Obituary of Sue Houck Rainey

IRMO - Sue Houck Rainey - Memorial service for Sue H. Rainey, 85, will be held on Thursday , December 10, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 6952 St. Andrews Road, Columbia, SC 29212. Dr. Dale Welden and Rev. Paul Poyner will officiate. The family will greet friends immediately following the service. Woodridge Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements. On December 5th, Sue Rainey went home to be with the Lord. She was born in Augusta, GA, the daughter of the late Homer T. and Jessie Houck. Sue was the wife of the late Bill Rainey. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and sister who will be dearly missed by all who knew her. She loved gardening, and was an accomplished artist who enjoyed reading and bird watching. One of her passions was children's literature, and she tried her hand at authorship. Sue is survived by her sons, Ben Rainey of Irmo, David Rainey and his wife, Kathleen of Lexington; grandchildren, Nicholas and Daniel Rainey; brother, Kenneth Houck, of Augusta. The family would like to thank Mildred Corbett, Jerlean Lyles and Julie Sawyer at Agape Assisted Living, and the staff of Agape Hospice for their loving and attentive care. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Red Bank Elementary School, in care of Frances Cox, Media Specialist, 246 Community Drive, Lexington, SC 29073. Friends may sign the online guestbook at www.woodridgefuneralhome.com Growing up in Augusta, Sue had many fond memories. She grew up with her brother Kenneth, 5 years her senior. She attended Tubman High School. While there, she was editor-in-chief of the yearbook "Maids and a Man". She also served on the student council, student patrol, Latin club annually, and secretary of the Spanish club. Sue was also a member of the National Honor Society and elected most studious among her classmates. During her teenage years, she honed her talents as an artist. She created delicately intricate sketches of people in her life, her home, and of wild birds. It was this love of art that took her to Limestone College. Seeking a need to incorporate Spanish into her future plans, she transferred to the University of Georgia where she belonged to Kappa Delta Sorority and obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree. Sue intended to get a job using business Spanish. After graduation, however, she found there were no jobs utilizing Spanish. She decided to move to Greensboro, NC where Kenneth was working. Over the course of time, she got a job as a secretary and met and later married Bill Rainey. Their first son, Ben, was born followed by David. She enjoyed the role of wife and mother until 1961 when it was discovered she had a benign brain tumor. This required immediate surgery. While it was successful, it resulted in numerous severe handicaps for her. She had to learn to walk again at age 31 and adjust to losing vision in one eye and hearing in one ear. Naturally her life was completely changed there after, but she was blessed that her mind was intact. She was also blessed with a wonderful husband and two fine boys that needed her. Thanks to the grace of God, lots of help from both parents and an overwhelming number of prayers from friends and family, Sue had a remarkably good life. In 1971, the family moved to Columbia. When Bill was 47, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. They together started the first Parkinson Support group in Columbia. When Sue was 58, after 35 years of marriage, Bill lost his courageous battle to cancer. Her life now centered on a senior program at the recreation center. She eventually moved to Landmark apartments. Her corner apartment was situated where everyone that walked to the adjacent shopping center could see her patio. She had a passion for flowers and her patio overflowed with the most beautiful flowers and greenery. Her favorite plants were Coleuses and she offered cuttings to anyone that showed an interest. It was here that she enjoyed watching birds. Her favorite birds were the hummingbird and the chick-a-dee. At the age of 80, she had a desire to take a course to write children's literature. While never published, she succeeded in writing several children's stories. An acquaintance of hers, who is himself a published children's author, said that Sue had a remarkable command of the English language. When you enjoy a milkshake or Chick-fil-a lemonade, please remember her. Her legacy lives in each and every life she touched. "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28