Lucille Hancock Gilland

GILBERT - A celebration of life service for Mrs. Lucille S. Hancock Gilland, 92, will be held at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church, 1205 Old Cherokee Road, Lexington, SC 29072. Reverend Jeff Kersey and Reverend Shane McDaniel will officiate. Visitation with family and friends will be held from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. prior to the service at the church. A private burial will be held following the service. Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel, Irmo, is assisting the family.

Mrs. Lucille was surrounded by loved ones when she passed away peacefully at her home on Thursday, December 16, 2021. Born in Gaston, S.C., she was the daughter of the late Lemuel H. and Maudie Hilson Sightler. She was predeceased by her husband, Reginald Hancock and her second husband, Elroy E. Gilland. She was also predeceased by three sisters, four brothers, and her granddaughter, Amanda Jane Hancock.

She was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. She and Reginald were members of State Street Baptist Church where she taught three-year-old Sunday School and only God knows how many children learned about Jesus from Mrs. Lucille. She was a proud military wife to Reginald, but was widowed with their four children when her beloved husband passed away suddenly in 1967.

In her early teens, her serving heart began. She was a hostess serving cakes at The Wade Hampton Hotel in Columbia. She taught cake decorating at Airport High Vocational School for adults. She served as a wedding caterer and special event planner. Her beautifully decorated multi-tiered pound cakes were made for all of the family weddings.

Later, she married Elroy E. Gilland in 1972 and they were members of First Calvary Baptist Church, where she loved on the children in the nursery. Through all the years, she most adored looking after all the children in her family while their parents worked.

Mrs. Lucille was always doing kind acts for others, not only for the family but also for her friends and neighbors. She was a wonderful cook and rarely met a stranger. If you had the good fortune to eat a meal at her home, you always left full and with plenty of food to go. God definitely gave her the gifts of service and hospitality.

She was an avid gardener who loved being outside enjoying the sunshine and hard work. She had her own vegetable garden and pecan farm and it gave her great joy to share the fruits of her labor with others. She would even drive out of town during peach season picking them up to give to everyone.

Mrs. Lucille was a beautiful earthly example of how God wants us to love one another. Even while she was temporarily in an assisted living care home, she was always taking care and lifting the spirits of the residents and staff around her. One Christmas, her family decided they would each select a Bible scripture that described her. There were 35 scriptures and only two of them were the same. Lucille, “Grandmama”, “Granny” has left quite a lasting legacy for generations.

Surviving are her daughter, Linda Holliman (Ed) of Gilbert; sons, Stephen Hancock of San Diego, CA., David Hancock (Laine Dunbar) of Columbia, Retired Colonel Joseph R. Hancock of Gilbert; granddaughters, Jessica McDaniel (Shane) of Gilbert, Sara Guyton (Kyle) of Gilbert; grandsons, Matt Holliman (JoDee) of Gilbert, Austin Robertson (Sara) of Raleigh, N.C.; granddaughter, Audrey Hancock of San Diego; grandson, Travis Hancock (Alexis Marsh) of Brevard, N.C.; granddaughter, Carrie Brown (Lucas) of Columbia; grandsons, Justin Hancock of Irmo, S.C., Benjamin Hancock (Greta) of Pelion, S.C.; granddaughters, Rachel Wingard (Kennith) of Evans, Ga., Kelsey Hancock of Irmo, S.C., Shelby Hancock of Gilbert. Also surviving are 15 great-grandchildren; a brother, L. H. Sightler (Amelia) and very dear nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to thank her friends and neighbors who came by to visit her over the years. They are very grateful for the love and care that Janet Hancock has given her.

Memorials may be made to Harvest Hope Food Bank, 2220 Shop Road, Columbia, SC 29201 or American Heart Association, PO Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.