Vicki Dianne Childs
July 6, 1958 – April 8, 2017
Vicki Dianne Childs, age 58, of Charleston, S.C. passed away after a long battle with Lymphoma Cancer on April 8, 2017, at the Medical University of South Carolina. A service was held for her on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, at the Circular Congregational Church in Charleston. A visitation celebrating Vicki’s life will be held at Clark Funeral Home in Cairo, GA, on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend.
Vicki was born July 6, 1958, the daughter of Elwyn and Yvonne Childs. She grew up in Grady County and attended Ravenwood Academy. She was a double Master in Georgia 4-H and also served as an officer on the Southwest Sr. Board of Directors. While a senior at in high school, she was the District High School winner in the Extemporaneous Speaking competition. She graduated from Ravenwood Academy in 1976 and from Valdosta State College in 1980. She was the first woman to work as a Security Officer for VSC while in school. She served as President of the Lambda Alpha Epsilon Criminal Justice Fraternity at VSC. She obtained her Masters Degree of Science in Criminal Justice from Charleston Southern University in 2002.
Vicki began her career as a probation officer for the State of Georgia and then worked as a special agent for the Naval Intelligence Service. She was the South Carolina Association of Legal Investigators (SCALI) “Investigator of the Year” in 1986 and 1987. Vicki served as the Director of the Association from 2005-2011 and was presented the Who’s Who Award in 2009. She was a member of the National Association of Investigative Specialists, the World Association of Detectives, and a past President of the S.C. Association of Private Investigators.
As a private investigator, Vicki owned and operated Blazer Investigative and Security Consultants. She was also an accomplished professor at Trident College where she taught Criminal Justice, as well as serving on the Criminal Justice Advisory Board. Her students adored her.
She was an active member of the Circular Congregational Church in Charleston and was the founding mentor of the Wando High School Robotics Team.
Vicki enjoyed coming home to visit her family in Grady County, cooking, camping, hiking, and traveling. She fought a long and brave battle with cancer for almost four years. Her heart was as big as the ocean and her contagious smile will be missed by everyone who knew her.
In addition to her parents, she is survived by her son, Hiers Childs, two brothers, Russell Childs (Debbie) and Steven Childs (Amber), one sister, Carmen Childs Albritten, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Turner and Zelda Hiers and Elder Earl and Blanche Childs.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Grady County 4-H Club in care of the Grady County Extension Office or to The Match Bone Marrow Registry (www.bethematch.org).
