F H Murray Oliphant

Born in Columbia, South Carolina, on December 23, 1955, he was the son of William Gilmore Simms Oliphant and Mary Byrd Marshall Murray Oliphant.

Murray graduated from A.C. Flora High School and attended the University of South Carolina. He spent his career building and running several businesses, with a natural instinct for sales. These included a long-distance telephone company, a cellphone franchise, and a home and business security company with ADT. He also managed the wind down and sales of properties owned by the Estate of his father-in-law, C. Heath Manning.

Murray was above all a devoted husband, father, brother, and friend. He shared his life with his wife, Mary Locke Manning Oliphant, who he loved deeply. His daughter, Mary Simms Oliphant Wenrich, was his whole world, and when she welcomed her daughter, Elizabeth Grace “Eliza,” in 2024, he could not have been prouder. He was also a stepfather to Mary Hunter Englund. He was a loving brother to his sister, Mary Byrd Ormand and was especially close to his identical twin brother, Simms Oliphant. For over seventy years they were rarely one without the other.

Murray was an avid outdoorsman. His love of the outdoors began as a child, from fishing off the pier and in the creeks at Pawleys Island to hunting at the family property, Woodlands, in Bamberg, South Carolina. Once home to his ancestor, the writer William Gilmore Simms, the property was an important part of his life, where he built a second home and loved to spend time with his wife away from everything else. He was a longtime member of Forest Lake Club and spent many days on the golf course. He also had a passion for restoring classic American muscle cars of the 1960s and early 1970s, and more than once donated them to be auctioned for charity.

Murray was an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous for over 25 years, serving as a sponsor and support to many and always available to those working toward their own recovery. He lived a life of charity and service.

Murray was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Mary Locke Manning Oliphant; his daughter, Mary Simms Wenrich (David); his granddaughter, Elizabeth Grace Wenrich; his stepdaughter, Mary Hunter Englund (Billy), and their son William; his twin brother, William Gilmore Simms Oliphant Jr. (Donna); his sister, Mary Byrd Ormand (Ken); and several beloved nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, along with his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Buddy.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Dunbar Funeral Home, 3926 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina, at Noon on Saturday April 25, 2026. A reception will follow at Forest Lake Club.