Obituary of Joel Wyman Hand

Joel Wyman Hand, Jr., 81 Joel Hand of Bamberg passed away November 4, 2015, in Bamberg. Joel was born September 13, 1934, in Kingstree, a son of the late Joel Wyman and Eloise Brock Swinson Hand. He graduated from Bamberg High School in 1953, and from Wofford College in 1957. He was well-known at Wofford for playing his drum set and also enjoyed singing in the glee club. He went on to study photography at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, where he met a nurse, Beulah Jean Heise, whom he married in 1960. They moved back to Bamberg, where he continued playing drums in bands and occasionally in church. Joel operated portrait photography studios in Bamberg and Orangeburg, and later became a staff photographer for DHEC in Columbia, SC. He led an active volunteer life. At Trinity United Methodist Church in Bamberg, he served in many teaching and leadership positions, as well as on UMC district and state committees. He was also active in other Christian ministries including the Gideons, Alston Wilkes Society, Kairos Prison Ministry, and Emmaus. He was also a founding member of the SC Professional Photographers Association, and he received numerous state-wide awards for his portraits. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Beulah Jean Hand; son, Joel W. Hand, III, (Debbie) of Chapel Hill, NC; son, Rev. Rodney Scott Hand (Veridee) of Liscomb, IA; daughter, Margery Hand Madison of Heath Springs; son, Michael Shawn Hand of Rock Hill; and 11 grandchildren. His older brother, Rodney Swinson, passed away in 2005. Funeral services will be held at 2pm on Saturday, November 7, 2015, at Trinity UMC, 11761 Heritage Hwy, Bamberg. The family will receive visitors from 6-8 pm on Friday, November 6, 2015, in the Fellowship Hall of Trinity UMC. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Trinity UMC, PO Box 335, Bamberg, SC 29003, or Gideons International, PO Box 913, Bamberg, SC 29003.