Odell Beach Grice

COLUMBIA - Born January 3, 1929 to Harvey and Sallie Grice and named for his Uncle Beach, OB Grice was born during a time when men lived to work rather than working to live. Their job was to provide for their families.

As a child, OB shared a small home with a large portion of his family in the mill town of The Olympia Mill in Columbia, South Carolina. As long as he could remember, he was always passionate about media. Every Sunday that he could make a dime, OB walked to The State Theater and enjoyed a .10 movie. As a 10-year-old, he would load up on a bus and deliver newspapers to the soldiers at Fort Jackson through WWII.

OB married his sweetheart, Nellie Mae Garner Grice at the age of 19 in 1948 and played semiprofessional football. After he broke his neck playing, he became an electrician.

In 1950, OB was drafted for the Korean War by both the US Army and the US Navy. He was able to enlist in the US Navy, and for the duration of the war, he proudly served our country working as a printing press operator at the newspaper.

When OB left the Navy, he used his GI Bill on an education in journalism at the University of South Carolina and became one of the Gamecocks, who he loved until his last day on Earth.

In the 1950’s, he also began what would be over a 40-year career at The Columbia Record and The State newspaper.

OB’s one and only child, a son OB (Obie) Grice Jr. was born one day shy of his 30th birthday.

OB Sr. had grown up poor and didn’t want the same for his family, so he worked sometimes two jobs to provide for them, but was still a father to Obie, showing up for all of the important events in Obie’s life, and still was an active member of his community and a loyal deacon at Southside Baptist Church in Columbia. Obie always looked up to his dad and held him in the highest esteem.

When OB was foreman for The Columbia Record and The State newspaper, overseeing all of The State’s news and Extra! editions, Obie attended The Citadel and married Merrinelle. OB finally retired in the 1980’s when Obie and Merrinelle began having children. OB and Nellie loved being grandparents and their grandchildren were the apples of their eyes. But OB couldn’t just not work and he went back to his roots as an electrician for The University of South Carolina.

When OB’s grandson, Odell Beach Grice III (Dell) was born, their bond was undeniable. OB taught Dell about the Gamecocks and became a season ticket holder and they would go to as many home games at Williams-Brice as they could and even traveled away to games together. They spent almost every weekend together.

In 1998, OB tragically and suddenly lost his beloved Nellie to complications from surgery. She was 68. Two and a half short years later, he tragically and suddenly lost Obie too. He was 42. The family that he had worked so hard to provide for was gone. These great losses sent him into solitude, although he continued to work until he was 76-years old driving across the country for Avis. He still enjoyed watching movies, tinkering on computers, and going to plays in Myrtle Beach with his brother James, but the majority of his time was spent alone.

For the past 6 years, OB lived with his daughter-in-law, Merrinelle, who cared for him when it became too much for him to do on his own. He never wanted to be a burden and it was painful for his family to watch his body fail him over and over again. He refused a cane until he couldn’t anymore. He refused a walker until he couldn’t anymore. He refused the hospital until he couldn’t anymore. And he refused hospice until he couldn’t anymore.

He was never rude or overbearing about his refusal, just matter-of-fact. He was arguably the least combative person on the face of the Earth, although any of the neighborhood kids that he used to fight in the 1930’s would probably be shocked to hear that.

OB was known to go with the flow and never force his emotions or baggage on anyone. He carried it all alone, and he wouldn’t have it any other way - it was his cross to bear, after all.

OB Grice Sr. is preceded in death by almost everyone he ever loved, including his parents Harvey and Sallie Grice of Columbia, SC, two of his siblings, Willis Grice and Margie Walker, his wife Nellie Mae Grice, his son Obie (OB Grice Jr). OB is survived by his brother James Grice of Columbia, SC, his granddaughter Annelle (Zach) Blackwell of Greensburg, LA, his grandson Dell (Casey) Grice of Florence, SC, and his great grandchildren children Claire Kesilyn (Annelle and Zach), Brenyn Beach, and Sawyer Marie (Dell and Casey), and by his daughter-in-law who should be mentioned as his honorary daughter because she cared for him in his final years, Merrinelle Grice of Florence, SC.

OB may have been quiet, but he was also a writer who never pursued his passion because he had to do what brought in the certain money, and he decided to print the newspapers rather than featuring stories in them, but he had a story inside of him and he passed his passion down in his genes.

In his final months, OB sang that one day soon he was going to climb that mountain and watch from the stars, and at 3 AM on October 12, 2024, peacefully, he did just that. Just two days prior to that he was speaking with his wife, son, and sister Margie, and the day before, he said that he was ready to go to his heavenly home. OB spent almost a century on Earth, a blessing that a rare few have.

You better bet that he was watching his Gamecocks on Sunday from The Great Beyond and was proud of them even though they lost by 2 points. What a game, boys. You’ve got a good one up there cheering you on whether you win or lose, but winning is better obviously. Go Gamecocks!

A small, private graveside service will be held by family at a later date.