Julius Eldridge Obituary

Julius E. "Jule" Eldridge, Jr., husband of Frankie Keller Eldridge, died Sunday, July 13, 2025, at his home.
Born October 2, 1943, in Orangeburg, he was a son of the late Julius E. Eldridge, Sr. and the late Edith Colvin Eldridge. Mr. Eldridge was a member of Sumter First Baptist Church for more than seventy years. He served faithfully as a deacon and was a past chairman of deacons, Finance Committee chairman, and Building Committee chairman. He also served on the Benevolence Committee, which he was most fond of, and many other church committees. He was a 1965 graduate of The Citadel and a graduate of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Mr. Eldridge served in the U.S. Army at the Pentagon attaining the rank of 1st Lt. He owned and operated Eldridge Realty and was Managing Partner of Sunbelt Management Company. Mr. Eldridge also owned and operated the Holiday Inn and Ramada Inn for nearly forty years. He was a past member of the Wilson Hall School Board of Trustees, Wofford College Parent Advisory Board, Converse College Parent Advisory Board which he and Frankie served as chairs, the Converse College Board of Trustees, and the Wachovia Bank Local Advisory Board. Mr. Eldridge was a member and past president of the Sumter Rotary Club.
Survivors in addition to his wife of nearly 59 years include two children, Julius E. "Jule" Eldridge, III (Mary Glenn) of Florence and Heather Eldridge of Sumter; three grandchildren, Jule Eldridge, IV, Thomas Eldridge, and Mary Margaret Eldridge; one sister, Nancy E. Rawl (Clary, Sr.) of Florence; two brothers-in-law, Charles F. Keller (Geseil) of Raleigh, NC, and Alan Babcock of Knoxville, TN and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Hope Eldridge; and a sister, Willena "Weena" E. Babcock.
A memorial service will be held at 12 p.m. Wednesday at Sumter First Baptist Church officiated by the Rev. Dr. Dan Barber and the Rev. Don Hansen. A private burial will be in the Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. to 11:45 Wednesday in the First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall.
Memorials may be sent to the Sumter First Baptist Church Building Fund or Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, 107 E. Liberty St., Sumter, SC 29150, or to Wilson Hall School, 520 Wilson Hall Rd., Sumter, SC 29150.