Dan Rawls: Updated

Dan Rawls

Update: Funeral arrangements for Dan Rawls have been announced. The family will receive friends at Thomas McAfee in Berea on Wednesday from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. A funeral service will be held at Thomas McAfee at 12 noon Thursday, followed after by a graveside service at Greenville Memorial Gardens.

Read the obituary at Thomas McAfee, and sign the guestbook, but clicking here.

Greenville County Councilman Dan Rawls died unexpectedly Monday, February 17.

Rawls, 72, retired as a home builder, mortgage lender, and rental property owner several years ago but continued to be active in his community and industry. He served as President of the Home Builders Association of Greenville in 2007 and the Home Builders Association of South Carolina in 2002.

Rawls was South Carolina's State Representative to NAHB's Executive Committee in 2003 and 2004 and served on the State and Local Government Affairs Committee, Legal Action Committee, Rural Housing Committee, Education Committee, Senior Housing Committee, Small Volume Builders Committee, and the NAHB Research Center Board of Directors. He was elected a Life Director of the National Association of Home Builders in 2009.

Rawls was named Builder of the Year by the HBA of Greenville in 1997 and 2002 and was inducted into the South Carolina Housing Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2009 he was honored by the National Housing Endowment for Outstanding Community Service by a Home Builder.

In addition to his service to his industry, Rawls was a strong supporter of Ronald McDonald House and served on the organization's board of directors for many years. He was a past president of the Piedmont Lions Club and was an active member of the Rehoboth Baptist Church in Piedmont.

Rawls was elected in 2010 to Greenville County Council, representing District 26, and was planning to run for reelection. Prior to that he was a member of the Greenville County Transportation Committee and the Planning Commission.

Rawls' political activities were not limited to county government. He was appointed by Governor Jim Hodges to the Board of Directors of the S.C. State Housing Finance Authority and served as chairman from 2000 to 2003. He also actively supported the campaigns of Senators Lindsay Graham and Jim DeMint and served on Senator DeMint's Business Advisory Committee.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Brenda, two children, Bill and Trina, and four grandchildren.