George Harper

George Marshall Harper EDISTO ISLAND - George Marshall Harper, a native South Carolinian died at the age of 71 on Thursday, February 14, 2019 after a long battle with cancer. The son of Sara Fishburne Harper and Sidi Browne Harper, he was born on October 8, 1947 in Walterboro and spent his childhood summers and most of his adult life on Edisto Island. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1971 with a degree in Business Administration. While attending U.S.C., he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and became a lifelong avid Gamecocks fan. Upon graduating he started his career as a page in the South Carolina House of Representatives, then advertising sales with the Post and Courier newspapers. He then joined his father at Farmers and Merchants, a family bank that was started by his great grandfather, Harvin Wichman, in 1902. He became a registered representative with the banking investment firm of Frost, Johnson, Read and Smith Inc. of Charleston. As an investment advisor, he continued his relationship with Farmers and Merchants Bank providing his clients in Walterboro with access to investment needs. Although he continued his interest in the stock market, his love of the outdoors and his childhood memories of Edisto Island brought him back to the island to pursue other business ventures first in farming and then in real estate, as a partner in Lachicotte & Harper Realty, Inc. George's heart and soul were always in the low country starting from early childhood. The natural beauty and the sporting life of Edisto defined so much of his life with many fishing and hunting adventures in the fields, creeks and marshes of Edisto and great memories with family and friends. He loved the outdoors and his constant companions for many of those years were his Labradors, Blue and Junior. He is survived by his sister, Sarah Wichman Harper McCoy; nephew, Lauren Allan Parrott, Jr.; nieces, Sarah Fishburne Parrott Lathrop and Catherine Harper Parrott Bolton and his godson, James Julian Bailey, Jr. The family would like to thank the physicians and staff at the Hollings Cancer Center of MUSC and the Roper Hospice Cottage of Mt. Pleasant for their care and kindness. The family invites all family and friends to join them in a celebration of George's life on Saturday, March 16th at 3:30 pm at 3731 Docksite Road, Edisto Island.