Charles Harold Price

Charles Harold (Charlie) Price, 89, passed away at home in Batesburg, SC on April 2, 2022. He was born in Wrightsville, GA, to the late Leslie Hoke and Marie Keen Price.

Charlie grew up mostly in Wrightsville, except for a time in Savannah while his father worked at the shipyard during WWII. Charlie had hilarious stories about a paper route, various made-up sports games and playing in the swamp with his older brother and cousins. Many of these stories ended with “and we left him for dead…”

After graduating from Wrightsville High School in 1949, Charlie married his high school sweetheart, Barbara, and moved to Augusta, GA, where they subsequently had four girls because his wife couldn’t figure out how to pick the Y chromosomes. He made the best of it, however, and taught his girls to be maddeningly independent. For instance, each of them had to put the car on blocks, rotate the tires, and change the oil before they could get a driver’s license, with Charlie overseeing like a drill sergeant. Charlie’s practical jokes on the girls were never-ending, and he always seemed to be one step ahead when they tried to get revenge.

Charlie worked briefly for a bridge construction company before being hired by DuPont during construction of Savannah River Site. After completion, he worked as an operator at the facility for some time until 1961 when Charlie went to work for CVNPA at Parr, SC, during the construction of the experimental nuclear power plant. When the successful experimental plant was shut down, he went to work for SCE&G. Over the next twenty-five years at SCE&G, he worked at various construction and conversion projects all over South Carolina, including V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, SC.

Charlie was quite the athlete, excelling in high school football back when the helmets were little more than leather caps, earning the name “Bonehead” for his ability to use it as an offensive weapon. He was heavily recruited to play on work-sponsored softball teams until he over-extended his hamstrings and promptly retired his ball glove. He bowled for a bit using his infamous “tippy-toe” approach but found a life-changing passion when he took up golf, quickly mastering the sport, winning various amateur tournaments and club championships. The many friendships made on golf courses were lifelong, creating myriads of hilarious stories that would have filled volumes…at least those that weren’t sworn to secrecy. His wicked sense of humor, sometimes…okay, often… caustic tongue and amazing twinkling blue eyes were legendary. To all his family and friends, Charlie was known as a curmudgeon at times, but also as someone with a heart of gold.

Charlie is survived by three daughters, Angie Hydrick, of Cayce, SC, Donna Richards, of Marietta, GA, and Tressa Oswalt (Robert), of Lubbock, TX, and their mother, Barbara Price, of Cayce, SC. He is also survived by sister, Joanne DeBerry, of Abilene, TX, brother, Sam Price (Ann), of Carrolton, GA, and sister-in-law, Joann Price, of McDonough, GA, five grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews, that he used to cyber-stalk on Facebook. He was predeceased by daughter, Cynthia Price, brother, Hoke Price, and son-in-law, Buddy Hydrick.

Charlie’s family would like to thank the caring folks at Generations, Batesburg, compassionate medical professionals at All-Seasons Healthcare and especially want to tell Peter Ortiz of National HME that his attention to detail and extreme kindness was a gift from God.