On Friday, July 3, 2020, the Clardy family lost a great husband, a wonderful father, a loving brother and a steadfast friend. John Franklin Clardy passed away unexpectedly at the age of 65 after a very brief battle with COVID-19.John was born in Loris on Nov. 30, 1954, to the late James and Pauline Clardy. While attending Loris High School his interest in agriculture grew, and he met his lifetime love, Teresa. After attending Clemson University and graduating from Horry-Georgetown Technical College, John began working for the family business and later owned and operated Clardy Nursery in Loris, until his …

Janice M. Creed, 64, of Little River died on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, at home surrounded by her loving family.Born on Feb. 7, 1956, in Albany, N.Y., she was the daughter of Raymond and Marilyn Lansing Sr.Janice is survived by her husband of 37 years, Joseph T. Creed; one daughter, Shannon Bellamy; and two grandchildren, Jaylene Smith and Quinn Bellamy.A memorial service was held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, in Lee Funeral Home Chapel. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, wearing a face mask was highly recommended.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Humane Society of …

Marissa Katherine Jacobs of Loris, 25, gained her heavenly wings on Sunday, July 12, 2020. Marissa was born on Oct. 19, 1994, in Charleston, to Kristy Jacobs Martin. She was a graduate of Loris High School Class of 2014. She was always determined, fiercely independent, sassy, opinionated and the queen of social media in her home.Survivors, including her mother, are her sister, Whitney D. Martin and fiancé Corbin Lloyd of Loris; nana, Thelma D. Watson of Loris; grandma, Audrey W. Nealy of Loris; pepa, Danny E. Jacobs of Tabor City, N.C.; two aunts, Robyn M. Brown and Brenda Hughes and …

By Ruben Lowman During a virtual board meeting held on Monday, June 13, Horry County Schools (HCS) officials announced they would be delaying the beginning of the upcoming school year by three weeks as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020-21 school year will officially begin on Tuesday, Sept. 8. There will be 180 days on the calendar and the last day of school is scheduled to be June 16. HCS Chairman Ken Richardson had previously stated that he intended to push back the start date to give him and his reopening task force more time to evaluate and …

By Ruben Lowman North Myrtle Beach City Council extended the city’s state of emergency ordinance for two months during an emergency council meeting held last Wednesday, July 8. The ordinance, which the city had initially declared back in March when the earliest measures were set in place to counteract the spread of the coronavirus, is now set to expire on September 6, unless city officials deem it necessary to rescind it or extend it further. They previously passed an extension to the ordinance when it was due to expire in May. The state of emergency grants City Manager Mike Mahaney …

By Ruben Lowman Hospitalizations have been climbing in the area due to a sharp increase in patients being admitted who are infected with COVID-19, local medical systems have confirmed recently. There have also been some issues with staffing at hospitals along the Grand Strand as positive cases continue to increase. As of press time the zip codes of North Myrtle Beach, Little River and Loris each have a little over 340 confirmed positive cases and around 2,100 estimated cases. This is a significant jump from last week, when the numbers were roughly 280 confirmed and 1,700 estimated for each jurisdiction. …

Dale L. Hunnell Jr. of Little River died on Monday, July 6, 2020, unexpectedly after a brief illness. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force and a retired A & P Aircraft Mechanic. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather.Dale is survived by his wife of 55 years, Dorothy “Dottie” T. Hunnell; sons, Gary Hunnell (Laurie) and Terry Hunnell (Natalie); grandsons, Justin and Jordan Hunnell and Brice Ropp; granddaughters, Alexandria, Anna and Hailey Hunnell and Makayla Ropp; great-grandsons, Kaden, Zachary and Killian; siblings, Joann Pepe, Carl Hunnell (Dott), Peggy H. Dunn and Dave Hunnell; and several …

Cynthia S. Tilley, 61, of Little River on Friday died July 3, 2020, at her home. Born on Jan. 16, 1959, in Roxboro, N.C., she was the daughter of the late Alfred R. Solomon and Jean Gravitte Norton.Cynthia is survived by her children, Blake Tilley (Casandra) and Brittany Tilley (Ryan) and their father, Allan Tilley; sister, Elizabeth Barts; and two grandchildren, Mackenzie and Avery Morley.The family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, in Lee Funeral Home Chapel.A guest book is available at www.leefhandcrematory.com.Lee Funeral Home & Crematory of Little River/North Myrtle Beach served the family.

James E. Ference, 82, of Longs died on Saturday, June 27, 2020, at home with his loving wife and family members at his side.Born on May 18, 1937, in Sharon, Pa., he was the son of the late Joseph Ference and Agnes Kaelin Ference.He worked as a metallurgist for the Sharon Steel Company. Once he retired, James loved gardening, landscaping, camping and remodeling. He was always eager to help family and friends with projects. James was a member of the Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. Described as a “worker bee”, Jim was …

Edward Charles DellaCroce, 77, died on Thursay, July 2, 2020, at his home in North Myrtle Beach. He passed away at the happiest high point of his life.Born on Aug. 4, 1942, in Allentown, Pa., he was the son of the late Genero C. and Rose Toth DellaCroce. He was a store keeper in the United States Navy and was a little league football coach and a member of the VFW, The Italian Club and The American Legion.Eddie was a champion horseshoe player who loved to horseback ride, shooting and collecting coins. He loved to cook and do crossword puzzles. …