Edward "Eddie" Smithey Whitlock Jr.

Edward “Eddie” S. Whitlock Jr. of Summerville, South Carolina, passed away on November 10th, 2026, with his wife, Theresa Young-Whitlock, by his side. Eddie was born in Charleston, son to the late Edward Whitlock Sr. and Georgianna deMore Whitlock McNaughton, and grew up in the North Charleston area of the county.

Eddie graduated from North Charleston High School and began his college pursuits at the College of Charleston in 1964. During the Fall of that year, he pledged to the Alpha Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi. He remained at the College until after the completion of Hell Week and, because of personal reasons, left the College just prior to the Chapter’s Initiation Ceremony.

Eddie later, as an adult, and while fully employed, returned to his college pursuits. He held an Associates of Science degree from Trident Technical College in Public Service/Criminal Justice; a Bachelor of Science degree from Limestone College in Business Administration; and a Masters of Business Administration degree from The Citadel.

Eddie’s professional career began at the Charleston Naval Shipyard in late 1965, where he completed the Apprentice Program in Electronics. He worked there for 5 ½ years but became disillusioned at the prospects of being in that work environment for 40 more years.

Eddie’s interest turned to the Law Enforcement profession and in May of 1971, he left the shipyard and began a 43-year career in that field. He started as a patrolman with the Charleston County Police Department. He remained with that agency and steadily worked his way up the promotional ladder, obtaining the rank of Captain – Chief of Detectives. In January of 1991, the Charleston County Police Department ceased to exist by referendum vote and was merged into the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. Eddie remained as head of the detective office and later experienced new frontiers as a ranking Sheriff’s Deputy. He retired from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office in June of 1999 as a Chief Deputy in charge of Operations.

Eddie’s after-retirement law enforcement career saw him at work as Chief of Police in Ridgeville, SC; an Officer with the Harleyville Police Department; and as a Lieutenant with the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office. He decided in 2014 to enjoy the rewards of his career, fully retiring and traveling with his wife, Theresa.

Along Eddie’s journey in life, in addition to his parents, he lost his brother Stephen N. Whitlock, his sister Anne W. Googe, and his brother David G. Whitlock.

Eddie is survived by his loving wife, Theresa Young-Whitlock; his children, Robert Whitlock (Cynthia) and Wendy Carter (Pat); his grandchildren, Matthew Whitlock (Sabrina), Destiny Whitlock (Josh), Cody Whitlock (Lexy), Carol Carter, and Patrick Carter; and great-grandchildren Grayson and Gage.

It was always said that Eddie never met a stranger and he will be remembered fondly by so many.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 pm, on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at Carolina Memorial Funeral Home, 7113 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406.