Frederick Liles Obituary

MSgt (Ret), USMC Frederick Ray Liles, 76, of Beaufort, SC, passed away on July 5th, 2025 after surviving a pancreatic cancer diagnosis for nearly a year. Fred was born on June 23rd, 1949 in Rocky Mount, NC to Frederick "Bill" Kilgo Liles & Myrtle Hux Liles Jenkins Reaves. After graduating from Roanoke Rapids High School in 1967, he went on to join the U.S. Marine Corps. He retired in Beaufort, SC with the rank of Master Sergeant in 1988 after serving in Vietnam, Thailand, Iwakuni, and the exotic Lakehurst, NJ. After his retirement from the Marine Corps he held a variety of jobs including classic & antique car mechanic, garbage truck mechanic, and fire truck mechanic. I'm sure you can deduce his area of expertise. He eventually retired from all formal work and began traveling. During this time, he went on a whitewater rafting trip where Fred immediately found a home on the river. So much so, he took family members rafting on several occasions before ultimately joining the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Hot Springs, NC as their bus driver. Although he trained as a river guide he enjoyed the role of bus driver more - even sporting a tuxedo T-shirt and chauffeur's cap as his "uniform". When not on the river or visiting a Bluegreen Resort, Fred could be found at AMVETS Post 70 where he we was a Life Member. He would be manning the grill or working in the kitchen but most famously socializing with everyone at the bar or behind it. He was more than the "hell raiser" he made himself out to be - even joining the congregation of Shell Point Baptist Church. He had a generous spirit and made friends everywhere. If any of those friends needed help, whether it was an odd job or a ride to a doctor's appointment, they knew they could call Fred. He is preceded in death by his parents, his beloved wife Josephine Lambert Liles, his sister Linda Rowland Rhea, and his brother Roland Liles Massey. He is survived by his daughters Melanie S. Smith and Amanda Liles. He is also survived by his sister Brenda Rountree (L.G.) and brothers Larry Liles (Carol) and Ed Jenkins (Cheryl). In addition to being a loving brother and father he was a doting "PawPaw Fred" to his granddogs Mongo & Ava. Services will be at a later date to be announced. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to AMVETS https://www.amvets.org/, RiverLink https://riverlink.org/donate/, the Medical University of South Carolina https://giving.musc.edu/, Friends of Caroline Hopsice https://www.fochospice.org/donate or the organization of your choice.