Bennie Ruth Tapley

Bennie Ruth Tapley, 81, of Walterboro, SC, loving wife of James “Jim” E. Tapley, passed away January 17, 2022.

Bennie was born in Charleston, but grew up in the country in Colleton County to a large family who worked hard and farmed. There was not a lot of money, but there was always a lot of love. She and her brothers and sisters picked cotton and tobacco, and for fun they would go swimming in the Edisto River and peel their car wheels on the old dirt roads. Bennie finished her last year of high school in Hayward, California while living with her sister, Betty. While out there, she was lucky enough to see Elvis Presley in concert, which would remain one of the highlights of her life. In addition to her love of music, Bennie loved to dance and her family fondly recalls how she would “cut a rug” with The Shag anywhere from the living room to the front porch to the Edisto Beach Pavilion and the Folly Beach Pier.

After high school, Bennie returned home to the Lowcountry where she would soon marry and have three children, eventually settling in Goose Creek to raise her family. She never had to work, but she wanted to, and took a job at nearby Boulder Bluff Elementary School where she served thousands of children over the years as a smiling cashier in the cafeteria until her retirement.  Bennie loved to garden and was a mother to dozens of beloved fur baby dogs over the years. She was a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend, and a confidant to many and she will be deeply missed.

Bennie was born January 12, 1941 in Charleston, SC, a daughter of the late Benjamin Leo Ricketson and Essie Mae Smoak Ricketson.

In addition to her husband, Jim Tapley of Canadys, SC, Bennie leaves behind her son, John Glenn Tapley, also of Canadys, SC; daughter, Rhonda R. Tapley (Joel) of Mt. Pleasant, SC; brother, Charles A. Ricketson (Beth); and sisters, Rosie M. Soderlund, Shirley E. Newcomb, and Carolyn R. Marchant; granddaughter, Jennifer Cumbee (NJ), grandsons Christopher Tapley (Adrienne) and Joshua Tapley and honorary grandson, Donald Kershaw; four great grandchildren and lots of nieces, nephews and cousins. She is predeceased by her parents; a son, Donald B. Tapley; grandson, Jeffrey Deguzman; brother, Jake M. Ricketson, and sisters, Marion R. Marchant and Betty Woodward.

Visitation and funeral services will be Friday morning, January 21, 2022. Visitation will be at 10:30 AM until the time of service at 11:30 AM in Parks Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow the service at Woodlands Cemetery in Canadys, SC at 1:15 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Charleston Animal Society (www.charlestonanimalsociety.org) or Friends of Colleton County Animal Shelter (www.foccas-sc.org). Everyone is invited after the graveside service to join the family in the church’s social hall for food and fellowship.

Please respect the family’s wishes for everyone in attendance to wear a mask or face covering at all times, including at the graveside. They also ask for social distancing to be practiced when possible.

Arrangements by Parks Funeral Home, 130 West 1 st North Street, Summerville, SC 29483. www.parksfuneralhome.com

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