Charley Rucker, Jr.

Charley E. Rucker, Jr., 86, husband of Dorothy Ridgeway Rucker, of Beaufort, SC, died Monday, December 23, 2024 at his residence.

Services will include visitation at 10:30am and chapel service at 11:30am at Anderson Funeral Home in Beaufort, SC, which will be followed by his burial at the Beaufort National Cemetery at 1pm, on Thursday, January 9, 2025. A bereavement reception will immediately follow at the Baptist Church of Beaufort Green Room in Building A.

Mr. Rucker was born on July 29, 1938 in (Sunny Plains) St. Matthews, SC. He is the son of the late Charley E. Rucker, Sr. and Flaxie Bell Rast Rucker. He was the 5th of eight children.

Charley served in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1961 before being honorably discharged. He attended the University of South Carolina where he earned a Bachelors' of Arts in Education. While attending UofSC, he played football until a knee injury in 1962. He would later complete some post-graduate work at the Citadel.

After graduating from UofSC, Charley served as a coach and teacher at Cameron High School from 1966 to 1968. He would spend the remainder of his teaching career in Beaufort, SC serving as a PE teacher, assistant football coach, baseball coach, and wrestling coach.

Charley was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hunting deer, duck, and quail as well as spending countless hours fishing with friends, family, and on his own. He was well-known for his cooking that he often shared with his loved ones and others in the community. He loved following college sports, especially his Carolina Gamecock football team.

Surviving in addition to his wife, Dorothy; are two daughters, Shelli Akins of Statesboro (Jeff Akins) and Brenda Rucker of Beaufort; one brother, Douglas Rucker; four sisters, Roberta Doyle, Peggy Garvin, Lucille Harmon and Viola Kirven; two grandchildren, CJ Akins of Charleston and Rebekah Feigh (Adam Feigh) of Grand Junction; and one great granddaughter, Charleigh Feigh.

Preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Ollie May Snyder and Aline Rhames.