Georgetown County’s former Parks and Recreation Director, Ernie Nance, died of natural causes last week at the age of 77.

He and his wife, Kay Nance, were married for 51 years.

Nance was head of the Parks and Recreation Department for several years before retiring in 2002. He took the job after moving to the area from Illinois.

 He worked in the field of Parks and Recreation for more than 40 years and won four national gold medal awards for his work.

One person Nance worked closely with was former Keep Georgetown Beautiful Director Keith Wilson who remembers him as someone “who loved this county and the city.”

They worked together on a project ton improve Morgan Park, located off of East Bay Park. Nance was the chairman of a 16-member task force tasked with the job.

Wilson said the project was very important to Nance. In fact, one of the last times Wilson saw Nance in public was at the park. Nance was with Larry Fox and they were choosing a location for the placement of a “story board” which will tell the history of Morgan Park.

Mayor Jack Scoville said Nance “was a great man who had a heart for the city.”

Nance is survived by his wife, three children, three grandchildren and a Lab named Sam, which he got in 1996 upon my first retirement.

A memorial service will be held from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, May 20 at Carefree Catering in Pawleys Island.

By Scott Harper

sharper@gtowntimes.com