Brigadier General Charles Estill Savage, USAF (Ret.)

COLUMBIA - A funeral service for BG Charles Estill Savage, USAF (Ret.), 77, will be held at 12:00 noon Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, with burial in Fort Jackson National Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at the funeral home. Due to the pandemic, masks and social distancing are required.

BG Savage died Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, he was the son of the late Charles Edward Savage and Ollie Sue Martin Savage.

He attended basic military training in 1962. He was an aircraft instrument technician assigned to Charleston AFB, S.C. and Kadena Air Base, Okinawa until his separation from active duty in 1966. He joined the South Carolina Air National Guard in 1967 as an aircraft instrument shop supervisor. In 1981, he received his commission and served in various maintenance officer positions to include director of logistics (169th Air Craft Maintenance Squadron) until 1997.

BG Savage was the vice director for requirements and integration, J8, United States Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va. He also served as Southeast Regional Director for Lockheed Martin for 15 years.

His major awards and decorations were the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with one device, Air Force Commendation Medal with one device, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with V device and 4 oak leaf clusters, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Galantry Cross with Palm, Southwest Asia Service Medal, and Kuwait Liberation Medal (KSA).

Surviving are his wife of 57 years, Patti Sebring Savage, who was his high school sweetheart; daughter, Dana Savage Rivers (Lt Col Thomas Wade Rivers) of Irmo, SC; grandson, Zachary Thomas Rivers of Irmo, SC; sister, Virginia Ann Wolfe of St. Louis, MO; sister-in-law, Jacque Morgan; and his beloved cat, “Toby”.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Pets Inc., 300 Orchard Drive, West Columbia, SC 29170, or a pet rescue organization of one’s choice.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com