R. Randolph Elliott

BEAUFORT - R. Randolph Elliott, 75, of Beaufort, South Carolina and husband of Luanne Elliott, died Thursday, September 04, 2014, at his residence. Born in Rome, Georgia, he grew up in the Panhandle of Florida and then earned an industrial engineering degree at Georgia Tech. Shortly after graduating, he married Luanne Harper of Dothan, Alabama. He served two years in the Army, stationed at the Pentagon, and then joined IBM, where he spent a thirty-year career as a senior systems analyst, working in Atlanta, London, and New York. Randy's strong engineering and problem-solving skills extended to all areas of his life. He was a lifelong car aficionado, owning and working on cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Lotus, Citroen, and Fiat. He and Luanne built a 40-foot sailboat, starting from a bare hull, and sailed it on the Atlantic Seaboard for more than ten years. He earned an airplane mechanic's certification at the age of 53 so that he could maintain his small airplane, in which he gave lessons for 5 years. He and Luanne retired to Beaufort, South Carolina, where the two of them (literally the two of them, with little outside help) built their retirement home from the ground up, taking residence in 2005. They traveled widely, visiting Canada, most of the countries of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.  Randy is survived by Luanne, his wife of 54 years; his daughter, Heather Elliott, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and his son, Robert Randolph Elliott, Jr., of Atlanta, Georgia.  Memorials can be sent to Friends of Caroline Hospice - 1110 13th Street, Port Royal, South Carolina 29935. Copeland Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.