Lt. Col. Harold Michael Caldwell (Ret.)

Harold was born August 8, 1942 in Greenville, SC to Willie Chandler and Dorothy Virginia (Holcombe) Caldwell, later Tucker. He attended Tennessee Military Institute and later received a degree from Lander University and an MBA from Webster University. He enlisted in the Army in 1966 and bravely served his country domestically and in Vietnam and Korea. He attended Advanced Individual Training and Officer Candidate School in Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1967 and flight school in Fort Walters, TX and Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA where he earned his wings one week after his daughter, Didi, was born in 1968. Two weeks later, he left for Vietnam where he was a member of the 48th and the 92nd assault helicopter companies in 1968 and 1969. He then served another year in Korea as a member of the 289th attack helicopter company from 1971 to 1972. Upon leaving the Army, he joined the South Carolina National Guard from 1972 until his retirement as Lieutenant Colonel in 1989. He was the commander of the Camden Guard Armory from 1980 to 1989 and captained the 251st Medical Company in St. Matthews, SC. He then had a second career at Michelin Plant Number 5 in Lexington until his retirement in 2007.

Harold was an avid golfer and hunter and enjoyed spending days on the lake pulling his family on skis and passing time in his beloved Hilton Head. In recent years, he enjoyed attending and serving his church, Red Bank United Methodist. He was the family rock and the organizer of decades of annual family reunions. Poor health in recent years had robbed him of the ability to play golf, but today he is playing in that great golf course in the sky, where every shot comes sweetly off the face, flies true and high with a little PGA draw.

Harold is survived by the love of his life of 37 years, Margaret Miller Koon; his sister, Margaret Ashley; daughter, Didi Caldwell and her husband, Eduardo Noriega, and two grandsons, Jonas and Gabriel Abi-Arrage, all from Greenville, and his devoted friend, Max Gantt of Lexington. He was preceded in death by his parents, Willie Caldwell and Dorothy Caldwell Tucker, and his stepfather, Hassell E. Tucker.

Friends may visit from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington Chapel, 503 N. Lake Dr., Lexington, SC 29072. A celebration of life service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at Red Bank United Methodist Church, 2909 Old Barnwell Rd., Lexington, SC 29073. Burial will follow at a later date at Woodlawn Cemetery in Greenville, SC where he will be laid to rest with military honors beside his parents. Memorials may be made to Red Bank United Methodist Church.