Funeral and other expenses for Eddie Litaker

A person whose name was long found atop articles in the sports section of The Sumter Item died Sunday after initially being taken to the hospital from the sidelines of a Friday Night Lights game in Lake City.

Eddie Litaker was hit Friday as he was reporting from the sidelines of the Lakewood-Lake City game and was initially taken to the hospital from the field with a broken leg. Ahead of his scheduled surgery Sunday after being transferred to McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, a blot clot moved from his leg to his chest, and medical staff could not revive him.

He was 56.

Litaker was a staff sports reporter for The Sumter Item before becoming a longtime freelance writer, traveling the region to cover games for The Item’s three-county coverage area. He was a former editor for the Manning Times.

When he was not on the sidelines or in the press box, he could be found helping customers at Walmart Neighborhood Market on Bultman Drive in Sumter. He also previously worked at Piggly Wiggly.

Litaker was a Gamecock fan and received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the University of South Carolina Aiken and studied at USC Sumter. He graduated from Sumter High School’s Class of 1984.

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This fundraiser will help his brother, John, and other family with funeral and other expenses needed in this time of grief and shock.