Charles "Charlie" Leroy Hutto

Charles Leroy Hutto, 93, of Holly Hill, died Monday, February 27, 2023. He was born May 15, 1929 in the Providence Community, Holly Hill, SC.  Excluding his four years at the University of South Carolina and his time spent in the United States Air Force, he lived his entire life on land in Orangeburg County that has been in the Hutto Family for seven generations.  In 1988, Hutto Brothers & Sons was one of the farms recognized by the U. S. Department of Agriculture as having been farmed by the same family for over 200 consecutive years.     

Charlie, as he was called by almost everyone, was the son of the late Leroy M. Hutto and Vesta Dantzler Hutto.  A graduate of Providence High School and the University of South Carolina, where he was president of Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity.  He was a Life Member of the USC Alumni Association and a member of the Gamecock Club for 72 years.  Charlie was a fixture at home football and basketball games for over fifty years and for decades made the SEC basketball tournament a springtime routine.  His ritual was not to leave a game until the alma mater was sung at the close of the game and his hand was lifted in salute to the school that he loved. 

Upon graduation from Carolina, he returned to the Providence Community.  There he discovered that a young girl he had left behind had grown older.  One Saturday night, he saw Harriet Lancaster at the weekly Saturday Night Square Dance in Branchville where she was with a group of her friends.  He asked if he might drive her home, and the rest was history.  Harriet and Charlie were married in 1954.  They had three sons, Brad, Bart, and Burt.  Though two of their sons left the farm (Brad to become an attorney and Burt to become a doctor) their middle son, Bart, had farming in his blood, and in 1980 he left Clemson University to come back to that love.  His dad soon turned the reins over to Bart, and this allowed Charlie to prepare for retirement.  A heartbreak never imagined came 30 years later, when Bart died in 2010 at the age of 51 following unexpected complications from cancer. 

Charlie was a role model for his sons, and they benefited greatly from his wisdom.  Among the life lessons that he imparted to them were: skills of being a good mediator when two sides were at odds; the art of being a caring neighbor to people on a daily basis; and the ability to be a wise counselor when someone had a problem too big for them to handle alone.       

In 1952, Charlie joined his family in the operation of their livestock and dairy farm, Hutto Brothers & Sons.  In addition to farming, he was a founding partner of another family business, Hutto Stock Yard, Inc., a livestock auction market which was in operation for almost 40 years.  When he and his two cousins, Daniel Hutto and O’Dean Hutto Jr. saw the need for a farm equipment dealership in the area, they founded Farmers Machinery Company.   Charlie was the manager of this International Harvester dealership.  He and his partners were wonderful mentors for their sons.

A life-long member of Providence United Methodist Church, he served in many capacities, including Superintendent of the Church School, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Grounds Committee. He was also a member of the United Methodist Men’s Club.  It was truly a rare occasion for the church doors to be open without Charlie Hutto being there.   

Charlie served as a member of the Board of Commissioners of Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College.  He was one of Governor James B. Edwards’s appointees to the S. C. Wildlife Commission Law Enforcement Committee.  He was a Director of the S. C. Livestock Association. He also was a member of the Providence Progressive Club and the Holly Hill Lions Club where he served on the board of directors.  In addition, he coached the Providence Little League team during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when his sons were playing.  He became involved with this group again after his retirement and was named to the Board of Directors when the Providence Little League Organization was reorganized in 2005. 

His love of the outdoors and hunting was evident to all who knew him.  He was president and hunt master of the Providence Shuler Hunting Club for many years and was highly respected for his leadership there.  Always setting a good example, he patiently taught the rules of safety and respect for others’ property to many young hunters.  As they drifted away from Providence, they often visited him when they came back to express their appreciation of the time that he had spent with them in their youthful days.   

Survivors include his wife, Harriet Lancaster Hutto; sons Senator Charles Bradley (Brad) Hutto and his wife, Dr. Tracy Macpherson of Orangeburg and Dr. Burton Roy (Burt) Hutto and his wife, Angela Ham Hutto, of Chapel Hill, N.C.  Charlie was known as “Papa C” by his four grandchildren, David Burton Hutto of Charlotte, N.C., Dr. Alissa Harriet Marie Hutto (Dr. Sebastian Werner) of Chapel Hill, N.C., Cara Leah Charles Hutto of Brooklyn, N. Y. and Skyler Bradley Hutto (Lindsay Jackson) of Orangeburg.   He was predeceased by a son, Bartley Lancaster (Bart) Hutto, and his sister, Wilma Hutto Shuler.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at Providence United Methodist Church, 4833 Old State Rd., Holly Hill, S.C. with Rev. Rebecca Rowell and Rev. Cooper Stonestreet officiating.  Burial will follow in the church cemetery.  The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the church Fellowship Hall or at other times at the residence.

Pallbearers will be Joe Shuler, Bob Shuler, Barry Hutto, Danny Hutto, Bryan Hutto, Richard Hutto, Dean Hutto, and Hank Hutto.  Honorary pallbearers will be Pat Williams, Danny Pensel, Mark Shuler, Andrew Shuler and Elliott Shuler.   

Memorials may be made to Providence United Methodist Church Memorial Fund, 2988 Bass Drive. Santee, SC 29142 or Harvest Hope Food Bank, P.O. Box 451, Columbia, S. C. 29202-0451. 

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at avingerfh.com/. 

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Avinger Funeral Home, 2274 Eutaw Rd, Holly Hill, SC 29059, (803)496-3434.