Walter Scott Lacher II

Aiken, SC - Walter Scott Lacher II, age 76, died on April 7th, 2022. He passed peacefully at home surrounded by his family after a lengthy illness. Scott was born on June 27th, 1945, in Wilmington, Delaware and was the youngest child of Jack Hammitt Lacher and Thelma Graham Lacher. Since his father Jack worked as a chemical engineer for the Du Pont Company, Scott lived in several cities during childhood including Ranelagh, Argentina; Buffalo, NY; and Landenburg, PA before the family settled in Aiken, SC in 1955. Scott, a diligent student, attended Aiken Preparatory School and was presented with the Headmaster’s Award during his 9th grade year in 1959. Scott was a member of Aiken High School’s class of 1963. He went on to University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where he earned a degree in English. After graduating, Scott returned to Aiken Prep to teach English, Latin, mathematics, and riflery. He was a firm yet reasonable disciplinarian and was a beloved student mentor for his wit, and sense of humor. His students enjoyed the stories he would read to them in class and benefitted from the associated creative writing instruction. After once discovering students puffing on cigarettes under the school auditorium, Scott insisted, in fun, that said students smoke a giant joke cigar as a deterrent against future infractions. During parents’ weekend, Scott met his future wife, Anna. Her younger brother Henry, a boarding student at the time, introduced Scott to her as his favorite teacher. They were married on December 16th, 1972, in the Washington National Cathedral. From the mid-1970s through early 80s, Scott and Anna owned and operated Twin Creek Farm outside of Aiken where they boarded horses and hosted both equestrian events and Jack Russell Terrier trials. On the farm, Scott maintained plots of hay and corn. There, in the summers, local students helped with various chores. In 1984-85, Scott served as the interim Headmaster of Aiken Day School and taught there periodically throughout the years. Besides being an educator and farmer, Scott was always a student of life and a voracious reader enjoying mystery and spy novels. He was quite dexterous and could build or repair almost anything. Scott was skillful at working on classic cars, carpentry, and home improvement projects. His favorite installation was a brick backyard fishpond and fountain which he designed, built, and maintained. Scott was an exceptional writer, Scrabble player, and would often complete the Sunday New York Times crossword in a sitting. In the early1990s he was the proprietor of “Aiken Frame Design” on Lauren’s Street, where he built custom frames and helped to promote local artists. Scott took great pleasure in oil painting landscapes on Edisto Island and along the Savannah River. In consecutive years, Scott earned second prize in the fiction category for his short stories “Gene” (2016) and “Mary Lou” (2017) in the Porter Fleming Literary Competition hosted by The Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, GA. He got a kick out of designing an annual Christmas card which featured current and archival photos of family, friends, and events. Throughout the years, Scott was an integral part of the extended Aiken Prep family, serving for a period on the board of trustees, and maintaining correspondence with many alumni, parents, and faculty. Although Scott excelled at many of his endeavors, he was down to earth and humble. He was devoted to his family, friends, and students. In addition to his mother and father, he was preceded in death by nephew Charles Lacher of Fredericksburg, VA; stepmother Berta Lacher Brown of Aiken; sister Margaret Reilly of Ann Arbor, MI and Luynes, France; brother John Lacher of Trenton, SC and a brother-in-law, Walter Horton Schoellkopf III of Basalt, CO. He is survived by his wife Anna Lacher; two sons David Lacher (Julie Anne Howard) of Aiken, and Peter Lacher (Jezabel) of Columbia, SC; three grandsons, Maddox, Lennox, and Milo of Columbia, SC. In addition, he leaves behind his sister-in-law Sally Lacher of Aiken; former sister-in-law Frances Coons of Aiken; brother-in-law Henry Schoellkopf of Washington, DC; brother-in-law Robert Reilly (Francoise) of Aix-en-Provence, France; niece Rachel West of Portsmouth, OH; three grandnieces Chelsea Reilly (Sebastien) of Cognin, France; Gloria Jean West and Mylie West of Portsmouth, OH; and two grandnephews, Josh West and Sam West of Portsmouth, OH; One great grandnephew Louis, and one great grandniece Elise, both of Cogin, France. The Lacher family would like to express heartfelt appreciation to every one of the caregivers who helped Scott for many months including Emily Wheeler, Tramaine Wheeler, Thomas Wheeler, Tiarra Wheeler, Yvette Butler, Pam Jones, Dee Youmans Felicia West, Denise Hill, Denise Lee, Crystal Harris, Monika Weinbeck, and Alisa Lee. A memorial service will be held at 2:30pm on Saturday, April 23rd at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church in Aiken with Father Grant Wiseman officiating. Family and friends will be received at the parish hall following the service. The service may be viewed here, https://vimeo.com/event/2050358, or clicking on the link below. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mead Hall Episcopal School Annual Fund, 619 Barnwell Ave., NW Aiken, SC 29801 or to The Hitchcock Woods Foundation, PO Box 1702 Aiken, SC 29802. SHELLHOUSE FUNERAL HOME, INC., 924 HAYNE AVE., AIKEN, SC 29801 To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Walter Scott Lacher II, please visit our flower store.