Randall Lee Barnard

Randall ("Lee”) Barnard of Bluffton, SC passed away peacefully at his home in Sun City on November 27th 2024, at age 76.

Lee is survived by his brothers Wayne (and Jackie) Barnard of Ellenton, Florida, and Chris (and Ellen) Barnard of Rock Hill, South Carolina, as well as his many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews. Lee was predeceased by his parents Robert  and Frances Barnard of Summerville, South Carolina.

Lee was a one-of-a-kind, reliably independent person.  Never married or a parent, he lived the traditional baby boomer life in reverse - traveling extensively first, then settling down to a working career.

Lee was born in 1948 in Rochester, New York.  After being raised in Connecticut, he graduated from Tulane University in 1970 with a degree in biochemistry.  He then worked long hours at a factory in Fairfield, Connecticut in order to save enough money to start on what would become a decades long international exploration.  From late 1971 to 1982, Lee traveled throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and most of southeast Asia.  He stayed in hostels, under the stars with fellow wanderers, and enjoyed a long two-continent tour in a used VW bus he bought  in Europe.

In 1982, Lee had a 42 foot yacht built to his specifications in Taiwan.  He then spent the next 14+ years sailing around the world - literally.  He circumnavigated the globe twice, including two solo passages through the treacherous Straits of Magellan at the southern tip of South America.  During this journey, he would at various times stop for months to earn some money - including at a water treatment plant in South Africa, at a sheep ranch in New Zealand, and at a tuna processing plant in Indonesia (he built housing for the factory workers).  Not wanting to upset his mom Fran, he waited until his stateside return to share with his family his maritime  experiences fending off icebergs, submerged shipping containers and Cambodian pirates.

Then, after 25 years, Lee decided that he had had enough of world travel and the seafaring life and so returned to the USA in 1996, settling in Beaufort, South Carolina (where his parents then lived).  Shortly after his return, he put to use his college degree by joining the Hilton Head Public Service District (PSD) as a laboratory chemist.  He worked for PSD for 24 years, retiring in 2022 as the Laboratory Manager.

Lee moved from Beaufort to Sun City in 2007.  Although he was not a golfer or tennis player, Lee enjoyed Sun City and was always ready to help friends and neighbors (having owned a yacht for many years, Lee could repair any and all things).  Being a single fellow, he would often volunteer to be on duty at the PSD on holidays, so his co-workers could spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with their families.

Some will say that it was a shame that Lee passed away alone at his home. But his family knows this is exactly how Lee wanted to move on to his next adventure - no fuss or bother.  Lee died without ever owning a smartphone and with a 17 year old car sitting in his garage.

The family will arrange a memorial event in Lee’s honor at a future date.