James Carroll McColl

James Carroll (Jim, Jimmy) McColl died peacefully at home on November 2, 2025 of complications from dementia. Born on Easter Day in Bennettsville, SC on April 9th, 1939, he was the youngest of four children of Hugh L. McColl and Frances Carroll McColl. He was predeceased by a sister, Frances McColl Covington. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Elizabeth Parker (Betsy) McColl of Columbia, daughter Elizabeth (Eliza) McColl Liles and husband Jonathan Liles, granddaughters Frances Carroll Liles and Lucy Minor Davis Liles of Charlotte, brothers Hugh L. McColl, Jr. and wife Jane Spratt McColl of Charlotte, David Kenneth McColl and wife Carolyn Walker McColl of Greenville, SC, sister-in-law The Rev. Fleming Parker Rutledge and husband Reginald E. Rutledge of Rye Brook, NY and 11 nieces and nephews.

Jim was an exceptional athlete at Bennettsville High School, lettering in football, basketball, baseball and golf. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1961. He was given the Wall Street Journal Award for his superior scholarship in Banking and Finance. He was President of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity his senior year and enjoyed life in Chapel Hill to the fullest.

He served in the U.S. Navy for two years as a LTJG. He began his banking career at Citizens & Southern National Bank in Charleston in 1964 and continued his love of banking until his retirement from Bank of America as an Executive Vice President in 2004. He took particular pleasure in mentoring young bankers, and the one-day car trips he took with them were like classrooms. He enjoyed roaming the halls of the bank building and popping his head into the offices of his co-workers to ask, “What’s going on?” He attended the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program in 1980 and often referred to that experience as invaluable.

Jim was a self-taught lifelong golfer. He was a member of the UNC golf team and continued to play regularly until his failing health caused him to stop in 2021. He was known for his prodigious drives. He was unusual in that he wasn’t interested in playing famous golf courses. He only wanted to get the ball in the hole whether it was at Augusta National or a rural 9-hole course.

Jim was a Tar Heel basketball fan to the core. He made tapes of nearly every televised game once DVR’s became available, and he accumulated tapes of nearly every game from 1980 until 2015. He enjoyed mailing games to servicemen and women overseas. His recall of players and details of games was remarkable.

To his surprise he learned to appreciate ballet when his daughter became a dedicated dancer. He rarely missed one of her dress rehearsals or performances and was impressed by how demanding and beautiful ballet is.

In the summers, Blowing Rock, NC was a favorite spot. His grandmother’s cottage, and later his own house have been happy getaways for the McColl families for over 80 years. Reading on the porch of “Allohwestee” was Jim’s preferred pastime whether it was an Agatha Christie mystery or The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.

He loved his books, he loved his sports, he loved his work, and most of all, he loved his family.

A funeral service for Jim will be held at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia, SC on Wednesday, November 12th at 2 p.m. Burial will be in the Trinity Columbarium, followed by a reception in Satterlee Hall.

The family is grateful to Dr. Bradley Word, Solutions for Living at Home, and Prisma Hospice for their superior care.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to Kanuga Conference Center, l30 Kanuga Chapel Dr., Hendersonville,NC 28739 or the Marian Wright Edelman Public Library, 203 Fayetteville Ave., Bennettsville, SC 29512.