George Arthur (Art) Shealy, Junior, age 73, died on September 22, 2021, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was born to George and Alice Shealy in 1947 and baptized at Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1948. He spent most of his youth on Lafayette Avenue in Cayce, South Carolina, as well as at his family’s Lexington County farm on Old Orangeburg Road.
After graduating from Brookland-Cayce High School in 1965, he attended The University of South Carolina. His enlistment in the United States Air Force took him to basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi, and to his first duty station in Misawa, Japan, as a Morse Intercept Operator. After further tours at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska and at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, he received an honorable discharge in 1976 as a Staff Sergeant.
Art transitioned to a career with the United States Postal Service. Beginning as a mail processing clerk in Columbia, South Carolina, he would serve over the next 24 years in various roles. In 1986, he was accepted into MENSA. With the many opportunities afforded to him, he discovered his passion for public relations and communications, serving as a spokesperson for the Postal Service in Columbia, and then at postal headquarters in Washington, DC. He was selected for the Postal Career Executive Service for his demonstrated leadership and executive skills. In 2001, he retired as the manager of National Events at Postal Service headquarters.
After relocating to Hamer, South Carolina, he continued his pursuit of excellence in photography, public relations, and communications with the establishment of Carolina Imagery. He particularly enjoyed volunteering his time and expertise to assist local organizations in the Dillon community. He compassionately served as the drug court judge for at-risk youth in the court system.
As impressive as his professional career was, Art will be remembered mostly for the love he had for his family and friends. He is survived by the love of his life and wife of 37 years, Dr. Robin C. Shealy of Dillon Family Medicine; daughter Lisa McCaslin and her husband Jay of Savannah, Georgia; son David and his wife Danah of Denver, Colorado; two grandsons, Alston McCaslin and Dawson Shealy, and one granddaughter, Mary Page McCaslin.
As Parkinson’s would claim his ability to walk and even to communicate, Art resided in his family home on the shores of Lake Wateree. When he was able, he attended Liberty Hill Presbyterian Church, particularly enjoying the lakeside services in the summer. This community became a gathering place for constant celebrations, fellowship, and support for the Shealys. The family wishes to thank his caretakers Paula Bixby, Greg Gibbs, David Knight, Chrissy Rhodes, Tiffany Ward, and Agape Care, as well as many friends for the compassionate care they provided.
The family wishes that memorial contributions be made to The Parkinson’s Foundation, Liberty Hill Presbyterian Church, or to the animal rescue organization of your choice.
