George Roland Mims, III

George Roland Mims, III died quietly and peacefully on August 25, 2026 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, surrounded by family and holding the hand of his wife of almost 60 years. George was born in Greenville, South Carolina on November 10, 1944. He was the son of Lt. George Roland Mims Jr. and Sarah O’Shields Mims.  George’s father, a pilot and navigator in the Army Air Force, was killed in action in the South Pacific on December 30, 1944 and was classified as missing in action for many years. George spent his childhood in Greenville, South Carolina with his mother and her family, and was fortunate to have several Mims cousins close by with whom he apparently created a lot of mischief. He spent many weekends in Woodruff, South Carolina with his grandparents, where he learned skills like how to catch a chicken with a coat hanger and prepare it for the stew pot, and how to slaughter and process a 300 pound hog. In the summer he often visited Myrtle Beach to spend time with his aunt and uncle Virgie and Walter Dudney and their family, which included five Godbold grandchildren. On these visits to the beach he learned to love the ocean.

As a young adult, George became an ocean life guard and worked for six years for John’s Beach Service in Myrtle Beach. In the summer of 1964, he met a waitress working for the summer at Mammy’s Kitchen and asked her out to the Beach Club. By Thanksgiving, he tracked her down in her home town of Pacolet, South Carolina, and the rest is history. 

George graduated from Wofford College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. After graduation, he was hired by Deering Milliken of Spartanburg, South Carolina where he trained as an industrial engineer, working at Pacolet Mill and at Milliken’s packaging facility, Tetra-Pak. In 1976, he was recruited by AVX Corporation in Myrtle Beach, where he managed the production for single plate and tubular ceramic capacitors and later the purchasing department for all Myrtle Beach manufacturing facilities.

George then went on to establish a Manufacturing Representatives Firm, working closely with Atlantic Corporation in Tabor City, North Carolina, to specialize in the manufacture of electronic components in the United States and worldwide. He was a founder and partner in Micro Packaging, Inc., manufacturing embossed carriers under a licensing agreement with Val de Loire Electronic in Tours, France. He sold Micro Packaging after reaching an agreement with Illinois Tool Works in Penang, Malaysia.

In retirement, George earned his commercial real estate license, working with several local companies. He was a member of CCAR (Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors) and a participant in ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers). He was Executive Board member and treasurer for Coastal Industrial Alliance and a member of EIA (Electronic Industries Alliance). During his years as a member of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, he was chairman of the Legislative Policy Committee and a member of the Executive Board.  

As a member of the Dunes Golf and Beach Club for many years, George served on the Board of Directors for six years and was honored to be inducted into the Alligator Club in 2019. He was past President and past Sertoman of the Year with Grand Strand Sertoma Club. As Chairman of Troop 850 of Boy Scouts of America, he led scouts on high adventure outings, including mountain backpacking excursions and sailing trips from Florida Sea Base. He volunteered with both Mobile Meals of the Grand Strand and Community Kitchen of Myrtle Beach.

George was a person of many interests and hobbies. He enjoyed duck hunting, fishing, golf, SCUBA diving, gardening, vinyl records, Pilates and Gamecock football, and he said he never met an island that he didn’t like.  As something of a frustrated contractor at heart, George loved wood working and construction projects, which allowed him to own pretty much every tool known to man…sometimes in duplicate. Most of all he loved people, especially young people, and he had an uncanny ability to remember names and personal details. He felt very fortunate to have so many dear friends and so many years of enjoying and hosting social gatherings -- from Groggers, to The Supper Club in Myrtle Beach, to the Caroliniana Ball, to the famous Mims Christmas caroling parties, George was always up for a fun party with great friends.

In February 2018, George was struck by a car and suffered extensive injuries. He spent the rest of his days attempting to recover and made exceptional progress. Despite his many health challenges, everyone who worked with George agreed that he was an excellent patient. He was an enthusiastic participant in physical and occupational therapy, and he felt very fortunate to have the services of Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago, Myrtle Beach Manor rehab, Julie Schexneider of Select Physical Therapy, and the team from Centerwell Home Health. He never gave up, and when the odds were against him he would work even harder. He kept his positive attitude and always welcomed visitors with a smile.  

The thing that brought George the most joy was his family. He had two wonderful children of whom he was exceedingly proud, and he greatly loved the spouses and amazing grandchildren that they brought into his life. They not only loved him, they also had lots of fun with him…often into wee hours of the morning. There were so many special times that he enjoyed to the fullest.

George is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Cecilia Henry Mims; his daughter Elizabeth Mims Donley and her husband Marshall Owen Donley III, and their children Margaret Cecilia Donley and Elizabeth Tillotson Donley; his son John Roland Mims and his wife Ashby Brunson Mims, and their children John Henry Peyre Mims, Roland Bacot Mims and Meriwether Elizabeth Mims; and his “adopted” daughter-in-law Susan Reagan Donley and her daughter Margaret Katherine Donley. He also leaves behind many much-loved cousins.

The family would like to express thanks to special people who have assisted George, some for months and others for years. Deedra Saunders, Willie Bellamy and Stonewall Foster were his hands and his support. We greatly appreciate the loving care from Dr. Sarah Machowski for a man who had a strong aversion to a dentist’s chair, and from Dr. Neil Trask, truly an angel in a white coat.

A funeral service will be held on at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12 at Trinity Church, 3000 North Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach.  If you wish to honor George we would request that in lieu of flowers you consider a donation to the Community Kitchen of Myrtle Beach at communitykitchenmb.org or Mobile Meals of the Grand Strand at mobilemealsofthegrandstrand.org or to the Charity of Your Choice.

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