ROUND O: Mrs. Leila Elizabeth Kikos, wife of Peter Kikos, died Sunday at the Pruitt Post-Acute Care Center of Walterboro. She was 91.

Mrs. Kikos was born June 1, 1923 in Charleston, a daughter of the late George Bailey and Leila Mae Purvine Bailey. She graduated from The Citadel in 1943 with a degree in drafting, and then entered the U.S. Navy as a WAVE. She served during WWII in the Naval Communications Department in Washington, DC. After the war, she and her husband founded the Colony Bakery on King Street, and for 37 years they served the community with baked goods, kosher bread, and delicious candies. They were the creators of the well known "Charleston Benne Wafer".


She and her husband founded Charleston Harbor Bible Church in 1955 and were members there for 36 years. After moving to Round O in 1989 after the destruction of Hurricane Hugo, she became a member of the Bethlehem Baptist Church, and was currently an active member of the Welch Creek Baptist Church. Her prayers and her Christian life influenced her grandchildren to become Faith Missionaries, spreading the gospel throughout the world.

In addition to her husband of 70 years, she is survived by a son, Peter Kikos (Ulie) of Beaverton, OR, and by a daughter, Rebekah Ann Hughes (Douglas) of Round O. She has one sister, Jewell Brown (Bill) of Elken, NC, her son-in-law, Joe Spencer of West Ashley, five grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Elisabeth Spencer.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM Thursday in the Welch Creek Baptist Church, with visitation beginning at 1:00 PM in the church sanctuary. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the mission fund at Welch Creek Baptist Church.