Lucie Godbold Flake

Lucie Godbold Flake, of Swansea, SC, aged 91, the daughter of longtime Bamberg residents Asa and Edna Godbold, passed away peacefully in her sleep on December 20, 2024. 

She was born on November 23, 1933, and grew up in Bamberg. Lucie graduated from Bamberg High School in 1951 and attended the University of South Carolina. She met the love of her life, Jackson L. "Chippy” Flake, Jr., when she was a sophomore at Carolina. They fell in love and were married on December 27, 1953. Soon after they were married, Lucie and then Army Second Lieutenant Flake, moved to Fort Riley, Kansas, their first duty station. While at Fort Riley, they welcomed their first child, Lee, a son in 1954, and soon moved to Germany with the U.S. Army. While in Germany, in 1957, they welcomed their first daughter, Linda. After more than three years in the Army and two years in Germany, Lucie and Chippy moved back to the United States, to Swansea, to raise their children and attempt to make a go of farming. Not long after, Chippy went to work for the Social Security Administration, and Lucie and her family made several moves over the next few years. Their third child, Vicki, was born in 1965, and the family finally settled again in Swansea, which became Lucie’s and Chippy’s hometown for the next 50 years. 

Lucie’s passion was her children and her husband. She raised her children to be the best possible people they could be, to love God and their country, and to care for others. She was a perfect example of these qualities for them. Lucie cared for both her mother and her father-in-law after they lost their spouses. She was very involved in many ways in Swansea First Baptist church and became a key lady in all church activities. She helped Chippy in every way imaginable as he rose through the officer ranks of the United States Army Reserve, and she led and cared for the spouses and family members of each of the Reserve units in which he served. Ultimately, when Chippy rose to the rank of Major General, Lucie was the perfect example of a general officer’s wife and served the families in the units he commanded with love and compassion and served the country as surely as he did. 

Without a doubt, she loved her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren, and her husband above all on this earth, and she loved the Lord above all and trusted Him completely. She is now home with Him and with Chippy, the love of her life. 

Lucie is survived by her son, Lee Flake (Donna); and two daughters: Linda Flake Hay, and Vicki Flake Ball (Jeff); six grandchildren: Elizabeth Flake, Will Hay (Malori), Patrick Flake (Kaity), Cameron Hay, Chandler Ball Madden (Chris), and Abbie Ball Wilson (Michael); and six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Major General Jackson L. Flake, Jr.; a son-in-law, William Hay; and two grandchildren: Jackson L. Flake IV and Madison Lee Ball. 

Her funeral will be held Friday, January 3, 2025 in Swansea First Baptist Church, 145 S. Church Street at 11:00 am. The family will receive friends in the church from 10:00 am until the time of service. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Park in Columbia, South Carolina. 

Memorials in Lucie's name may be made to Swansea First Baptist Church, 145 S. Church Street, Swansea, SC 29160.