Horace Adams, Jr., Ph.D.

Aiken — Dr. Horace Adams, Jr., 96, passed away Sunday, February 9, 2020.

Dr. Horace (“Pat”) Adams, Jr. was born in Richmond, VA, the son of the late Horace Adams, Sr. and Lucile Nichols.  After graduating from Hampden-Sydney College in Farmville, VA in 1943,  Dr. Adams served in the US Navy as an Ensign during World War II.  He married Evelyn Marie Leland in 1946, in San Diego, CA.   She died in 2008.  He received a PhD in chemistry from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1952 and pursued a career in the manufactured fibers industry.

Through the years, he and his family lived in Asheville, NC, Springfield, VA, and Pine Knoll Shores, NC before he and his wife moved to Aiken, SC, in 2003.

Dr. and Mrs. Adams were charter members of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville, NC where he served as an elder.  They were also active members in the Presbyterian churches in Springfield, VA and Morehead City, NC.

To fulfill his civic and religious obligations, Dr. Adams served on various boards, including St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC.

“Pat” Adams enjoyed a variety of activities including tennis, bicycling, water skiing, boating, and swimming.  One of his greatest joys was sharing his immense love of the beach with visiting family and friends. 

He is survived by two daughters, Anita Adams Randolph and her husband the Reverend Canon Henry George, Jr., Elkhart, IN, Lucile Adams Craigo and her husband Tom, Manassas, VA; three sons, the Reverend Dr. John Nichols Adams and his wife Linda, Louisville, CO, Horace Adams, III and his wife Lynette, Placerville, CA, J. Leland Adams and his wife, Claudia, Aiken, SC; eleven grandchildren; five great grandchildren.

The Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 on Thursday, February 20, 2020 at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church with the Reverend Grant Wiseman officiating.  The family will receive friends in the Stevenson-McClelland building following the service.

The committal will be held on Friday, February 21, 2020 in Lewis Memorial Park, Asheville, NC.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the First Presbyterian Church, 1604 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557, or St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church, 125 Pendleton St. SW, Aiken, SC 29801

SHELLHOUSE FUNERAL HOME, INC., 924 HAYNE AVE., AIKEN, SC

Dr. Adams’ online guest book may be signed by visiting www.shellhousefuneralhome.com.