safely into first base.”
After high school, family became dad’s biggest passion. There was no one on earth that dad looked up to more than his big brother, our uncle Terry. To be honest he idolized Uncle Terry, so we did a lot with his family. Dad always had nice handwriting. He said he was trying to keep up with Aunt Cindy. Aunt Cindy was also responsible for one of his most embarrassing moments. Dad was a universal blood donor and Barnwell Hospital would call him frequently to donate blood. Earlier in the day, dad tried to convince Aunt Cindy to use her Beauty School talents to put a perm in his hair. She was able to persuade him to do a fake perm that would only last a short time so he could decide if he really wanted one. In the middle of the night the phone rang and the hospital was calling. Dad threw on his clothes quickly and drove to the hospital only to be welcomed by intense laughter. Wearing Dozens of yellow hair doodles he realized that he had slept on his side and his hair was a sight, all to help someone that he did not even know. Dad also loved riding motorcycles. He had too many to remember them all, but never let us have one. Uncle Starr (mom’s brother) was his early riding partner. He loved riding with you, until you wrecked one day, and our grandfather found out. They both were working for him at Carter Furniture Store at the time. He was quick to tell them both, “do not come back to work until you have sold the bikes.” At our family Christmas party each year he would make sure we all knew that he was first in line for Aunt Ann’s egg salad. Dad has two nieces, Misty Pack Skvoretz and April Carter Nolan along with two nephews Rusty Pack and Stacy Carter…he loved you all like his own.
Growing up on Main Street meant living next to The Smiths. Bill and Deloris were more than neighbors. They were a family that mom and dad looked up too as well. Sonja Smith Brown was the best babysitter ever and even though dad idolized his brother Terry, he always wanted to be like Bobby Smith. We would have to agree, he was pretty cool. Our fondest memories of main street were of dad putting us on his bike, one in front and one behind him, latching two belts together, and strapping us on for a bike ride. He also helped us turn mom’s swing set into a back stop for our back-yard baseball diamond. We had the house that all the kids came too. One day Roger Riley used a small trampoline to dunk a basketball and broke the goal off the backboard. We were all nervous as to what dad was going to say. When he pulled in the driveway from work and saw the goal, he went straight to garage and picked up his ladder. He then proceeded to take down the goal, flip it over, drill holes in the top and attached the goal back to the top. From then on, we played basketball with what looked to be a bite taken out of the top of the goal. We laughed about that one for years. He never owned anything that duct tape would not fix. One New Year’s Eve we begged him for fireworks. When our mom ran us outside at 5 minutes till twelve, Dad was hiding at the end of the yard and unloaded his favorite shotgun, one that his father had given him, into the air. He told us that no kids in Barnwell had fireworks that good. Christmas time always meant gag gifts and riddles to figure out how to find our hidden presents.
Another passion of dad’s was hunting. He loved bird hunting with Mr. Wes Westmoreland. He was the best man at Mr. Westmoreland’s wedding. Mr. Wes and Mrs. Judy are also our God Parents. One evening, dad took Noel hunting with him and a deer walked out. After a few minutes of looking at the deer through his scope, dad put his gun down and said, “I can’t shoot.” He made Noel promise not to tell Mr. Wes. He would go hunting many more times, but never shot a deer until later in life. Mr. Wes, he just simply wanted to be with you. Wayne and Brenda Browning were also friends of mom and dads that withstood the test of time.
Every man needs a sense of purpose in his life. Mr. Donnie Pender provided that for dad. In 1979 Mr. Pender asked dad to help him coach. Together they won championships almost every year in football and baseball from our 3rd to 8th grade years. Dad would later become Mr. Pender’s neighbor for the last 25 years. They did everything together; South Carolina football games, family vacations, and evenings sitting in the yard talking way past dark. Mr. Pender, dad loved you like a brother. We love you, Mrs. Sandy, and all the Pender’s. We will always remember you for giving dad a sense of purpose with the privilege of coaching with you, but more importantly, sharing your life with him.
A move to Sweetwater CC in 6th grade gave dad an opportunity for all his boys to join his passion for playing golf. His next sense of purpose would come from his good friend, Coach Chip Atkins. Dad was the volunteer assistant golf coach for Noel and Joel’s teams for 5 years, then another 4 for Travis, and even continued to coach for several more years with Coach Atkins b/c he simply loved being a coach. They won two golf state championships together. Golf was his love. He had way too many partners and golfing buddies to mention them all, but Larry Mattox, Hunter Valentine, Dee Norwood, Duncan Holiday, and Ed Corley were in his steady group. Sweetwater C.C. Club pro Johnny George invited dad to play in many pro-ams. Neighbors Ken Cook and Curt Holcombe both played many rounds with dad as well. His favorite place to play golf was the Melrose Club on Daufuskie Island. Our family spent many of days and vacations playing golf with Melrose Club pro’s and two of dad’s favorite people, Frankie Jones, and Mike Clark. Dad loved playing with everyone, but no one more than Uncle Roy. Roy Beasley was not our Uncle; he was just one of those people that meant something to you in your life. Dad really struggled when Uncle Roy passed a few years ago. My first thought this past Sunday morning was that Uncle Roy was already introducing his Huckleberry Steve to his regular game in Heaven.
Dad’s friends were important, but there was no doubt that he loved our friends and took pride in the respect they had for him. He always kept up with the success of our friends and all his former players on and off the field. York, Chris C., Chris B., Jared, Howie, John F., Bru, Britt, Blake, Bart, Warren, Owais, John D., Eddie, Brett, and Jim just to mention a few (there are hundreds more) …he kept up with everyone. Owais Khan and Kell Anderson would do drive by’s on Goss Lane after dark shooting bottle rockets at our house. One night their shot exploded just under the window next to his chair. He jumped up out of his chair, reached into his pocket and pulled out money and told us to go buy some bottle rockets to shoot back. This literally was the only time we ever remember him giving us money, but we have heard countless stories of him helping others that were in need. He knew we were blessed and had enough. He wanted us to grow up understanding the value of a dollar and earning what we had. He would always say that if he gave things to us, we would remain dependent on him, but if we learned to earn it ourselves, we would always have enough. A lesson he learned from his dad.
As mom and dad became empty nesters and approached their golden years, his love for motorcycles was rekindled. Trips to places like Daytona, Myrtle Beach, and Gatlinburg meant a closet full of Harley t-shirts. He loved riding with Donnie Pender, Bobby Smith, David Hughey, Tom Weeks, Gerald Moore, the late Bill DeFreest, and one of his best friends, Mr. Steen Pender. He used to say he really did not ride with Steen; he was always just trying to catch up. As dad became sick over the last few years, Mr. Steen was always there for him. Mr. Steen, we appreciate you being there for dad. He loved you like a brother. After riding was not an option, it was classic cars: Mustangs, and his latest, a 1971 Chevelle. He has told us 100 times that Ronnie Horton could drive a stick shift better than most people could drive an automatic, and everyone should have Mark Griffin build them a car. We literally spent an hour one day walking around that Chevelle with dad pointing out every detail.
After retiring from the Savannah River Site in 2005, the man that never went a day in his life without a job since he was 12 years old was unemployed for all but ½ of day. The day he retired he walked into the golf shop at Sweetwater C.C. and walked out with a job that he started the next day. Rivers Johnson hired him to cut greens at Sweetwater CC. He loved that job, and we are so thankful to Rivers for giving dad this opportunity, and once again, a sense of purpose. He would call us often and let us know when the course was looking good.
Dad was proud of many things in his life, but few more than the girls his boys chose to share the rest of their lives with. Erica, Heather, and Christine, our dad loved each of you more than you will ever know. There was never a word that came out of his mouth about each of you except utter love and respect. Dad’s love for these three special ladies is only trumped by his pride in his four grand kids. He beamed when talking about them all. When his oldest and first granddaughter Sydney showed a talent for playing multiple musical instruments by ear, he was quick to take credit for that. If he told us once he told us 1000 times that he was happy his batting abilities were passed down in the family; they just skipped a generation with his boys and went to his grandson Brandon. Those who had ever seen dad try to dance, or should we say shuffle, knew he was not much of a dancer. He was always in awe of his granddaughter and name sake Chloe Hayes with her amazing dancing abilities. The latest addition to the Pack family was Jacob. Born five years ago and just before dad became sick, Jacob gave him the most pride of all. On the way home from the hospital the day Jacob was born, dad cried with joy. He was so happy that all his boys would be able to experience being a father like he did.
Of all the great qualities in our dad the one that stood out the most was how respectful he was. Even as his health was failing over the past few years, he never lost his faith and was always respectful. In his last weeks when the pain was unbearable at times, he still found the courage to thank his many Doctors, Nurses, and other health care providers. He always thanked them no matter if what they had to do was unpleasant and used his manners with sir’s and ma’ams. A lesson he learned from his mother and father. A lesson he taught us, and a lesson that we teach our kids today. We can still hear him saying, “Look someone in the eyes, and shake their hand like you mean it when you meet them”.
Dad was a great friend, an even better father, and loved being a grandfather most of all, but of all his titles, Husband was his biggest honor. He was a faithful loving husband for 52 years. He attended mom’s Sweet 16 Birthday Party when he had not even been invited (because he wanted to see the band that was playing). Mom, even with a terminal illness he took care of you each day. When he said his vows, “Until Death Do Us Part,” he not only meant it, he lived it. He led by example for us on how to treat a wife. To say it simply, he loved you most of all.
Today we are here to honor our dad. Even though we say goodbye for now, we know that one day, we will all be reunited in Heaven. Dad believed with all his heart that Jesus was his Lord and Savior. Of all his accomplishments, the fact that his family shared his beliefs was all that he really needed. One day he will welcome each one of us in Heaven just like his mom, dad, and brother Terry welcomed him on Oct 4th. Dad, we love you, we will miss you, but you will always be in our hearts.
Faithfully Your Sons,
Joel, Noel, and Travis
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Born in Old Hickory, Tennessee on December 26, 1947, “Pappy” was the son of the late Richard Hayes Pack and Erma Dell Blackburn Pack, and he was the brother of the late Richard Terry Pack. He moved to Barnwell, South Carolina in 1952, making it his home to raise his family for the next 67 years. He retired from the Savannah River Site in October 2005 with 30 years of employment. He was a member of the Ellenton Agriculture Club and the Barnwell Mason’s Harmony Lodge #17 He was a faithful member of First Baptist Church and Hagood Avenue Baptist Church. Throughout his life he was a loving son, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, and coach. He was the beloved husband to Lillian Mell Carter Pack for 52 years.
Pappy was a loving man with many passions. He lived life to the fullest, he never met a stranger, and he brought a smile to everyone who met him.
In addition to his loving wife, he is survived by his three sons, Edwin Joel Pack (Aiken, South Carolina), Richard Noel Pack (Lexington, South Carolina), and Travis Layfette Pack (Greenville, North Carolina); two daughters-in-law, Heather Riddle Pack (Aiken, South Carolina) and Erica Spitzer Pack (Lexington, South Carolina); two granddaughters Sydney Heather Pack (Lexington, South Carolina) and Chloe Hayes Pack (Aiken, South Carolina); two grandsons Brandon Carter Pack (Lexington, South Carolina) and Jacob Camden Pack (Greenville, North Carolina); two sisters-in-law, Cindy Gardner Pack (Oak Ridge, Tennessee) and Ann Templeton Carter (Greenville, South Carolina); brother-in-law, Starling Edwin Carter Jr. (Greenvillle, South Carolina); and the following nieces and nephews: Misty Pack Skvoretz (Charlotte, North Carolina), Russell Terry Pack (Oak Ridge, Tennessee), Starling Edwin Carter III (Greenville, South Carolina) and April Carter Nolan (Reidville, South Carolina).
Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 9, 2020 at 11:00AM in Hagood Avenue Baptist Church with Rev. Ken Catoe and Rev. David Turner officiating. Graveside services will follow in the Barnwell County Memory Gardens on Reynolds Rd. The family will greet guest outside the church one hour prior to the service. Due to Covid-19 guest are asked to use social distancing. For those unable to attend in the church, the service will be broadcast on 96.1FM for cars in the parking lot and also on Hagood Avenue Baptist face book page.
The family would also like to thank the many healthcare providers who took such good care of our Pappy over the past four years.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hagood Avenue Baptist Church, 1144 Hagood Avenue, Barnwell, SC 29812.
Steven Hayes Pack
December 26th, 1947-Oct 4th, 2020
The following is a life story of Steve Pack (aka daddy, aka pappy, aka Papa Steve, aka Pacman) …. through the eyes of his sons: Joel, Noel, and Travis. We realize that we are definitely leaving out some folks that were dear friends and some that meant a lot to Dad, but we had to narrow it down to the stories that stuck out to us as a reflection of his life.
Dad was born in 1947 in Old Hickory, Tennessee the son of Richard Hayes Pack and Erma Dell Blackburn Pack. He moved to Barnwell when he was 5 years old. Even though he grew up during tough times, he often spoke affectionately of growing up in Peach Tree Gardens. He talked of playing sports and getting into trouble with Danny McCants, Wendy Paulk, and his cousins Betty Carol Agee Unrue and Herbie Agee. Friends would meet at his house to eat breakfast each morning and then walk to school. Granny Pack was an awesome cook and dad loved to eat. As rumor has it, many kids were jealous of dad because his mom made him a real hamburger for lunch every day.
Dad played quarterback on the junior high football team. Just recently he received a letter from Coach Earney wishing him well and saying that dad was the best quarterback he ever coached. When dad played JV football, he would play on W.W. Carter Field on Thursday nights and then march with the band on Friday nights. He was a very proud member of the Scarlet Knights Band, which won the National Championship for Marching Bands at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. in 1963. After they won the Championship, his mother found a church in Washington D.C. to attend that Sunday before heading home so he could keep his consecutive Sunday school attendance streak going. Hagood Avenue Baptist Church and the people there were like his second home. Baseball was his favorite sport growing up. We remember seeing newspaper clippings that Granny Pack saved with high school and summer ball showing batting averages over .600. One of his favorite people ever was the late Coach Gwynne Hupfer. Coach Hupfer wrote in his senior annual…” To Steve, the only player I ever coached that could hit a deep fly ball to centerfield and had to slide to make it safely into first base.”
After high school, family became dad’s biggest passion. There was no one on earth that dad looked up to more than his big brother, our uncle Terry. To be honest he idolized Uncle Terry, so we did a lot with his family. Dad always had nice handwriting. He said he was trying to keep up with Aunt Cindy. Aunt Cindy was also responsible for one of his most embarrassing moments. Dad was a universal blood donor and Barnwell Hospital would call him frequently to donate blood. Earlier in the day, dad tried to convince Aunt Cindy to use her Beauty School talents to put a perm in his hair. She was able to persuade him to do a fake perm that would only last a short time so he could decide if he really wanted one. In the middle of the night the phone rang and the hospital was calling. Dad threw on his clothes quickly and drove to the hospital only to be welcomed by intense laughter. Wearing Dozens of yellow hair doodles he realized that he had slept on his side and his hair was a sight, all to help someone that he did not even know. Dad also loved riding motorcycles. He had too many to remember them all, but never let us have one. Uncle Starr (mom’s brother) was his early riding partner. He loved riding with you, until you wrecked one day, and our grandfather found out. They both were working for him at Carter Furniture Store at the time. He was quick to tell them both, “do not come back to work until you have sold the bikes.” At our family Christmas party each year he would make sure we all knew that he was first in line for Aunt Ann’s egg salad. Dad has two nieces, Misty Pack Skvoretz and April Carter Nolan along with two nephews Rusty Pack and Stacy Carter…he loved you all like his own.
Growing up on Main Street meant living next to The Smiths. Bill and Deloris were more than neighbors. They were a family that mom and dad looked up too as well. Sonja Smith Brown was the best babysitter ever and even though dad idolized his brother Terry, he always wanted to be like Bobby Smith. We would have to agree, he was pretty cool. Our fondest memories of main street were of dad putting us on his bike, one in front and one behind him, latching two belts together, and strapping us on for a bike ride. He also helped us turn mom’s swing set into a back stop for our back-yard baseball diamond. We had the house that all the kids came too. One day Roger Riley used a small trampoline to dunk a basketball and broke the goal off the backboard. We were all nervous as to what dad was going to say. When he pulled in the driveway from work and saw the goal, he went straight to garage and picked up his ladder. He then proceeded to take down the goal, flip it over, drill holes in the top and attached the goal back to the top. From then on, we played basketball with what looked to be a bite taken out of the top of the goal. We laughed about that one for years. He never owned anything that duct tape would not fix. One New Year’s Eve we begged him for fireworks. When our mom ran us outside at 5 minutes till twelve, Dad was hiding at the end of the yard and unloaded his favorite shotgun, one that his father had given him, into the air. He told us that no kids in Barnwell had fireworks that good. Christmas time always meant gag gifts and riddles to figure out how to find our hidden presents.
Another passion of dad’s was hunting. He loved bird hunting with Mr. Wes Westmoreland. He was the best man at Mr. Westmoreland’s wedding. Mr. Wes and Mrs. Judy are also our God Parents. One evening, dad took Noel hunting with him and a deer walked out. After a few minutes of looking at the deer through his scope, dad put his gun down and said, “I can’t shoot.” He made Noel promise not to tell Mr. Wes. He would go hunting many more times, but never shot a deer until later in life. Mr. Wes, he just simply wanted to be with you. Wayne and Brenda Browning were also friends of mom and dads that withstood the test of time.
Every man needs a sense of purpose in his life. Mr. Donnie Pender provided that for dad. In 1979 Mr. Pender asked dad to help him coach. Together they won championships almost every year in football and baseball from our 3rd to 8th grade years. Dad would later become Mr. Pender’s neighbor for the last 25 years. They did everything together; South Carolina football games, family vacations, and evenings sitting in the yard talking way past dark. Mr. Pender, dad loved you like a brother. We love you, Mrs. Sandy, and all the Pender’s. We will always remember you for giving dad a sense of purpose with the privilege of coaching with you, but more importantly, sharing your life with him.
A move to Sweetwater CC in 6th grade gave dad an opportunity for all his boys to join his passion for playing golf. His next sense of purpose would come from his good friend, Coach Chip Atkins. Dad was the volunteer assistant golf coach for Noel and Joel’s teams for 5 years, then another 4 for Travis, and even continued to coach for several more years with Coach Atkins b/c he simply loved being a coach. They won two golf state championships together. Golf was his love. He had way too many partners and golfing buddies to mention them all, but Larry Mattox, Hunter Valentine, Dee Norwood, Duncan Holiday, and Ed Corley were in his steady group. Sweetwater C.C. Club pro Johnny George invited dad to play in many pro-ams. Neighbors Ken Cook and Curt Holcombe both played many rounds with dad as well. His favorite place to play golf was the Melrose Club on Daufuskie Island. Our family spent many of days and vacations playing golf with Melrose Club pro’s and two of dad’s favorite people, Frankie Jones, and Mike Clark. Dad loved playing with everyone, but no one more than Uncle Roy. Roy Beasley was not our Uncle; he was just one of those people that meant something to you in your life. Dad really struggled when Uncle Roy passed a few years ago. My first thought this past Sunday morning was that Uncle Roy was already introducing his Huckleberry Steve to his regular game in Heaven.
Dad’s friends were important, but there was no doubt that he loved our friends and took pride in the respect they had for him. He always kept up with the success of our friends and all his former players on and off the field. York, Chris C., Chris B., Jared, Howie, John F., Bru, Britt, Blake, Bart, Warren, Owais, John D., Eddie, Brett, and Jim just to mention a few (there are hundreds more) …he kept up with everyone. Owais Khan and Kell Anderson would do drive by’s on Goss Lane after dark shooting bottle rockets at our house. One night their shot exploded just under the window next to his chair. He jumped up out of his chair, reached into his pocket and pulled out money and told us to go buy some bottle rockets to shoot back. This literally was the only time we ever remember him giving us money, but we have heard countless stories of him helping others that were in need. He knew we were blessed and had enough. He wanted us to grow up understanding the value of a dollar and earning what we had. He would always say that if he gave things to us, we would remain dependent on him, but if we learned to earn it ourselves, we would always have enough. A lesson he learned from his dad.
As mom and dad became empty nesters and approached their golden years, his love for motorcycles was rekindled. Trips to places like Daytona, Myrtle Beach, and Gatlinburg meant a closet full of Harley t-shirts. He loved riding with Donnie Pender, Bobby Smith, David Hughey, Tom Weeks, Gerald Moore, the late Bill DeFreest, and one of his best friends, Mr. Steen Pender. He used to say he really did not ride with Steen; he was always just trying to catch up. As dad became sick over the last few years, Mr. Steen was always there for him. Mr. Steen, we appreciate you being there for dad. He loved you like a brother. After riding was not an option, it was classic cars: Mustangs, and his latest, a 1971 Chevelle. He has told us 100 times that Ronnie Horton could drive a stick shift better than most people could drive an automatic, and everyone should have Mark Griffin build them a car. We literally spent an hour one day walking around that Chevelle with dad pointing out every detail.
After retiring from the Savannah River Site in 2005, the man that never went a day in his life without a job since he was 12 years old was unemployed for all but ½ of day. The day he retired he walked into the golf shop at Sweetwater C.C. and walked out with a job that he started the next day. Rivers Johnson hired him to cut greens at Sweetwater CC. He loved that job, and we are so thankful to Rivers for giving dad this opportunity, and once again, a sense of purpose. He would call us often and let us know when the course was looking good.
Dad was proud of many things in his life, but few more than the girls his boys chose to share the rest of their lives with. Erica, Heather, and Christine, our dad loved each of you more than you will ever know. There was never a word that came out of his mouth about each of you except utter love and respect. Dad’s love for these three special ladies is only trumped by his pride in his four grand kids. He beamed when talking about them all. When his oldest and first granddaughter Sydney showed a talent for playing multiple musical instruments by ear, he was quick to take credit for that. If he told us once he told us 1000 times that he was happy his batting abilities were passed down in the family; they just skipped a generation with his boys and went to his grandson Brandon. Those who had ever seen dad try to dance, or should we say shuffle, knew he was not much of a dancer. He was always in awe of his granddaughter and name sake Chloe Hayes with her amazing dancing abilities. The latest addition to the Pack family was Jacob. Born five years ago and just before dad became sick, Jacob gave him the most pride of all. On the way home from the hospital the day Jacob was born, dad cried with joy. He was so happy that all his boys would be able to experience being a father like he did.
Of all the great qualities in our dad the one that stood out the most was how respectful he was. Even as his health was failing over the past few years, he never lost his faith and was always respectful. In his last weeks when the pain was unbearable at times, he still found the courage to thank his many Doctors, Nurses, and other health care providers. He always thanked them no matter if what they had to do was unpleasant and used his manners with sir’s and ma’ams. A lesson he learned from his mother and father. A lesson he taught us, and a lesson that we teach our kids today. We can still hear him saying, “Look someone in the eyes, and shake their hand like you mean it when you meet them”.
Dad was a great friend, an even better father, and loved being a grandfather most of all, but of all his titles, Husband was his biggest honor. He was a faithful loving husband for 52 years. He attended mom’s Sweet 16 Birthday Party when he had not even been invited (because he wanted to see the band that was playing). Mom, even with a terminal illness he took care of you each day. When he said his vows, “Until Death Do Us Part,” he not only meant it, he lived it. He led by example for us on how to treat a wife. To say it simply, he loved you most of all.
Today we are here to honor our dad. Even though we say goodbye for now, we know that one day, we will all be reunited in Heaven. Dad believed with all his heart that Jesus was his Lord and Savior. Of all his accomplishments, the fact that his family shared his beliefs was all that he really needed. One day he will welcome each one of us in Heaven just like his mom, dad, and brother Terry welcomed him on Oct 4th. Dad, we love you, we will miss you, but you will always be in our hearts.
Faithfully Your Sons,
Joel, Noel, and Travis
To plant a tree in memory of Stephen Hayes Pack, visit the Tribute Store.
Previous Events
Visitation
Friday
9
Oct
10:00 AM
Hagood Avenue Baptist Church
1144 Hagood Avenue
Barnwell, SC 29812
Service
Friday
9
Oct
11:00 AM
Hagood Avenue Baptist Church
1144 Hagood Avenue
Barnwell, SC 29812
Graveside
Friday
9
Oct
12:00 PM
Barnwell County Memory Gardens
2728 Reynolds Rd
Barnwell, SC 29812
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