Benjamin Hagood Obituary

Benjamin Ambler Hagood, Sr. Charleston - Benjamin Ambler Hagood, Sr., 91, of Charleston, South Carolina, husband of Derrill Taber Maybank Hagood, entered into eternal rest Saturday, November 9, 2019. His funeral service will be held Tuesday, November 12, 2019 in St. Philip's Church, 142 Church St., Charleston, SC 29401 at 2:00pm with interment at the churchyard followed by a reception at the St. Philip's Parish Hall. The family will receive friends Monday, November 11, 2019 from 3:00 pm 5:00 pm at their residence. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Downtown Chapel. Ben, better known as Pops by his thirteen grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, four sons and daughters-in-law, and wife of 65 years; was blessed to have everything a man could ask for: a long and wonderful faith-filled life with loving and caring family and friends. A native of Charleston, he loved his city and its history, people, and progress. Ben Hagood, Sr. spent his working career at William M. Bird and Co., Inc. He was the company's sixth president before retiring from the then 128-year-old company at the end of 1993. During his fifty-year career, he served as a Director for South Carolina National Bank, South Carolina Electric & Gas, Scana Corporation, numerous industry trade associations, and local civic organizations. He served as President of Historic Charleston Foundation as well as the Charleston Kiwanis Club. An Eagle Scout, he spent many years supporting and volunteering for the local Boy Scouts. He also served in many capacities at St. Philip's Church, including as a Vestry member and Sr. Warden. He was a member of the Society for the Preservation of Spirituals, St. Cecilia Society, the Carolina Yacht Club, the South Carolina Society, the Carolina Plantation Society, and the Society of the Cincinnati. He graduated from the Citadel in 1949 with a degree in Civil Engineering. After graduation, he attended the Wharton Graduate Business School. He was called to active duty in the United States Army Reserve as a First Lieutenant and was stationed in Germany. While a Citadel Cadet, he was the Regimental Executive Officer and a member of the Summerall Guard. He was a member of the Round Table, an honored and select group of distinguished Citadel students. He boxed middleweight class on the Citadel boxing team and was a member of the Southern Conference Championship team of 1948. He loved his alma mater and served with distinction as a Director of the Citadel Foundation. During his retirement years, he pursued many hobbies and interests, including golfing, hunting, furniture repairing, ship modeling, painting, sculpting, and carving. He loved to build, repair, and tinker. He completed too many projects, large and small, to recount. Ben Hagood, Sr. knew no strangers, and most that met him knew him well within short order. During most conversations, he did not let his good-natured love for everyone suppress an unapologetic conviction. In most matters, he had the rare capability of combining modesty, wisdom, and wit with a marked independence of thought and action. He will be remembered as a gentleman and a person of good character. He is survived and remembered by his wife of 65 years, Derrill Taber Maybank Hagood; four sons, Jimmy Hagood and his wife, Anne Marie, Ben Hagood, Jr. and his wife, Penn, Maybank Hagood and his wife, Elizabeth, Robert Hagood and his wife, Margaret; thirteen grandchildren, Mary Neill McKie and her husband Blake, Andrew Hagood and his wife, Kathleen, Lizzie Currin and her husband, Mark, Catherine Hagood, Derrill McDavid and her husband, Will, Nancy Hagood, Alex Hagood and his wife, Caroline, Caroline Hagood, Banks Hagood, Camp Hagood, Francis Hagood, Mary Margaret Hagood and Virginia Hagood; three great-grandchildren, Louisa McKie, Findlay McKie and James Hagood; caring friends, Earnest Nesbit, Janice Ladson, and Catherine White. Mr. Hagood was preceded in death by his parents, James Morrow and Antoinette Camp Hagood and a sister, Anne Cooke Gilliam. Memorials may be made to St. Philip's Church 142 Church Street, Charleston, SC, 29401 or Historic Charleston Foundation 40 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC, 29401. A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston