Lake City firefighter, undertaker Keels Brockington dies

Keels Brockington, founder of Brockington Funeral Home in Lake City and the last surviving charter member of South Lynches Fire Department, died Friday after an illness.

He was 85, his grandson Aaron Brockington said.

For Keels Brockington, the business side of the funeral home came after taking care of people, said Aaron Brockington, a third-generation undertaker in the family’s business.

“He was so people-oriented, and he wanted to help people,” said Brockington. “He had tremendous professionalism, but he was so down-to-Earth at the same time.”

Aaron Brockington also recalled how his grandfather was “big on nomenclature” — he thought “funeral director” sounded too much like someone leading a band in a musical performance, while “mortician” sounded too much like “beautician.” Instead, he quite literally called himself an undertaker.

“He undertook that burden, that death and that family,” Aaron Brockington said.

Keels Brockington began the funeral home in 1951, when he returned from his Navy service in the South Pacific during World War II, according to the funeral home’s website.

He grew up in Kingstree and graduated from Eckels College of Mortuary Science as well as from Temple University, the website states.

The South Lynches Fire Department was organized in 1954 and was chartered Jan. 24, 1955, as the Lake City Rural Fire Department, according to the department’s website. Brockington founded the department along with others including H. Raymond Askins Sr., Roy Rogers, J.P. Grimsley and Walter Moody, the website states.

Jason Springs, a Lake City city councilman and deputy chief of safety with South Lynches Fire Department, said Brockington left an impression on many people through his professional life.

“As a World War II vet, a past city council member and a firefighter, he’s always been a mentor to me, and he will be missed by the greater Lake City community,” Springs said.

During Lake City City Council’s meeting in August, Lake City Police Chief Billy Brown recognized Brockington for years of service as an honorary police officer with the city.

Brown said Brockington, whom he’s known for most of his life, instilled a dedication for public service into his mind when they first met.

“He had a great respect for both” law enforcement and firefighting, Brown said.

Florence County Council Chairman K.G. “Rusty” Smith, of Lake City, called Brockington a “true public servant as well as a gentleman and a scholar.”

“He was a truly great American from one of the greatest generations,” Smith said. “He was a mentor for many facets … from fighting for freedom in the war to emergency preparedness” as well as Emergency Medical Services and local fire departments.

Visitation for Brockington will take place from 5-7 p.m. Sunday at Brockington Funeral Home, at 122 W. Thomas St. in Lake City.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Lake City United Methodist Church. Burial will follow at the Lake City Cemetery.