Alexander Lucas Lofton

Alexander Lucas Lofton, 91, husband of Sara Morrison Lofton of Mt. Pleasant, SC, passed away at his home on Wednesday, January 26, 2011.  The relatives and friends of Alex Lofton are invited to attend his graveside service at Christ Episcopal Church Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, SC, on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 2:00 pm.  Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL.  Mr. Lofton was born on April 11, 1919, in McClellanville, South Carolina.  He was the son of the late John Marion Lofton II and Harriett Gadsden Lucas Lofton.  He grew up loving the creeks and marshes of McClellanville and spent his childhood days exploring the creeks with his twin brother Johnny.  Salt water has been a constant in his life.  He joined the US Navy at the age of seventeen and served aboard the USS Oklahoma. He was aboard this ship when it participated in the search for Amelia Earhart.  He left the Navy in 1940 to enroll at Georgia Tech. He returned to the Navy in 1943 and served aboard the USS Niblack until March 19, 1946. Aboard the USS Niblack, he saw duty in the Mediterranean until the German surrender.  The USS Niblack was then sent to the Pacific where it escorted US ships into Japan. The USS Niblack was sent to the Philippines after its liberation.  After the war, the USS Niblack was sent to Charleston to be mothballed.  While here in Charleston he met his wife on a blind date.  After their marriage, he returned to Georgia Tech and received his engineering degree.  He went into the manufacturing business in Charleston and spent the majority of his career as General Manager and Vice President of Charleston Manufacturing Company.  He was a member and past president of Charleston Manufacturing Club, a member of the Society of Colonial Wars, St. James Santee Historical Society, St. James Santee "Brick Church" Preservation and Restoration Committee, The Exchange Club of Mt. Pleasant, The Low Country Open Land Trust, and member and vestryman of St. Andrew's Church- Mount Pleasant, SC. A boy of the Lowcountry, Alex loved to fish, shrimp, and gather oysters; and he loved to sail.  He participated in regattas with his children when they were young and enjoyed sailing his Pearson, "WAN," until it met its demise during Hurricane Hugo.  He was particularly proud of his heritage.  He gladly served as docent for tours at the Wedge Plantation, a home built by William Lucas and where his mother was raised.  He spent many happy hours at the family property, Wambaw, walking the property and sharing his love of nature and wildlife with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  He had worked tirelessly in his retirement years cataloguing and writing a history of his great-great-grandfather Jonathan Lucas and his descendants. He wanted a published record of their influence on the rice industry and how Jonathan Lucas and his son William Lucas revolutionized the rice industry with their mill designs.  At the time of his death, he and Roy Williams were co-authoring a book about the Lucas family which is presently in the hands of the acquisitions editor of the University of South Carolina Press. He is survived by many beloved and loving family members, his wife of 64 years, Sara Morrison Lofton of Mt. Pleasant, SC; his son Alexander (Sandy) Lucas Lofton, Jr. and his wife, Deborah, of Sullivan's Island, SC; his daughter, Marianne Lofton Allen and her husband, Clyde, of Mt. Pleasant, SC; and his daughter, Catherine Lofton-Day and her husband, Joe, of Seattle, WA. His grandchildren include Alexander Lucas Lofton III of Columbia, SC; Sara Louise Lofton of Mt. Pleasant, SC; Allison Leigh Allen of Summerville, SC; Alexis Allen Bednar of Mt. Pleasant, SC; Matthew Lucas Allen of Greenville, SC; Robert Lofton Day of Lynden, WA; and Sara Beth Day of Seattle, WA.  He is also survived by six great-grandchildren: Sadie, Alex, Charlotte, and Parker Lofton of Columbia, SC, and Jack and Jovie Day of Lynden, WA. He is also survived by two sisters, Elizabeth Lofton Brown of Charlotte, NC, and Amy Lofton Moore of McClellanville, SC, and seven nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother John Marion Lofton.  The family requests that memorials may be made to St. Andrew's Church - Mount Pleasant, Altar Guild Fund, 440 Whilden Street, Mt. Pleasant, SC  29464; St. James Santee "Brick Church" Restoration and Preservation Committee, P.O. Box 111, McClellanville, SC 29458; Hospice of Charleston Foundation, 676 Wando Park Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, SC  29464.