Edith Anderson McLemore

Edith Anderson McLemore, born on July 31, 1933 in Charleston, SC, entered into eternal glory on the morning of September 6, 2026. Edie will be remembered as a woman who loved her Lord and Savior and whose life was defined by love, friendship, hard work, and an unwavering commitment to her family and community. 

Faith was a cornerstone of Edie's life. She was a member of Citadel Square Baptist Church for more than 80 years before transferring her membership to James Island Baptist Church, located in her Riverland Terrace neighborhood. During those many decades at Citadel Square, Edie shared a special and enduring love with Cameron, known to many as Mac, who was the love of her life. Their life together was deeply intertwined with their church, their friendships, and their service to others. Mac and Edie, along with their dear friends, Buddy and Betty Riggs, played a significant role with their volunteer service at Citadel Square. They held summer church camp where they devoted their time and hearts to mentoring and guiding generations of young people. They created lasting memories and touched the lives of countless children and teenagers who were fortunate enough to have them as mentors. 

Mac's passing at the young age of 60 was a profound loss for Edie. Their love remained an important part of her life and her heart throughout the years that followed. Edie continued her volunteer service at Citadel Square by leading the Joy Group and volunteering in the church office. 

Edie was deeply involved in her community. She was instrumental in the initial development of the Riverland Terrace playground on Plymouth Avenue, helping create a place where generations of neighborhood children could play and grow. She was also a lifetime member of the Riverland Terrace Garden Club, an organization that reflected her love for her neighborhood and the beauty of the Lowcountry. During her membership, she was also involved in having the Windmill moved to its current location at the fire station on Plymouth Avenue. 

Edie also loved adventure. Throughout decades, she enjoyed camping trips to the Florida Keys and Pisgah National Forest, creating wonderful memories with three generations of family. During the last decade of her life, the North Carolina mountains became her favorite place to vacation. She especially treasured her annual birthday trips to the mountains and was blessed to enjoy one more birthday weekend there at the end of July.

Her professional life began at the Charleston Naval Shipyard, but it was her lifelong friendship with Betty Riggs that led her down a remarkable entrepreneurial path. When Betty opened the Playhouse Kindergarten in Riverland Terrace, the two women discovered that they made a wonderful team. Their friendship grew into a lifelong business partnership, and together they went on to become co-owners of several beloved Charleston businesses, including the Heart of Charleston Hotel Gift Shop, the Trawler Restaurant Gift Shop, the Middleton Inn Tea Room and Gift Shop, Lowcountry Gifts, and ultimately Charleston Postcard Company. Through these businesses, Edie helped share the beauty, charm, and spirit of Charleston with countless visitors and residents. Her work reflected her love for the Lowcountry and the community she called home. 

Above all her accomplishments, however, Edie will always be remembered for her generous and loving spirit. She had a gift for making people feel cared for, welcomed, and loved. Family was at the center of her world, and she especially looked forward to Sunday dinners, when her children and grandchildren would gather around the table. Those meals, conversations, laughter, and times together became treasured traditions that her family will carry with them always. 

Edie leaves behind a legacy that reaches far beyond the businesses she helped build, the community projects she supported, or the years she devoted to her church. Her greatest legacy is the love she gave so freely to her family, her friends, her church, her community, and the many young people whose lives she and Mac helped shape. 

She was a devoted partner, a cherished mother and grandmother, a loyal friend, a woman of faith, and a generous soul. The love she gave, the lives she touched, and the memories she created will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her. 

Edie was preceded in death by her parents, Edith Spring Anderson and Solomon Joseph Anderson; her husband, Henry Cameron McLemore; her daughter, Belinda Patricia Grimball; her son-in-law, Johnny Jones; her grandson, Kevin Grimball; niece, Dawn Tillman; siblings, Solomon Joseph Anderson (Juanita) and Virginia Patricia Tillman (John); and brothers-in-law, Richard Perry and Rodger McLemore. 

She is survived by her daughter, Deborah McLemore Jones; her son, Cameron Joseph McLemore (Sharon); her son-in-law, David Grimball; grandchildren: Janie Wilkerson (Eddie), Danielle Young (Elliott), Johnny Jones II (Merritt) and Cameron McLemore II; great-grandchildren: Sawyer Wilkerson, Sam Wilkerson, Dean Wilkerson, Amelia Young, Ellie Young, Carter Jones, Jake Jones, Olivia Jones, Kyli Smith, and Kaidan Smith; sister-in-law, Kathleen Perry; and nieces and nephews: Andy Anderson, Penni Gibson (Mark), Roy Tillman (Tim), Esther Boineare, Rodger Brown, and Melody Bradsher. 

The family will receive friends on Friday, September 11, 2026, from 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM at James Island Baptist Church, 2023 Wappoo Drive, Charleston, SC 29412. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM at the church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 603 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Edie's honor to the James Island Baptist Church or the Riverland Terrace Garden Club Windmill Fund. 

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at mcalister-smith.com. 

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to McAlister-Smith Funeral and Cremation, 347 Folly Road, Charleston, SC 29412, (843) 614-8494.