David Ratchford

David Maurice Ratchford, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, friend and family patriarch, went to be with the Lord on August 11, 2026.

Born December 29, 1944, in Charlotte, North Carolina, David was the son of Rubye Volentine Ratchford and Clyde Banks Ratchford. Some of his happiest boyhood memories were made on his father’s cattle and crop farm in York County, South Carolina, where he worked alongside his father. His mother’s career in real estate development gave him another kind of education as he spent time on building sites and developed a lifelong fascination with how things were built. Those early experiences helped form an ingenious and practical mind. There seemed to be no problem too large or too small for David to tackle—whether legal, financial, mechanical or personal. He loved to build, repair and improve things and was extraordinarily generous in using those abilities to help others.

David had hoped to become a farmer, but when the family farm was sold as he graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1966, his path changed. That September, he married his Aiken High School sweetheart, Sylvia Lorraine McNair and then began law school. Their only daughter, Melissa McNair Ratchford, was born in 1969, just months before David graduated. He passed the South Carolina Bar later that year and began practicing law in Columbia.

David enjoyed a long legal career, earning a reputation as a gifted litigator and skilled negotiator, with particular expertise in insurance law and, later, real estate law. He also owned and personally managed commercial properties in Columbia. In his profession and business dealings, as in life, David was diligent, thorough and attentive to the people and responsibilities entrusted to him. But David’s life was defined far more by his character than his accomplishments. Hardworking, diligent, remarkably thorough and ingenious, David brought his full attention to whatever-and whomever-was entrusted to his care. His devotion was perhaps most evident in his family, where his steady presence, generosity and instinct to provide made him the unquestioned patriarch of the family he loved. He was an excellent steward, generous with his time, abilities, resources and effort. If something needed to be decided, repaired, built or simply figured out, David was usually the person others looked to.

In 1980, David and Sylvia established Cedarwood, their 25-acre home place, where David returned to many of the things he had loved as a boy—working the land, planting gardens, tending equipment, building and repairing. Together they made Cedarwood a place of generous hospitality, from weekly Bible studies to celebratory gatherings. Across the pond lived lifelong friends Steve and Miriam Burn and their son, Chip. Their memories include family beach trips and days on Lake Murray with David at the helm of their shared Chris-Craft, Daysaway.

David’s devotion to family was especially evident in his relationship with his only daughter, Melissa. She treasures memories of being his sidekick in the shop, building a dollhouse together, and riding horses at Cedarwood. His way of loving was wonderfully practical: he was present, generous and always ready to help. One of his most lasting expressions of that love was Tree Music Lodge, the mountain home and property David and Sylvia created in 2007 for their family to enjoy for generations. As Sylvia later required more of his time and care, David entrusted the property’s care to Melissa and Brad. In time, he gave Tree Music Lodge to them with the hope that its legacy of family and shared life would continue.

Melissa and Brad gave David and Sylvia four granddaughters: Caroline Carlisle Bird Grimes (Michael), Karis Melissa Bird Loewen (Jordan), Elizabeth Sylvia “Lizzie” Bird, and Anna-Bradley Marian Bird Collett (Crawford). Their family later grew to include four great-grandchildren: William, Thomas and Mary Carlisle Grimes, and Banks Bird.

When Sylvia’s health declined, David’s devotion took a different form. For seven years he remained faithfully by her side, caring for her needs and enabling her to remain at home. Sylvia died in July 2020 after 53 years of marriage.

David was blessed to find love again when he married Bailey Preacher in October 2021. Bailey embraced Cedarwood and the life David and Sylvia had established there, and she and David delighted in continuing to tend and improve it together. David designed and built a beautiful greenhouse for Bailey and her bonsai, and they enjoyed the simple pleasures of working on the property, Bailey’s wonderful cooking, and several cruises together. As David underwent cancer treatment, they made many trips to Mayo Clinic in Florida. Knowing their time together was precious, they adored one another and made the most of the nearly five years they were given.

Above all, David was a man of faith. He trusted in Jesus Christ and deeply desired that his family and friends would understand the Gospel and surrender their lives to Christ. His heart for the lost extended beyond his own family and friends, and he quietly used what God had entrusted to him to further the work of the Gospel and support Kingdom work through the years. More important to David than anything he could build, accomplish or leave behind was the hope that others would know the grace and salvation he treasured.

David was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Betty Pinney; and his beloved wife, Sylvia. He is survived by his wife, Bailey Preacher Ratchford; his daughter, Melissa McNair Ratchford Bird (Brad); his granddaughters, Caroline (Michael), Karis (Jordan), Lizzie, and Anna-Bradley (Crawford); his great-grandchildren, William, Thomas, Mary Carlisle, and Banks; his brother, Clyde Banks Ratchford; and his nieces and nephews and their families, among them Heather Pinney Ballou and her family, who remained closely connected to David and Sylvia through the years.