Mr. Richard H Vandewater

COLUMBIA - Richard Howe Van De Water, 96, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, June 11, 2015. A private interment will be held at Greenlawn Memorial Park. Born on August 6, 1918 in Utica, NY, Dick was the youngest of two sons born to Roscoe Conklin Van De Water and Amelia May Howe. He attended Tilton Junior College in Tilton, N H on a full athletic scholarship, graduating in 1939. During WW II he worked for Remington Arms and Wayne Manufacturing, fabricating military hardware. After the war, he moved to Columbia, taking a job with Roof Hardware. He joined the Columbia Choral Society and also sang in the Trinity Episcopal Church choir. There he met Gloria Ruth Virginia Reber, and they were married on June 19, 1948. Dick co-founded Palmetto Wholesale and Hardware Company, serving as Secretary/Treasurer. At Palmetto, he developed the architectural hardware and hollow metal door department. A founding member of St. Martins-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Dick served as Senior Warden and coached the church youth basketball team to a state championship. He later joined Covenant Presbyterian Church, faithfully serving as an elder for many years. His Christian faith became the guiding force in his life and was central to all his activities and relationships. He was loved and respected by his family, church, co-workers and the Laurel Crest community where he and Gloria lived since 2002. Dick is survived by his son, The Rev. Richard H. Van De Water, Jr. of Pomona, CA; daughter, Gloria Van De Water Avent (Henry) of Charleston, SC; son, David James Van De Water (Lynne) of Columbia; seven grandchildren, Emily Avent Havener (Mike), Courtney Avent Fertwagner (Renee), Andrew Clark Avent, David James Van De Water, Jr. (Mindy), Chandler Howe Van De Water (Lauren), Anne Elline Van De Water, Richard Carlton Van De Water and five great- grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Covenant Presbyterian Church or Covenant Classical Christian School at 3120 Covenant Rd., Columbia, SC 29204 or to Laurel Crest Endowment Fund at 100 Joseph Walker Dr., West Columbia, SC 29169.