Ellen Anne Rampey Adair

She was preceded in death by her parents Victor & Hazel Rampey.

She is survived by a brother Rev. Victor Rampey (Cindy) of Hendersonville, NC and a sister Rose Moody of Anderson, SC. Her husband: John Adair. Two children: Daughter Kim Adair and son Kirk Adair (Laura). Five grandchildren: Tyler Kimbrough (Mckenzie), Adair Kimbrough, Amanda & Andrew Adair (Twins) & Laura Ellen Adair.

Ellen finished girls’ high school in Anderson SC in 1957 and studied piano after high school classes at Anderson College.

She attended Bob Jones University obtaining a BS Degree in secondary education.

Ellen was a naturally gifted musician and pianist. She began playing the piano in childhood for a mission church in Anderson, SC. As an adult she taught piano students from 1962 until 2015. Later in her adult life she studied and became proficient as a harpist.

She married John Adair (also a BJU student) in 1962. John and Ellen moved to Scottsdale, Arizona where he became a Youth Pastor and Minister of Music at Scottsdale Baptist Church serving there for 18 years.

While at Scottsdale, Ellen was church pianist and, at times, organist. She was also a percussionist (tympani) in the church orchestra.

John and Ellen enjoyed a wonderful and successful Christian ministry in Arizona. John’s hobby during that time was fixing up old pianos.

In 1980 John moved his family to Columbia, South Carolina and enrolled in the School of Music at the University of SC obtaining a BA in Music in 1982. At the same time John and Ellen began their piano business which prospered in the following years as Adair Piano.

In 1980 the family became members of First Baptist Church of Columbia participating in the music ministry of the church. In 1993 Ellen became harpist for the orchestra and served as such until 2021.

Ellen also taught piano to adults who attended the International Ministry of the church.

She was active member and officer in several music teachers’ associations in the Columbia area.

She was an active participant in the Charlotte, North Carolina harp association and inspired a number of young musicians to pursue the harp. She became a certified music therapist with the Baptist Hospitals of Columbia. For over ten years she visited hospital rooms playing her smaller harp for the patients.

As a gifted harpist she played for weddings, funerals, and many special events including a performance at the Governor’s Mansion.

Ellen loved and served her family faithfully. Her goal was to be a godly person using her warm spirit and talent to bring glory to God. She possessed a magnetism, smile and love that drew people to her.

In that spirit, she will be remembered.

What a life….What a love…. What a person!

We thank God for her life…Oh that we could have such a testimony!

Memorials, if desired, can be made to the Music Ministry of First Baptist Church of Columbia

POB 1000 – Columbia, SC 29202.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, September 19, 2021 at First Baptist Church of Columbia, with burial in Bush River Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Saturday, September 18, 2021, at Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com