Henry Xavier-Marie Diercxsens Obituary (2021)

Henry Xavier-Marie Diercxsens, 85, of Okatie, SC, passed away on Sunday, December 12, 2021 at his residence on Callawassie Island. Henry was born on August 26, 1936 in Antwerp, Belgium to the late Alexander and Edith (Cruymans) Diercxsens. He graduated from the University of Antwerp with a Masters in Maritime Law and continued his studies as an international student at the University of Wisconsin. While at the University of Wisconsin, Henry met his wife of 58 years, Ann. Henry worked his entire career for Companie Maritime Belge in Antwerp, New York and the Cote d'Ivoire. Upon his retirement in 1996, he and Ann returned to the United States and settled on Callawassie Island. Henry was a tennis player, a golfer, a fixer-upper, a crepe maker, a boat captain, a Belgian American Chamber of Commerce President, a Habitat for Humanity house builder (80 homes!), a Callawassie Kids' Camp creator, a Bocce and Croquet organizer, a Port Royal Sound Maritime Center fish tank cleaner, a Low Bottom tutor, a collector, a master-planner, a puzzler, a world traveler, an Energizer Bunny, and the world's best Bon Papa. Three kisses to you Henry! Henry was predeceased by his daughter, Maureen Thompson. Survivors include his wife, Ann McEwen Diercxsens; his children and grandchildren including Suzanne and Todd Harrison and their children Nadine and Miles; Dominique and Paul Gable and their children Joshua and Cybelle; son-in-law Gary Thompson and their children Taylor, Kyla and Katelyn. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to Hilton Head Regional Habitat for Humanity or the Port Royal Sound Foundation. A Memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, February 19th at 10:30am at Saint Gregory the Great, Bluffton, SC.