George Harold “Rip” Kearse, 84, of Allendale, died Monday, June 10, 2013, at home, after a brief illness. Born in Fairfax on November 5, 1928, Mr. Kearse was the son of the late William Gordon and Sadie Hogg Kearse. He was a lifelong member of Fairfax First Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon. Mr. Kearse was a 1950 graduate of The Citadel, a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War, and a 1956 graduate of The University of South Carolina Law School. Shortly after his admission to the South Carolina Bar in 1956, he opened his law office in Allendale County, where he practiced continuously until his death. In the 1960’s, he served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from Allendale County. He was a member of Buford Lodge #27 AFM since 1957. For many years, Rip farmed the family land he loved so dearly. Memorial Services will be held 11:00 A.M., Friday, June 14, 2013, at Fairfax First Baptist Church with Dr. Larry Sizemore officiating. Mr. Kearse is survived by his widow, Jacqueline Weber Kearse, and his sister, Joanne Kearse Fulda; children, W. Gordon Kearse, and his wife, Linda H. Kearse, Elizabeth Kearse Gooding, and her husband, H. Woodrow Gooding, Julia Kearse Sharp, and her husband, Don C. Sharp III, Rachael Kearse Best, and her husband, William H. Best, John Morgan Kearse, Joseph W. Kearse, and his wife, Winifred F. Kearse; grandchildren, Carl Sharp, McHenry Kearse, Mary Katherine Kearse, Virginia Harper Breen, and her husband, Sean Breen, Rachael Sharp, John Kearse, Stiles Harper III, Hannah Kearse, Hugh Gooding, Andrew Kearse, and Alice Gooding. He was preceded in death by a sister, Sadie Maxwell Kearse, and a brother-in-law, Myron O. Fulda. The family will receive friends at home, 739 Main Street, Allendale, S.C., from 5:00-8:00 P.M., Thursday, June 13, 2013. Memorial contributions may be made to The G.H. “Rip” Kearse Scholarship Fund at The Citadel Foundation, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, S.C. 29409. Keith Smith Funeral Service, 128 Water Street, Allendale, S.C. 803-584-2492. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston. Tags: 1950
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