OBITUARIES
Thomas Waring Cooler
Apr 16, 2026
Thomas Waring Cooler, 90, of Ridgeland, South Carolina, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on April 16, 2026 at The Resorts in Beaufort, South Carolina.
Thomas (Tommy) was born on August 17, 1935 in Bluffton, South Carolina to Chauncey W. and Marie Cahill Cooler. He was predeceased by his loving wife, Erma Bowers Cooler, after 66 years of marriage and his...
Stephen T. Bush
Apr 15, 2026
Stephen T Bush
December 24,1945-April 15, 2026
Stephen Thomas Bush was born on December 24, 1945 to Stanislaus and Mary Buchalski of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York. He was a very welcome Christmas present to his parents and his nine-year-old sister Carole. He attended St Stanislaus Kostka School until the second grade moving to Maspeth, Queens. He attended Saint Mary’s Help of Christian...
Dustin Lee Saunders
Apr 15, 2026
Dustin Lee Saunders (“Dusty”), age 83, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at Savannah Memorial Hospital as a result of a car collision.
Born in Westerly, Rhode Island, to Prudence Delight Saunders and Ernest Howard Saunders, Jr., he was the eldest of four sons. He was a graduate of the 1961 class of Westerly High School. After residing in...
Dennis Lee "Buck" Edwards
Apr 14, 2026
Dennis Lee (“Buck”) Edwards died suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack shortly following his church choir practice in HHI on April 14, 2026. Taken far too soon, he is now singing proudly with God’s heavenly band.
Buck was born on May 2, 1942, the youngest of 5 children, to Kenneth and Hazel Edwards, in Ann Arbor Michigan and that began...
Russell M. Broome
Apr 14, 2026
Russell “Rusty” Mason Broome, 55, of Bluffton, SC passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Rusty was born September 19, 1970 in York County, SC to Virginia Ellis Broome and the late Ernest J. “Country” Broome. A true Lowcountry native, he grew up in Bluffton area. Rusty began his career as a volunteer firefighter, later graduating from the South Carolina...
Wendy Burchfield
Apr 14, 2026
Wendy Burchfield, age 70, of Bluffton, SC, passed away on April 14, 2026, after a brave battle with cancer. Throughout her illness, Wendy remained grounded in her strong faith in Jesus Christ, finding comfort and peace in the assurance of eternal life.
Wendy was born on November 23, 1955, in Harrisburg, PA. After graduating from Lancaster Mennonite High School, she went...
Phyllis Jean Ball
Apr 10, 2026
Phyllis Jean Ball passed peacefully on April 10th, 2026 at home, surrounded by loved ones at Harbor Cove Memory Care facility on Hilton Head Island, SC. She passed due to complications from dementia.
Phyllis hales from Reading, PA and was born on October 25, 1943 the daughter of Doris M. and Harold C. Brown. Phyllis was the devoted wife to Stanley...
Claudette Frances Reeve
Apr 9, 2026
Claudette Frances Reeve, 83, of Bluffton/Hilton Head, SC and formerly of Syracuse, NY passed away Thursday, April 9, 2026, following a short illness.
Mrs. Reeve was born August 2, 1942 in Ridley Park PA, the daughter of the late Claude Boyer and Frances Ang Boyer. She was a graduate of Chester Heights High School where she played basketball and field hockey....
Jackson Thomas Colin
Apr 8, 2026
Jackson Thomas Colin, 22, of Bluffton, South Carolina, passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 8, 2026.
Born on January 26, 2004, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson grew up in Bluffton, where he spent his days surrounded by family, friends, and the coastal life he loved so much. Whether it was weekends at the beach, time with his friends, or...
Irene C. Kropiewnicki
Apr 8, 2026
Irene Hasay Kropiewnicki, known to many as “Baba,” passed away peacefully on April 8, 2026 surrounded by the love of her family and strengthened by her faith in God. She celebrated her 94th birthday surrounded by family.
Born in Red Hill, Pennsylvania on April 1, 1932 to George Hasay and Mary Paciga; Irene married her beloved husband, John Kropiewnicki (Jagee), and...
Kelia Ann Head
Apr 5, 2026
Kelia Ann Head (née Allen) of Beaufort passed away peacefully in her home on Easter Monday morning, after a brave fight with cancer.
She was born on November 24th, 1956 in Savannah to Carroll Jerome Allen and Thelma Lee Allen (née Smith). She grew up and lived the majority of her life in Chatham County, GA, and Jasper and Beaufort Counties...
Eileen Mock
Apr 5, 2026
Eileen Cleland Mock, 90, of Ridgeland, South Carolina, passed away peacefully on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, at NHC Nursing Facility in Okatie, South Carolina.
Eileen was born on January 29, 1936, in Ridgeland, South Carolina, to James Walter and Daisy Lee Lowther Cleland. She married Lyn Rogers Mock on Dec 4, 1955, at her home in Ridgeland, and together they...
Mary Viola Viventi
Apr 4, 2026
Mary Viola Viventi, 90, of Hilton Head, SC, passed away peacefully on April 4th, 2026.
Mary was born and raised in Nutley, New Jersey, and was the cherished daughter of Elizabeth and Louis Viola. She was preceeded in death by her husband and love of her life Robert Viventi Jr. of Hilton Head, SC,. She is survived by her three children...
Marilyn Y. Tarasuk
Apr 3, 2026
Marilyn Y Tarasuk
1931-2026
After a long and full life, Marilyn Ann (Young) Bishop Tarasuk passed away peacefully on April 3, 2026. She was born on December 17, 1931, to Etta Margaret (Miller) and Wilfred B Young, in Hartford, Connecticut. Marilyn grew up on the University of Connecticut campus where her father was Dean of Agriculture. She graduated UCONN in Education and...
Philip Larry Alter
Apr 1, 2026
Philip Larry Alter, 77, of Bluffton, SC, passed away on April 1, 2026, surrounded by friends while doing exactly what he loved. Born on April 18, 1948, in Philadelphia, PA, Phil was the son of the late Ruth Price Alter and Harry Alter.
A 1966 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Levittown, PA, Phil served his country in the U.S....
Mary Anna Donohue
Apr 1, 2026
Mary Anna Donohue passed away peacefully on April 1, 2026, at the age of 69.
Born and raised in Staten Island, NY she moved to various states which she also called home. Mary was the beloved wife of Robert (Bob) Donohue Jr. for 45 years before his passing in November 2024. Mary was a Human Resources Director at Citi Bank, Cigna...
Daniel Joseph Dooney
Mar 30, 2026
Daniel Joseph Dooney, 82, of Bluffton, SC passed away March 30, 2026 at Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville, SC.
Daniel was born September 26, 1943 in Atantic City, NJ to the late Daniel T. Dooney and Elizabeth Garrity Dooney. He proudly served in the United States Army, and then as a police officer until retirement. He attended the Hardeeville Masonic Lodge...
Sally Viola Allen Crockett
Mar 29, 2026
After almost 90 years, Sally Viola Allen Crockett passed from this life on March 29, 2026, while enjoying one of her favorite activities, having a little nap.
Born on August 11, 1936, Sally was the daughter of the late Owen Tillman Allen and Viola Elizabeth MacDonald Allen of Chattanooga, TN. She was preceded in death by the love of her life,...
Edward James Hammarth
Mar 28, 2026
Edward Hammarth of Bluffton, South Carolina passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2026. He was born on December 2, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Edward A. Hammarth and Pauline Fisher Hammarth. Devoted husband to Terese Stemmler Hammarth (the love of his life).
He was a devoted husband/father/grandfather/great grandfather who is survived by his son Ward Hammarth (and his...
Jill S. Berkey
Mar 28, 2026
Jill S. Berkey, 69, of Ridgeland, SC passed away Saturday, March 28, 2026, surrounded by her family.
Jill was born June 16, 1956 in Roanoke, VA to the late Andrew Lewis Simmons and Margaret Lee Plewes Simmons. She moved to Ridgeland as a young girl and graduated from Thomas Heyward Academy. After graduation, she moved to Hilton Head Island and started...
