Ann Walker Guerard

Ann Walker Guerard of Mount Pleasant, S.C., widow of Edward P. Guerard Sr., died Sunday, July 16, 2017.

Mrs. Guerard was born May 16, 1923, in Gulfport, Mississippi, the daughter of Virginia Williams Walker and Henry Alexander Walker II. She attended the University of Alabama for two years and then the University of South Carolina, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. On May 30, 1942, she married Mr. Guerard, an architect who was then serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. The couple moved in 1958 to Georgetown, S.C., where they reared their children.

Mrs. Guerard was active in local and state affairs, serving on local garden club boards, as well as those of the American Red Cross, the SPCA, and as chairwoman of the Prince George Winyah Plantation Tours in Georgetown for two years. At the state level, Mrs. Guerard was active in helping to establish the Republican Party in South Carolina. She was invited to the presidential inaugurations of Richard M. Nixon and Ronald W. Reagan. She served two terms as the Georgetown County Republican Party chairwoman, the second woman in the state to be elected as a party chairwoman. She also campaigned to become clerk of court for Georgetown County.

Mrs. Guerard served on the organizing Board of Trustees for Winyah Academy in Georgetown, and later worked as the school's secretary and business manager. After her retirement in 1977, she served as chairwoman of the Academy's Board of Trustees.

In 1976, South Carolina Gov. James B. Edwards appointed Mrs. Guerard to the Board of Trustees of the South Carolina State Museum, where she served for seven years during the museum's development and formation. She also served on the district board for the selection of Carolina Scholars.

After Mr. Guerard's retirement, the couple built a home at Shellmore near McClellanville, where they lived for several years before moving to Mount Pleasant.

Surviving are her three sons, Edward P. Guerard Jr. (Betty), Henry W. Guerard (Marsha), and William R. Guerard (Donna); a son-in-law, F. Mark Conway III; eight grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. In addition to her husband, Mrs. Guerard is predeceased by her daughter, Nancy Conway; her sisters, Mary A. Walker, Virginia Walker Wallace, and Hallie Walker Dunaway; and a brother, Henry A. Walker III.

Her Funeral Service will be held Tuesday, July 25, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. in the Historic Church at Christ Church, Mount Pleasant.

Memorials may be made to Christ Church, 2304 Highway 17 North, Mount Pleasant, SC 29466, or to The Alzheimer's Foundation of America; 322 Eighth Ave., 7th fl.; New York, NY 10001.