Richard “Dick” Jennings
Beaufort said goodbye to another of its best-known and most respected residents last week, as Richard “Dick” Jennings died July 28 at the Medical University of South Carolina. He was 77.
Jennings was the co-owner of Jennings Building Systems, Inc., and also worked in real estate, but he was best known to those who spent time on the area’s waterways. A veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, he later was a charter boat captain and served as skipper of the Beaufort Water Search and Rescue service for many years.
Jennings graduated from Beaufort High School before attending Palomar College in California and entering the Coast Guard. He returned to Beaufort to raise a family with his wife of 50 years, Libby Jennings, and was a member of the Beaufort American Legion Post 9, most recently serving as Commander. He also was a member of Port Royal United Methodist Church.
Friends and family members at his well-attended funeral remembered Jennings as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who loved fishing, being on the water, watching his grandkids play sports, and telling stories. He was a generous man who loved to help people and was loved by all who met him.
Jennings is survived by his wife and three sons, Richard (and wife Jean), Christopher (and wife Elizabeth), and Scott; five grandchildren, Kirsten Jennings, Hayden Jennings, Rance Jennings, Andrew Jennings, and Caitlynn Foskey; and two great-grandchildren, Rhett and Knox. He is also survived by two sisters, Olivia Clark of Virginia and Ruth Edwards of Florida, and a multitude of nieces and nephews.
