Ignatius McRae

January 9, 1934 - January 22, 2019

Ignatius McRae, husband of Erna Celestine Gomes McRae, made his transition Tuesday, January 22, 2019, at his residence in Columbia. Born January 9, 1934, in the country of Guyana, he was the oldest of seven children born to the late Emanuel McRae and Hermenia Texeira McRae. Mr. McRae joined the Guyana Police Force where he was employed for thirty-four years and became a high ranking officer. After his retirement, he worked for a private security force. In 1992, he came to America and was employed at Fort Jackson, serving as a store detective at the PX until his retirement. In his spare time, he enjoyed planting flowers in pots and gardening. His passion for gardening earned him the award for Yard of the Month. While living in the Columbia community, he remained current on news from his native Guyana via the internet and regularly attended the St. John Neumann Roman Catholic Church. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by three sisters: Carol, Elizabeth, and Doris; and a brother, Clement. He leaves to cherish precious memories his beloved wife of sixty-four years, Erna Celestine Gomes McRae of the home; attentive children: Joan, Joel, Lester, Gordon (Diane), Nigel (Penny), and Andrew (Sandy) McRae, all of Columbia, SC; and Suzette (Steve) Vik of Charlotte, NC; fifteen grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchildren; two sisters: Rita Fowler of Guyana and Doreen Lowe of Canada; and a host of other relatives and friends.