Jack Conard Thames

Jack Conard Thames, Sr. passed away late Sunday evening December 6, 2015. Jack will be remembered by his family and friends as a kind and gentle man who brought joy into the lives of those he touched. His funeral service and burial will be private. The family will receive friends Sunday, December 13, 2015 in J. HENRY STUHR INC., WEST ASHLEY CHAPEL, 3360 Glenn McConnell Parkway, from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Jack was born on June 25, 1927 in Charleston SC, son of the late Frank Hutchinson Thames Sr., and Florence Conard Thames. Jack spent his youth in and around the city with his twin brother Don growing up on Poplar and later Maple Street in downtown Charleston. Jack was blessed with a talent and love for art and driven with purpose in life that would distinguish him as a lifetime professional artist.Jack began early, perfecting his artistic skill by hand-painting neckties, decorating them with ducks and other wildlife for clothing merchants in the Charleston area. As a teenager he was withdrawn from Charleston High School and placed in Murray Vocational School to draw large replicas of vessels to assist the Navy Yard in the production of ships demanded by World War II; soon after, he left school to enlist in the Navy with his twin brother Don. After World War II and subsequent completion of Charleston High School, he attended and graduated from the Atlanta School of Art. He supported himself and paid for his education by selling paintings in Piedmont Park on the weekends. Soon after receiving a degree in Commercial Art, he accepted the position of Art Director for a leading advertising agency and later opened JandJ Art Service in Atlanta producing freelance commercial art for many national accounts such as Coca Cola, Delta Air Lines, and Regal Paper Company. In 1971, Jack returned to Charleston where he was self-employed as a commercial artist and later devoted full time to fine art. For the last 30 years, Jack has worked numerous art festivals across SC, GA, and NC. Locally he was a long time exhibitor at The Flowertown Festival and Spoleto. Jack maintained an art gallery in West Ashley till 2012 when he relocated it to Mt. Pleasant.

Jack's career consisted of many milestones including a commission for a series of paintings of Georgia's first Americans displayed at the Atlanta Capital Museum; creation of many iconic designs still seen on the packaging of Little Debbie, Mountain Dew and Hav-A-Tampa products, among others; the design of all stained glass windows and stations of the cross in St. Timothy's Episcopal Church located in Atlanta, GA; Co-founder and former Art Director of Charleston Magazine; Co-founder and former Art Director of The Lowcountry Sportsman Magazine; former Vice President of the Charleston Artist Guild; winner of numerous awards from art festivals across the Southeast; and publisher of two editions of the book Charleston and Lowcountry Paintings.

He is survived by his son Jack Conard Thames, Jr. of Mt. Pleasant SC, his daughter Janet Thames Figueroa and husband Steve of Seneca SC, grandchildren, Zachary Elliott Thames and Melissa Ann Thames, of Mt. Pleasant SC, Laura Figueroa Locklair of Charleston SC and Casey Figueroa Mattix of Flagstaff AZ, Sister in Law, Anne Youmans Thames of Mt Pleasant SC, nephew, Donald Watson Thames Jr. of Rancho Murieta, CA, niece, Kay Thames McMillion of Mt. Pleasant SC, nephew, Hutch Thames of Los Angeles CA, nephew Fletcher Thames of Danville CA, stepchildren Lori James Collins and husband David of Charleston, Melanie James Evans and husband Kenny of Charleston SC, and Dennis R James, and wife Cendy of Gilbert SC. The family expresses love and gratitude to his devoted sweetheart Frances Ehni.

Jack was predeceased by his older brother Frank Hutchinson Thames, Jr. and his twin brother Donald Watson Thames, his wife Betty Hemphill Thames and his wife Nancy Irvine Thames.

In lieu of flowers any donations may be made to MUSC Foundation for Children's Hospital, 18 Bee Street MSC 450, Charleston, SC 29425 or American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, 269 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC 29401.