George Rennard Obituary

George "Herb Evans" Rennard, Jr. Hardeeville, SC - Professional fisherman and boat captain, George "Herb Evans" Herbert Rennard, Jr. (July 24, 1953-August 3, 2020) followed his catch around the world for over twenty-five years. During this time, he called the American Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Uruguay, Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand and Tonga his home waters. In the 1980s and 1990s, Captain Herb was one of the outstanding fishermen in his field of longlining and known among colleagues for successfully keeping both his boat and his life in good order. He developed fishing companies in New Zealand and Venezuela, and caught and exported pelagic fish for the international market. He has the distinction of catching bigeye tuna that twice exceeded sales records on the Tokyo fish market. Captain Herb spent the final years of his career in New Zealand and then Trinidad. No matter how far he traveled or how beautiful his port of call, the Lowcountry was his home. He grew up in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, at a time when he and friends could hunt in patches of woods along Coleman Boulevard and fish the former abundance of the intercoastal waterways. He was a graduate of Moultrie High School and attended Spartanburg Junior College. At a young age, Captain Herb was determined to transform his passion for the outdoors into a viable profession. After retiring from longlining, he returned to his hometown of Mt. Pleasant, where he served as a boat captain for the Cooper River Equipment Company during the construction of the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge. On his former sea journeys, lasting often a month or more, Captain Herb would devour books, mainly non-fiction-reading about the Lowcountry was a life-long passion. Having learned so much about our past, he was proud to actively participate in Charleston's history as the iconic Copper River Bridge (Grace Memorial, 1929) was replaced by the Ravenel Bridge. He transported all personnel, conducted marine surveys of the bridge site, and gave tours of the construction site to media and DOT officials. In 2005, Captain Herb made Purrysburg, SC-on the Savannah River outside of the Bluffton area-his new fishing and hunting grounds. For the last nine years, he was the Wilson Landing Marina Captain at Palmetto Bluff, a Montage property on the scenic May River. He and Captain Ed Johnson led the restoration and preservation efforts for the Grace, the Bluff's 1913 wooden motor yacht. He cherished his time on the Grace and all of the people that he met as its captain-fellow colleagues, Palmetto Bluff residents, and visitors from all over the world. Known for his salty charisma and truly genuine demeanor, he adored sharing his knowledge of local history and ecology during boat tours on the Grace and with private fishing charter patrons. An avid sportsman, Captain Herb spent most of his life in the woods or on the water. He lived every moment, and although cut too short by cancer, his days were filled with adventure and freedom that most never experience. Captain Herb is survived by his only child, Brandy S. Culp of Hartford, CT and Charleston, SC; former wife, Christina D. Culp of Neeses, SC; his sisters Mona R. Wilkerson (Ron) of Thomasville, GA., Karen R. Looper (Paul) of Springfield, GA; step-sister, Dorothy (Dot) Kurkowskie of Summerville, SC; and brothers, Mike Evans (Cathy) of Mt. Pleasant, SC and David Evans (Deborah) of Summerville, SC; aunts, Muriel R. Kerr and Lillian R. Huelett and uncle, Ralph L. Rennard, all originally of Point Pleasant, NJ; as well as six nieces, ten nephews and twenty-seven grandnieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his mother, Marie Hudson Evans (Andreas Wagner "Red") of Mt. Pleasant; and his father George Herbert Rennard (Autrey) of Thomasville, GA. A celebration of life will be planned and announced at a later time this year. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in honor of Captain Herb be sent to the Lowcountry Land Trust, Charleston, SC (lowcountrylandtrust.org) (843) 577-6510 or Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT where his daughter is Curator of American Decorative Arts, (thewadsworth.org) (860) 838-4070. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston