Dr. Robert Newton Hellams, 60, of Sumter, SC, husband of Lisa Hobbs Hellams, died Saturday, June 28, 2014, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center. Born in Laurens, he was a son of Dorothy Bolt Hellams Robertson and the late Pierce Donnan Hellams, Sr. He was a member of Alice Drive Baptist Church where he served as a Deacon, LIFE Group Teacher, and was a member of the choir. He was a 1972 graduate of Laurens High School and a 1976 graduate of The Citadel. He received his Master’s of Education in 2001, Specialist in Education in 2003, and Doctorate of Education in 2008 from South Carolina State University. Dr. Hellams was a Social Studies teacher and J.V. football coach in Dorchester School District Four; an Asistant Principal in Hampton School District One; and was currently an Assistant Principal with the Sumter School District. He was a former member of the South Carolina Football Officials’ Association, former District Director and President of the Palmetto Touchdown Club; 1994 Official of the Year, officiated at the North-South All-Star Football game in 1994, and was a member of the South Carolina Football Officials’ Association Hall of Fame (Class of 2008). He was a member of the Christian Golfer’s Association, a life member of The Citadel Alumni Association, the South Carolina Association of School Administrators, and the Palmetto State Teachers Association. He served in the SC Army National Guard from 1989-1997. Survivors include his wife of Sumter; mother of Laurens; two children, Robert Newton Hellams, Jr. (Virginia) of Gastonia, NC and Mary Katherine “Katie” Hellams of Charlotte, NC; two step-children, Russell Jamison Elmore of Sumter and Elizabeth Ann “Beth” Elmore of Duncan; grandchildren, Andrew, John, and Sara Hellams; step-grandchild, Hayes Elmore; and a sister-in-law, Rebecca Hellams of Benham, KY. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Donna Leigh Hellams; and a brother, Pierce Donnan Hellams, Jr. Funeral services will be held at 3 P.M. Tuesday at Alice Drive Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Clay Smith officiating. Burial will be in the Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 P.M. Monday at Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and other times at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gene E. Hobbs, Jr., 590 Pringle Dr. Memorials may be made to Alice Drive Baptist Church Honduras Mission Fund, 1305 Loring Mill Rd., Sumter, SC 29150 or to Kipper Ackerman’s Sounds of Grace. Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston
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