Richard "Dick" Harrill

Gaffney, South Carolina—Richard "Dick" Durham Harrill, 90, of 1214 Overbrook Drive, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday March 29, 2025 at Cherokee Medical Center after a brief illness. Dick lived on his own and even drove his own vehicle until his final illness. Mr. Harrill was born in Lattimore, North Carolina in 1934. A long-time resident of Gaffney, South Carolina, he was the founding director of the Cherokee County YMCA in 1974. He was the son of Franklin Hugh Harrill, a Baptist minister, and Aileen Padgett Harrill, a schoolteacher and among the first women to graduate from Wake Forest University. He was preceded in death by his former wife, Katherine Hannah Ross Harrill, his daughter, Allison Lee Harrill Corbett of Columbia, a sister, Barbara Jean Harrill Hawkins of Lattimore, and life partner Shirley Ann Wright Turner of Gaffney, South Carolina. He is survived by his son, Dr. Rich Harrill at the University of South Carolina and son-in-law James J. Corbett, Esq., of Columbia, South Carolina, and grandsons James "Sam" (named after a favorite uncle, Samuel) Corbett, Sean Corbett Nottoli, and granddaughter Katherine "Kate" Corbett. He is also survived by his good friend and golfing buddy Colonel Roy N. Mathis.

Mr. Harrill was a graduate of Appalachian State University and an avid sports fan of the Clemson Tigers and USC Gamecocks. He was a proud U. S. Army Veteran and a skilled outdoorsman and marksman.  Richard joined the U. S. Army during the Vietnam War and served honorably for three years.  He received an Honorable Discharge as a Specialist Fourth Class. In his youth, he was a lifeguard in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and held a lifelong affinity for the Grand Strand, particularly Litchfield Beach. He loved the Lord and spending time with his church family at Gaffney First Baptist Church, where he occasionally taught Sunday School. He loved serving the Gaffney and Cherokee County communities through his work with the YMCA. He loved South Carolina and his native Appalachia where his family has resided since the 1700s. He was a patriot and loved the United States of America. Dick was a unique man who appreciated the good in every individual.

A homecoming celebration of the life of Richard "Dick" Harrill will be held Friday, April 4th, in the chapel of Blakely Funeral Home at 2:00 p.m.  The service will conclude with full military honors.

An online guest register is available at www.blakelyfuneralhome.com

Blakely Funeral Home & Crematory, Gaffney, South Carolina