Judith Hancock Obituary

Judith "Kaki" Lynn Eccles Hancock, 83, of Columbia passed away peacefully, while sleeping, on February 3, 2026. The funeral service and burial will be held at Elmwood Cemetery, 501 Elmwood Avenue, Columbia, SC, at 2:00 pm on Sunday, February 8th.

Kaki was born April 21, 1942 to Wyman Rutherford Eccles and Gertrude Rosalind Greaves in Indianapolis, IN. She moved to North Carolina with her family and graduated from Ashley High School. She attended the University of South Carolina where she was a proud member of Chi Omega sorority and a Gamecock cheerleader. While at USC she met her best friend Ed and they were married in 1966. After graduating USC she began her teaching career and taught 3rd grade before deciding to stay home when she had children.

Sports, especially the Gamecocks, were always a love for Kaki. She established the first select national traveling softball team in South Carolina - The Dynamites! For 20 years, traveling the country, their mission was to provide the opportunity for young women to obtain college scholarships playing softball. It brought her great joy to see that softball has exploded on the east coast since that time, and of course she watched intently as her beloved Gamecocks completed a magical run last season.

She and Ed also loved to open their homes to foreign exchange students. Many of those students became cherished members of the family and are still in contact with the family today.

Kaki's greatest joy was being Ed's wife, a loving Mom to her 3 children, a cherished "Nanny" to her 5 grandchildren and recently to her great-granddaughter.

Kaki was a big personality and the life of the party wherever she was. She put 100% of herself into anything she did. The family always joked, if you needed something impossible done, just tell Kaki she can't do it…..and stand back.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Edwin Allen Hancock Sr and her son, John Kevin Hancock. Those left to cherish her memory include her son, Edwin Allen Hancock, Jr. and daughter, Lindsey Hancock Russell; her daughter-in-law, Gina Hancock; her 5 grandchildren, Edwin Allen, III (Jess), Collen Grace, Grey Freeman Russell, Andrew Bryce and Ellis Rachel Hancock; great-granddaughter, Aurora Eden Hancock; and brother William Eccles (Sharon).

The family would like to make a special mention of appreciation to Kaki's life long friend Rita Jenkins, who's tremendous support of Kaki, and the family, can not be measured. Also, to Elizabeth Lawrence for the love and friendship she showed to Kaki when she needed it most; as well as The Palmettos of Parklane staff and Caris Healthcare staff.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to Ezekiel Ministries (https://link.edgepilot.com/s/f33ff820/-pnR01LM6Euo1eQL-mUpQA?u=https://ezeministries.org/) or a charity of your choice.

Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, is assisting the family.