Dorothea L. Luce

She was born on September 16, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York to Rene T. and Florence Leveille, the middle child of three daughters. She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Charles M. Luce, Jr. She was a member of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Chapin for 7 years.

She is survived by her children, Elizabeth Renee McKinney (Alfonso) of West Melbourne, FL, William Martin Luce (Mary) of Gilbert, SC, Cynthia Anne Bellamy of Lugoff, SC, and David Edward Luce of Gaston, SC.

She is also survived by grandchildren, Johnathan McKinney, Leah Faison, Michelle Shealy, Nicole Morales, Kristina Bellamy, Cameron Bellamy, Brooke Luce, Amanda Hollis, and Alexandria Luce and 10 great grandchildren.

She is survived by her sister, Leda Fide. She was predeceased by two sons, Stephen Charles and Mark Richard Luce; her sister, Catherine McGuire.

She graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel Academy, White Plains, NY, Traphagen School of Design, NYC, and Parsons School of Design, NYC.

She was also an active member of St. Joseph Church, Columbia, SC where she co-chaired the Respite Care Program for three years. Also, she was very active at St. John's Church, in Waynesville, NC for many years in the choir and the Catholic Women's Circle.

She met her husband-to-be at a football game between West Point and UCLA at Yankee Stadium, NY. They dated for three years while Chuck completed his West Point schooling and married four days after his graduation in 1954. The ceremony took place at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scarsdale, NY on June 12, 1954. As an Army wife of twenty years, she met many challenges and adventures and enjoyed every minute of it.

Her husband's last duty assignment was Ft. Jackson, Columbia, SC where she became involved with Army Community Service (ACS) as a volunteer tutor in the “English as a Second Language” program for 20 years. During this time, she also served as Assistant Volunteer Supervisor and then Volunteer Supervisor for ACS. She also developed the United Parent Support (UPS) group, which assisted parents who had children with disabilities to share their stories and socialize. This group was dear to her heart because of her two sons, Stephen and Mark, who had Down Syndrome.

A Mass of Christian Burial, celebrated by Dennis B. Willey, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church. The family will receive friends from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. on Friday, February 10, at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington Chapel. Burial will be at Greenlawn Cemetery, Columbia, SC at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The ARC of Haywood County at http://arcofhaywood.org/donate or Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, 195 Amicks Ferry Road, Chapin, SC 29036.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.caughmanlexington.com for the Luce family.