Chapter Invisible Honoring our Brothers who have Crossed over to the Golden Shore
BROTHER HENRY "HC" DRIESSEN, JR. September 28, 1927 - April 1, 2024 Henry "HC" Driessen, Jr., a beloved pillar of the Hilton Head Island community, passed away peacefully on Monday, April 1, 2024, at the age of 96. Brother Driessen was born on September 28, 1927, in the Chaplin community of Hilton
member of the Palmetto Electric Cooperative Board of Directors, as well as serving on the boards of the Children's Center, the Hilton Head Island Foundation, the Hilton Head Island NAACP chapter, Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce, the Area board of the Bank of Beaufort, and Hilton Head Hospital. He was a Worshipful Master of the Happy Home Lodge #125 in Hardeeville, South Carolina, an honored member of the American Legion Arthur E. Wiley Post 42. Brother Driessen was elected and served as the first African American member of the first Hilton Head Island Town Council, following the Island's incorporation as a municipality in 1983. He served for ten years and became Mayor Pro Tem for the last four years of his tenure. His commitment to his community and belief in diversity and equal representation made him a voice for the community that was essential to the Town Council's origin. His impact went further than business and government, and his commitment to the community was sealed when the family sold 11 acres of family land to the town, which became Driessen Beach Park. Brother Driessen joined Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity in 1954 as a proud member of the Gamma Xi Chapter. He was a Founder of the Beaufort-Jasper-Hilton Head (SC) Alumni Chapter and was its oldest member. Brother Driessen was preceded in death by his son, Bernard Henry Driessen (August 2020). He leaves to cherish his most precious memories his loving wife of 72 years, Mrs. Phoebe Wiley Driessen; son, Leon (Mary) Driessen (Beaufort Alumni, 1983), and daughter, Ann Juliette Driessen; grandchildren, Rhody (Kenyarda) Williams Edwards, Bernard Lorenzo Driessen, Christina Page Driessen, Dominque Driessen, Bernard (Reshayla) Saxby, Ann Denise Driessen, Regina (Josh) Mitchell, Robert Singleton, and Dr. Brandi A. Neal; a special aunt, Julia Bailey; as a brother, Albert "Son" Driessen; sister-in-law, Martha Wiley Baker; brother- in-law, Samuel R. Wiley; several greatgrandchildren; and other family members and friends.
Head Island, South Carolina. As a youth he assisted his grandparents with farming and their community store. He received his education at Chaplin Elementary School and Jonesville Junior High School, and graduated from Penn School on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, in 1947. Following his graduation, he served in the United States Army during the Korean War, achieving the rank of Corporal. In 1951, Brother Driessen married the former Phoebe Wiley of Hilton Head Island. Together they raised three children: Leon, Ann, and Bernard. After his military service, Brother Driessen attended Savannah State College in Savannah, Georgia and graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial education with an emphasis in auto mechanics. He then taught school in Sylvania, Georgia, before returning to Hilton Head Island to manage his grandparents' business, which he eventually expanded into a full-service gas and auto mechanic station - Driessen's Gulf, later Driessen's BP. He became a member of the First African Baptist Church of Hilton Head and was ordained a church deacon. He eventually became chairman of the Deacon Board, the youngest to hold that position. He donated the Church's first bus and served as a bus driver for Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. During his tenure as chairman, the church began welcoming women to its church conferences. Beyond his church involvement, Brother Driessen was a passionate advocate for education and community service. He served as president of the Bluffton High School Parent Teacher Association (PTA), vice chairman of the Hilton Head Medical Clinic, chairman of the Hilton Head Public Service District, a a long-term
26 | Summer 2024 | The Southeastern Khronicle
Achievement since 1926
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