Obituary of Charles Robert Propst

Charles Robert “Pap” Propst died Wednesday, May 20, 2015. Pap was born at Tuomey Hospital on January 25, 1925, the youngest of three sons of Grier Caldwell Propst and Lois Sims Propst. He was married for 60 years to the late Helen Edwards Propst. Pap spent much of his teenage years at the YMCA, participating in basketball and swimming under the direction of Mr. Austin Francis. As captain and center of the basketball team, the Green Dragons were national champions. In swimming, the team also excelled and Pap held several southeastern swimming records. In 1942, he graduated from Edmunds High School, where he was president of the student body. From there, he went to The Citadel where he earned academic honors and captained the basketball team. He entered the Medical College of South Carolina in 1945, graduating in 1948, and then moved to Philadelphia to further his medical training at Philadelphia General Hospital and Philadelphia Children’s Hospital. During the Korean Conflict, he joined the navy and was assigned to the marines as a medical officer. He served in three Korean campaigns, including the Inchon Invasion, for which he received a bronze star and a Presidential Unit Citation. He returned to Sumter to found Sumter Pediatrics where he practiced for 32 years; after retirement he served for three years as Medical Director for Tuomey Medical Center. In 1988, he undertook a one-year fellowship in Developmental Pediatrics and Learning Disabilities at MUSC, after which he joined the Department of Pediatrics, USC School of Medicine, as a Professor of Pediatrics. Over the next 15 years, he developed a comprehensive developmental pediatric practice with particular focus on attention deficit disorders. He fully retired from the active practice of medicine in 2006, at the age of 81. While at the USC medical school, he served on a number of committees, including the Admissions Committee, and was a faculty mentor to medical students. In 1993, he was presented with the Pediatric Residents’ Mentor Award and, in 1999, he became only the second faculty member to be inducted into the Pediatric Hall of Fame by the pediatric residents. Pap was also actively involved in the Sumter community. He served as a member of the District 17 school board for 25 years, the last ten as chairman. He played a key role in building Sumter High School as well as Patriot Hall, the community cultural center. A long-time member and supporter of the YMCA, he served 16 years on the board of the directors, one as president. In 1989, he was designated as the YMCA Humanitarian of the Year. For 36 years, he also served as a physician for Camp Sea Gull, a YMCA camp in North Carolina. He was a lifetime member of the Sumter Rotary Club where he was a past president, and honored as Rotarian of the Year and as a Paul Harris Fellow. He was also a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church where he served as Deacon and Elder. He served on numerous child health committees for the SCMA, DHEC and the SC Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He served as Chief of the Pediatric Department and Chief of Staff of Tuomey Hospital. He was twice elected President of the South Carolina Pediatric Society and chaired the Governors Advisory Group for the Study of Children. Pap was an amazing individual, a friend to all and never, ever met a stranger. He lived life to the fullest and showed no signs of slowing down. He so loved his family everywhere and relished his relationships with everyone. He truly delighted in the successes of others. He is survived by three children: Charles Sims Propst, Sr. and his wife, Anne, of Greenville, SC; Barbara Propst Spell and her husband, David, of Sullivan’s Island; and, Warren Edwards Propst and his wife, Donna, of Columbia. He is also survived by a brother, William Sims Propst, of Raleigh, and seven grandchildren – Charles (Chad) Sims Propst, Jr. and his wife, Jess, Martha Riviere Propst, Helen Caldwell Spell, Celia Smoak Spell, Charles Robert Propst, James Dendy Propst and Edwin Caldwell Propst. He was predeceased by a brother, Julian Caldwell Propst, and a sister-in-law, Nancy Claire Edwards. Memorial Services will be held Sunday, May 24, at 2:00 PM at First Presbyterian Church in Sumter with the Rev. Janie McElwee-Smith and Rev. Dr. Mark Durrett officiating. There will be a private committal service in the Sumter Cemetery. The family is receiving friends at the home located at 30 Buford Street in Sumter. Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 9 West Calhoun Street, Sumter, SC 29150; The Tuomey Hospital Foundation, 102 North Main Street, Sumter, SC, 29150; or, the Sumter YMCA, 50 Willow Drive, Sumter, SC 29150. Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com. Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home and Crematory, 221 Broad Street, Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements. (803) 775-9386.