Lois Eargle

Rev. Steve Eargle, longtime Horry County Auditor Lois Eargle's son, speaks during his mother's funeral on Nov. 18. She was 85. Alex Brizee/Staff

CONWAY — It was right after Sunday church service that Lois Eargle decided she was ready to join her late husband, Jack Eargle, and meet her best friend, Jesus Christ. 

Eargle, the first woman to run for South Carolina's Legislature in Horry County and longtime county auditor, died from a stroke Nov. 14 after service at Union United Methodist Church. She was 85. 

Lois Eargle

Lois Eargle, who served as the Horry County Auditor from 1993 to 2021, died Nov. 14. Provided/Horry County Sheriff's Office 

"My momma is Lois Eargle and Jesus is her best friend. My name is Steve Eargle and Jesus is my best friend," Steve Eargle, her only son said during her Nov. 18 funeral. "What a legacy my mom has left for our family, for her church at large, for the citizens of Horry County and the state of South Carolina." 

On Nov. 18, over 100 Horry County residents gathered at Langston Baptist Church in Conway to celebrate the life of Eargle. 

In 1976, Eargle was elected to the S.C. House of Representatives ousting an eight-year incumbent and beating three others to become the first woman to ever represent Horry County in the legislature. 

During her four terms, Eargle was appointed by then-President Ronald Reagan to his commission on intellectual disabilities, even getting to meet the president and First Lady Nancy Reagan at the White House. 

Eargle's passion for helping people followed her back to Horry County where a home for people with disabilities, the Lois Eargle Home, was named after her.

"Lois Eargle believed in women," the Rev. Jeff Kersey, Lois' son-in-law who lead the funeral service said. "She believed that women should have a place in leadership, in this county and in this country." 

Eargle inspired many women throughout the state including the first female governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley, according to Kersey who shared a note from the United Nations ambassador during Eargle's funeral.

Haley's note stated that Eargle believed in her long before she was an ambassador or governor and back when people would say "Nikki who?" 

"(I'll) never forget the day in 2010 when she invited me to her church as we walked down the aisle together Ms. Lois didn't need to say a word everyone knew I had her support — she was so well respected — no one dared question why she was backing the underdog," the note from Haley read. "I'll be forever grateful for what she did. And one thing is for sure, from that day forward, I was never 'Nikki who?' in Horry County again."

After Eargle's mother, Retus Elizabeth Hudson Grooms, suffered kidney disease in the 1950s and was no longer able to work, Eargle stepped up and dropped out of school at 15 years old to begin working to support her family. 

"Lois began to fight the good fight very early," Kersey said.

Eargle was still working up until this year when she retired due health concerns from the Horry County auditor's office after 28 years of service. 

Though Eargle had to leave school early-on, that didn't stop her from getting her GED and furthering her education even getting an honorary doctorate in 2006 from Coastal Carolina University. 

Eargle is survived by her children Steve Eargle, Gwyn Eargle Porter, Lynn Eargle Kersey and Susan Eargle Soucy; three of her siblings Bob Grooms, Ronnie Grooms and Christine McLeod, 14 grandchildren; and 26 great grandchildren. 

"If you're here today, you're here today because Lois Eargle believed in you. She believed in your potential to change the work," Kersey said. "She believed that you can make Conway, Horry County, South Carolina a better place."

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Reach Alex Brizee at 843-637-9881. Follow her on Twitter @alex_brizee. 

Alex Brizee covers Myrtle Beach and Horry County government. A Florida native, Alex has lived all over the United States and graduated from college at the University of Idaho. In her free time, Alex loves Pad Thai, cuddling with her dog and strong coffee.

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