Rachel Parker Dawkins

Rachel Parker Dawkins, daughter of the late Nathaniel and Doretha Parker, was born on September 2, 1963, in Detroit, Michigan. Rachel was a compassionate, kind, and generous person. She relocated to Bucksport, South Carolina, with her mother and siblings in 1970. Rachel accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and was baptized in 1975 at the Mount Olive Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Hemingway, South Carolina. Rachel and her family were inaugural members of the Bethel Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Bucksport, which was established and supported by the Mount Olive SDA church in 1977.

Rachel was raised in the Bucksport Community and matriculated through the Horry County Schools. She graduated from Conway High School in 1983. After graduation, she worked at various retail outlets, including Martin’s Golf Store and a variety of concession outlets at the Myrtle Beach International Airport. 

Rachel was diagnosed with cancer around 2007. Despite this diagnosis, she maintained graceful optimism and a prayerful spirit. She was well known for her active engagement and selfless contributions on an early morning prayer line, where she often prayed for others and rarely mentioned her own needs. With the care and loving support of her brothers, Dwayne and Bradford, and the care and kindness of many friends and family members in the Beloved Bucksport Community, she maintained an active and productive life for 18 victorious years. During this time, Rachel providentially connected with two walking partners, Juliet Johnson and Rochelle Gause, as she fought to maintain her strength and vitality as long as possible. These two family-friends became pivotal supporters in her final days. With the assistance of these friends, Dwayne and Bradford made her last days on this side of eternity as comfortable and peaceful as possible. 

On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, Rachel asked to sit on the porch to enjoy the sunshine. As she sat in the sun, she peacefully transitioned into the presence of the Son of God, her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Doretha and Nathaniel Parker, followed by her two sisters, Janelle and Janie Parker, and a brother, William Parker. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Chris Dawkins of Orangeburg, SC. 

She leaves behind two siblings, Bradford Parker of Conway, SC, and Dwayne (Carol) Gore of Waldorf, MD; One sister – in – law Joy Dawkins Parrish, three nieces and a nephew, Candace Gore (Mark) McClure of Lexington, SC, Rachael Dorman Gore of Waldorf, MD, Niya McCray of Conway, SC, and Joshua Gore of Myrtle Beach, SC. She also leaves behind one grandnephew, four grandnieces, special friends: Janis Grissette, Brenda Graves, Willa Deese and Larry Faulk, a loving community, and a host of relatives, friends, and classmates. 

Rachel Parker Dawkins, you will be greatly missed, forever loved, and never forgotten.

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