Hal Holland Crosswell Jr.

Hal Holland Crosswell, Jr., M.D., age 91, of Columbia, South Carolina, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 17, 2026. Born on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1934, in Bamberg, South Carolina, he was the first son of Mary Elizabeth Fort Crosswell and Hal Holland Crosswell, Sr.

He was predeceased by his parents and his first wife, Regina Danner Crosswell, who was the mother of his four children and the first love of his life.

He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Kathryn Dorman Crosswell, who is the second love of his life; children, Suzanne Elizabeth Crosswell Short, Hal Holland Crosswell III, Marcus Danner Crosswell, and Edward Granderson Crosswell; step-daughter, Mary Kathryn Britton; son and daughters-in-law, Kevin Short, Sr., Jill Crosswell, and Anne Marie Crosswell; twelve grandchildren– Michael Short, Jr. and wife Liz, Sullivan Barreto and husband Bobby, Sarah Katherine Payne and husband Will, Laughton Short, Anne Crosswell and fiance Reynolds McLeod, Hal Crosswell IV, Lila Crosswell, Jack Crosswell, Henry Crosswell, Sawyer Crosswell, Grady Crosswell, and Louise Crosswell; five great-grandchildren– Michael Short III, Jeannie Short, Marion Short, Libby Barreto, and Kit Barreto; sister, Norma Elizabeth Crosswell Cunningham; brother, William Fort Crosswell and wife Caroline; and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

In his early years, in the wonderful, small town of Bamberg, he enjoyed playing baseball on the local vacant lot, swimming in the Edisto River, and being barefoot every day except Sunday from June to September. After his father was promoted within the Lance, Inc. company, the family moved to Columbia in 1948. He graduated from Dreher High School and went on to attend the University of South Carolina, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1956 and became an avid Gamecock fan. While there, he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order, through which many lifetime friends were made.

He earned a Medical Doctorate from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1960 and was selected for membership in Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society based on academic accomplishments. He often mentioned growing up playing sports day-in and day-out; however, an elbow injury falling from a haystack at age 13 changed the trajectory of his life. Without full movement of his arm to accurately throw a ball, he played fewer sports and maybe read a few more books. He told his family that without this injury, he likely would not have pursued a career in medicine. This provided an illustration of how bad things sometimes can lead to good things and that only the Lord knows what is best and what will happen in our lives.

Following an internship from 1960 to 1961, at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, he served as Captain in the United States Air Force at Hospital RAF Lakenheath, England, attached to the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing Medical Corps from 1961 to 1964. While in England, his first child, Suzanne, was born. He collected many English treasures that he pristinely stored over the years, along with other loved collectibles, and proudly gave them away to friends and family; he was still searching for the “lucky recipient” of his English pewter.

From 1964 to 1967 he served as a resident in Ophthalmology–Diseases and Surgery of the Eye– at Emory University and Grady Memorial Hospital, serving as chief resident in his final year. Following residency in 1967, he entered into private practice at the Columbia Eye Clinic in Columbia, South Carolina. It was here where he devoted his long medical career and was deeply loved by his patients and fellow employees. Long after retirement, he would return to the office to check in and never once did the “reverend” miss giving the blessing at the annual Columbia Eye Clinic Christmas party.

Highly involved in many medical, social, and community organizations and boards over the years, they are too plentiful to list. Some of his most rewarding community involvements included being a devoted baseball coach, coaching his sons’ teams in the Palmetto Baseball League for 20 years and thereafter diligently attending his grandsons’ games; serving on the Boy Scouts of America Executive Board of Central SC Council from 1972-1982 and thereafter earning the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award in 1986; and being a member of the Columbia Rotary Club and receiving Rotarian of the Year in 2008. Of particular significance to his medical contributions, he served as Chief of Staff at Providence Hospital from 1976 to 1977. Socially, he was a member of Forest Lake Club, the Camellia Ball, the Society of High Hills of Santee, and the Tarantella Club. He was a founding member of DeBordieu Club, which became a cherished second home to him and his family over the years. The annual Fourth of July celebrations were especially meaningful to them.

As a recognition of his lifetime of service, achievement, and contribution, in January of 2006, he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor in South Carolina. Also, in recognition of his character, integrity, and selfless service to others, he received University of South Carolina’s Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in 2007.

Volunteer work in Haiti for the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Program (UMVIM) was one of the most rewarding parts of his life. Working as the Caribbean Coordinator for Medical and Ophthalmological Services for over fifty years, he led medical mission teams that brought the gift of sight to many patients through the establishment of the clinic at Jeremie, Haiti in 1974. A faithful member of Shandon United Methodist Church since 1948, each Christmas he would collect Advent offerings for this cause and told numerous stories to his church congregation of patients whose lives were changed by the clinics in Haiti. His compassion for the Haitian people and hard work in providing them with eye care was recognized with the Michael C. Watson Award from UMVIM in 2001 and was chronicled in the publication of his book, Eyes for Haiti, in 2024.

Most important in his life was his beloved family whom he was dedicated to loving well– whether through his daily phone calls to his children, lunches every Sunday with family, giving a shiny new silver dollar to the grandchildren each Christmas, or making sure the supply of ice cream never ran low. He also loved teaching and sharing his hobbies with his family, including golf, “bird hunting,” and both salt and fresh water fishing. He learned to fly fish on the Edisto River with his father and “bird hunt” with his father and great-uncle, Dr. Malcolm Stuckey. These Bamberg pastimes were especially meaningful to him, and he spent countless hours passing them down to and enjoying them with his children and grandchildren. Playing golf with family and friends was also very special to him. He and his wife, Kathy, shared many memorable rounds on the course– even when she could drive the ball further than he could.

He lived by steadfast principles: placing God first, loving his family deeply, treating others with kindness and respect, and living with integrity. Because God has blessed us all with different talents, he deeply believed that if we use those talents to help those who are in need, we can make this world a better place. These truths guided his life and will continue through the generations who follow him.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street, Columbia, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. A service to honor Hal will be held on Friday, April 24, 2026 at 2:00 pm at Shandon United Methodist Church, Columbia, with a reception to follow in Player Hall. Contributions in his memory should be directed to Shandon United Methodist Church, 3407 Devine Street, Columbia, SC 29205 or to the Haiti Eye Program of UMVIM-SC, ℅ Conference Treasurer South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, 4908 Colonial Drive, Columbia, SC 29203.