William Franklin Wannamaker

William Franklin Wannamaker, 92, of Lexington, SC, husband of Rowena Malphrus Wannamaker, passed away December 15, 2018 at his home. Born in Gaffney, SC he was the son of the late Charles Woods Wannamaker and Sarah Rowley Wannamaker.

He served in the United States Navy and graduated from Clemson University in 1949 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked over 40 years in his chosen field ultimately retiring from Tencarva, a company he cofounded with colleagues in 1978.

In addition to his wife of 68 years, he is survived by three sons, William F. Wannamaker, Jr. of Lilburn, Ga., John F. Wannamaker (Connie) of Lexington, SC, and C. Thomas Wannamaker of Columbia, SC and 4 grandchildren. He was predeceased by his two brothers, Woods Wannamaker and Robert Wannamaker; two brothers-in-law, Wofford Malphrus and Ted Malphrus; a sister, Sarah Burnett; three sisters-in-law, Mavis Anestos, Wilma Holland and Thedie Malphrus.

Bill was an avid Clemson fan and quite the jokester. He once had a competition with a coworker to see who could use the same paper lunch bag the longest. The story goes that this antic carried on well beyond a year. His claim is that he won but we will never know for sure. Christmas was his favorite holiday. He loved wrapping all the presents and of course pulling pranks. Throughout each year he would save used boxes of all kinds. You never knew if you were actually getting Frosted Flakes and Kleenex for Christmas or if there was some other treasure hidden inside. Year after year he did this and found it equally, if not more, amusing as the years went by. After his retirement, he and his wife purchased a lake home which they enjoyed with their children and grandchildren most every weekend. Above all he was a Christian man devoted to his wife and family. His smile was endearing, his heart was kind, and he was just someone you couldn’t help but like. He will be sorely missed.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm, Friday, December 21, 2018 at Sauls Funeral Home, 310 W. Adams Street, Ridgeland, SC with burial immediately following at Grahamville Cemetery. The family will receive friends beginning at 1:00 pm until the hour of the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Grahamville Cemetery Fund, 2718 Bees Creek Road, Ridgeland, SC 29936.