Reverend Mark R. Jeffcoat

Lexington – Funeral services for Reverend Mark R. Jeffcoat, 71, of Lexington, will be held on Monday, September 12, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at St. Andrews Baptist Church, 230 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC 29210 with Reverend Dr. Ronald “Dee” Vaughan and Reverend M. Fred DeFoor, Jr. officiating. Interment to follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park, 845 Leesburg Road, Columbia, SC 29209. The family will receive friends on Sunday, September 11, 2022, from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Temples-Halloran Funeral Home, 5400 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC 29212. Mark was born on November 4, 1950, in Columbia, SC, to Alex Hoyt Jeffcoat and Doris Elizabeth Joyner Jeffcoat. He passed away on Friday, September 9, 2022. Mark was preceded in death by his loving wife of 47 years, Barbara Lynn Hamby Jeffcoat; his parents; and his sister, Cyndi. He is survived by his daughter, Lisa Lynn; son, Jonathan Mark; daughter-in-law, Tricia; grandson, Wyatt Mark; granddaughter, Sydney Lynn; brothers and sisters-in-law, Bob and Elaine Jeffcoat, Jon and Marilyn Jeffcoat, David and Kathy Jeffcoat, and Emily Hamby; and a number of loving nieces and nephews. Mark loved his family dearly and was quick to affirm that his time with the family he and Barbara built was one of the most fulfilling facets of his life. His family remembers him as a good man, a wise encourager with a patient and kind heart and an abundantly generous spirit. Much beloved by his daughter, son, and daughter-in-law, Mark found special joy in his latter years in spending every minute he could with his two grandchildren. He was a devoted, loving, and involved grandpa whose love of storytelling, reading, music, airplanes, and the mountains will live on in his legacy in Wyatt and Sydney. Ordained by Hermitage Baptist Church in Camden, SC, and a son of church planters who built multiple South Carolina Baptist churches with their own hands, Mark’s faith was central to who he was. It led him to serve local churches for 7 years as a congregational minister and then for 30 years with the SC Baptist Convention, where he implemented his strategic thinking gifts in directing several departments. His faith also led him to invest in the life of St. Andrews Baptist Church for 33 years as a choir member; Sunday School teacher; and member and chair of the Personnel Committee, Discovery Team, and deacons. Inducted into the journalism and mass communication honor society Kappa Tau Alpha in 1986, Mark was a talented journalist. He was an Announcer Personality at radio station WINH in Georgetown, SC. He studied at the University of South Carolina J-school, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and completed graduate coursework. Mark integrated these skills into his SCBC roles as Director of Public Relations and of Marketing and Communications. He utilized them in his church service as an author and facilitator for numerous seasonal and special occasion devotional series for the SABC congregation and as a contributing author and Editorial Chair for the church’s newsletter, The Messenger. Following his retirement from the SCBC Mark spent the last 10 years as Energy Solutions Director with Harris Integrated Solutions. He was consistent in his professional and personal life in his passion for identifying and empowering others to build on their strengths. To that end, he designed and led Strength Finder's sessions at his local church, at each place of employment, and in his home. Using several sophisticated spreadsheets he designed, Mark lovingly remembered and prayed daily for the strength of his family, church family, and friends. The family expresses special thanks to his faithful friends whose generosity of time and spirit in recent months frequently connected him with needed healthcare, treasured companionship, and opportunities to affirm the faith and eternal hope that brought him peace. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials may be made to St. Andrews Baptist Church or that you may consider supporting quality sources of journalism in your community.