John Chalmers Obituary

John A. Chalmers CHARLESTON - John Arthur Chalmers, 84, of Charleston, South Carolina, husband of Nancy Mikell Lockwood Chalmers, entered into eternal rest Friday, October 4, 2024. A private interment of his ashes will be held at a later date in the Chalmers section of Long Cane Cemetery in Abbeville. It was John's wish to be buried near his grandmother, Cornelia Tennent Taggart Chalmers. John was born March 10, 1940 in Live Oak, Florida, son of the late Arthur Taggart Chalmers and Mary Marguerite Giddens Chalmers. After serving in the Navy during World War II, John's father returned with his family to his native South Carolina, settling in Charleston. The family lived in downtown Charleston, Park Circle, and Edgewater Park. John attended Charleston Day, North Charleston Schools, Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida, and graduated from St. Andrew's Parish High School, the University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina School of Law. He practiced law in Charleston for 41 years. He also served as a Charleston County Magistrate for West Ashley. John was a South Carolina Chess Champion, a Presbyterian, a member of the Huguenot Society, and a direct descendant of Susanne Vergereau and William Tennent Ill, a Presbyterian minister who performed Patriotic Service during the Revolutionary War and was the founder and minister of the Unitarian Church of Charleston. John enjoyed playing the piano, having started lessons with Mrs. Cappelmann while he was in elementary school. His greatest pleasure came from: playing chess, golf, and tennis with his grown children, watching the antics of his four youngest grandchildren when they came to visit, engaging in long conversations and walks with his siblings, Nena and Mark, and traveling with Nancy. He was a voracious reader and was interested in everything from history and art to quantum physics and woodworking. His fascination with computers began when he was hired by SCE&G in Columbia to program computers that, in the early days, covered an entire wall. He helped the Public Defender's Office in Charleston with its change - over to computers in the early 80's. All of these abilities and joys began to ebb with his diagnosis of memory loss and, later, cancer. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Nancy; his children, Amelia (Amy) Fowles C. Fairfax, MD, (Todd) of Charleston, Alexander (Alec) Taggart Chalmers (Maryanne) of Isle of Palms, Marguerite Mikell Chalmers (Chris Hefter) of Charleston, and Anne Porcher C. Goforth, DNP, (Paul) of Bethesda, Maryland; a sister, Nena C. Walsh (Bill) of Aiken; a brother, Mark W. Chalmers of North Augusta; 3 granddaughters, 6 grandsons, 3 nieces, and several 4-legged friends who will miss his attention. In addition to his parents, John was predeceased by his brother, James David Chalmers. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to any local, national, or international animal rescue organization, environmental or wildlife protection group, the American Cancer Society, or Alzheimer's Disease Research. The family wishes to thank the nurses and staff of Roper Hospice for their constant care and support, the ER doctors and nurses of Roper and Bon Secours St. Francis hospitals, the Charleston Fire Department's "lift and assist" teams, and Charleston County E.M.S. Your gentleness and respect for John were and are greatly appreciated.