Charles Willard Mims, Jr.

Charles "Chuck" Willard Mims, 81, passed away peacefully at his home in Edisto Island, South Carolina on August 19, 2026 following a brief bout with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11:00 AM Thursday, August 27, 2026 at St. Frederick and St. Stephen Catholic Church, 544 Hwy. 174, Edisto Island, SC. The Rite of Committal will follow at the church columbarium. The family will greet friends at a reception following the Mass in the Church Hall.

He was born in Greenville, SC and graduated from Greenville Senior High and Clemson University. During college, he played in a rock and roll band. After six years of service as a pilot in the United States Air Force, he taught chemistry in the Union County North Carolina Public Schools until retirement in 2003.

In 2006, he moved to his beloved Edisto Island with his wife of 58 years, Isabelle. Being a permanent resident of Edisto had been a goal since his parents had built a home on Point Street in 1960. He will be remembered for his love of the outdoors and fishing/shrimping.

Gardening was another passion with much joy at even just the sight and smell of freshly tilled soil. His style was to work until dark to plant and weed to produce a crop to can or freeze and share with others. He would travel but much preferred to stay at Edisto for the simplicity and goodness of life in the Lowcountry.

He will be remembered as a gentle, kind person who was the same with everyone. He repaired countless things for others. He was dependable and never wavered once he gave his word or began a project. Prior to Covid, he hosted "Thanksgiving in the Breezeway" for nine years. He will be missed as a great friend and loving husband.

He was predeceased by his father, Dr. Charles Willard Mims, by his mother Evelyn Mims Ford, by his stepfather Harris Ford, by his daughter Christine Elisabeth Mims and by his Animal Lovers of Edisto labrador retrievers "Brother Boo" and "Sister Celie", his golden retrievers "Chatham" and "Kingfish" from North Carolina days, his German Shepherd "Duchess" from Air Force days, and other beloved pets.

He is survived by his wife Isabelle, by his namesake, Charley Mims Stevens, the ten-month-old daughter of Jack and Sarah Stevens of Charleston, SC, and by his cousins Judy Banister Hooker and Tommy Sherman.

Donations in honor of Chuck's memory may be made to the St. Frederick and St. Stephen Catholic Church, PO Box 602, Edisto Island, SC 29438.

Arrangements by James A. McAlister, Inc. (843) 766-1365.