LODGE, S.C. (WCIV) – The town of Lodge is mourning the loss of the mayor who served the community for the last 20 years.
"Everyone is going to miss him. He's done so much in town," Roy Fender said about his father.
Mayor Roy Fender, 78, passed away at a Charleston hospital on New Years Day. He was buried on Wednesday, and now the town is trying to move forward.
"He was a good mayor," town council member and his brother-in-law, Joseph Varnadoe said. "He treated the people fairly."
Lodge is a true small town, with only about a hundred who live in its four-mile radius.
Council member Brenda Connelly is now holding the position, until a special election is held. In the meantime, she says she has big shoes to fill.
"I was really close to Roy and we worked together on the council," she said. "He was like a member of the family. We're a small town and a small community. We're all very close."
She wants to keep the small town feel alive, but at the same time, make sure the town can sustain itself. "We're in the middle of nowhere, but it's a great place to be," she said.
The town has only a handful of business, according to Connelly. Most people work elsewhere, and not in town. She said there is concern of the town keeping its independence, as people move out.
"It's sad to know our town is dwindling," she said. "They want to close our post office and I have fought for it tooth and nail."
Connelly said if she is elected as a permanent replacement for the mayor's seat, she will fight for the city to stay very much unchanged.
