Henry Ernest Velte, Jr.

Henry Ernest Velte, Jr. husband of Cecilia Madden Velte, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 3, 2021.

His Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11:00 AM, Monday, February 8, 2021, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. The Rite of Committal will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.  The family will receive friends between 9:30 and 10:30 AM Monday morning at the James A. McAlister Funeral Home, 1620 Savannah Hwy.

Ernie was a born on August 9, 1935, in Little Rock, Arkansas a son of Henry Ernest Velte, Sr. and Louise Mary Dayer Velte.

Ernie graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Omaha, Nebraska in 1953 and worked for the United Pacific Railroad until he was drafted into the US Army in 1954. After completing two-years of service in the Army he enlisted in the US Navy in an effort to “see the world”. He served on several ships and duty stations before retiring as a Chief Petty Officer in April 1975. After the Navy, Ernie worked for E. I. DuPont de Nemours at the Cooper River plant until finally retiring in November of 1994.

Ernie was a devoted husband, loving father and an active member of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. He was an avid history buff and served as an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 39. Ernie will be remembered for his selfless care of his special-needs son, outgoing personality, his famous “dad jokes” and that he never met a stranger and always asked veterans about their service.

He was preceded in death by both parents; a sister-in-Law, Martha Madden and a brother-in-Law, Les Carlton.

Ernie is survived by his wife of 54 years, Cecilia Madden Velte; three sons, Tom (Emmalie), Tim and Henry (Jennifer) as well as four beautiful granddaughters, Hanna, Ashlyn, Lauren and Diana, and a sister, Terri Carlton.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Respite Care Charleston, 1650 Harbor View Rd, Charleston, SC 29412 or to the Blessed Sacrament School Monsignor McCarthy Education Fund, 5 St. Teresa Drive Charleston, SC 29407.