CHAPIN - Mr. William Everest Dukes, 97, of Chapin passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at the Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia, SC.
Mr. Dukes, born in Ridgeville, South Carolina on April 16, 1916 was the son of the late William Jefferson and Gertrude Keels Dukes. He is preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Mary Evelyn Bowers Dukes, who passed away in 1999, and by two brothers, Wayne Keels Dukes and Winfred Dukes.
His funeral service will be held at Mt. Horeb Lutheran Church in Chapin on Friday, July 12 at 11:00 am. Visitation will be Thursday, July 11 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Caughman- Harman Funeral Chapel Chapin Chapel.
He is survived by two sons, William B. Dukes (JoAnn) of Chapin, SC and Donald E. Dukes (Georgianna) of Knoxville, Tennessee. He is also survived by four grandchildren, Brian Dukes of Columbia, Ryan Dukes of Columbia, Anna Grusin of Aberdeen,N.C. and Matthew Dukes of Hanahan, SC, and three beautiful great-grandchildren, Maelyn Grusin, Maya Dukes and August Dukes.
Mr. Dukes was a WWll Veteran who served as a sergeant in the 81st “Wildcat” Infantry Division. During his 4 years of service he saw action in the Pacific at Peleliu and Leyte in the Philippines. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
After the war, he returned to Columbia and began working for Claussen’s Bakery. He became General Manager of Claussen’s Bakery in 1962. His career with Claussen’s spanned 25 years. He worked for the Loxcreen Company as Personnel Manager for 21 years. During his business careers he was a member of Lions Club, served on numerous civic boards and was president of the Personnel Club of Columbia.
He was an active member of Resurrection Lutheran Church who served on the Church Council and was a Sunday School teacher. He founded Boy Scout Troop 314 and served as Scoutmaster for 10 years. During this time, he had the opportunity to influence the development of many young men.
He and his wife, Evelyn later moved to a home on Lake Murray and lived in Chapin, where he became an active member of Mt. Horeb Lutheran Church. He was honored as an Honorary Life Member of United Lutheran Church Men.
Mr. Dukes loved the lake and enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren teaching them how to water ski and taking them fishing. He attended the University of South Carolina, and has been an avid Gamecock fan for over 75 years who enjoyed traveling with the Carolina Fans group to away games. Over the span of his life, he lived long enough to enjoy two baseball national championships and four consecutive wins over Clemson.
He and Evelyn not only loved traveling and seeing the wonders of America, but also enjoyed cruising, and traveling to places they never dreamed of visiting. One of their most memorable trips was a cruise to Asia where they spent several days in Tokyo with Jerry and Janice Livingston. On this trip he saw Mt. Fuji for the first time since he was a member of the Army of Occupation that landed in Japan almost 50 years before.
In 2007 he traveled to Washington, DC with his sons, their wives and his grandchildren to visit the National WWll Memorial. The emotion he experienced on that trip was the inspiration behind the first Honor Flight from Columbia in November 2008.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the caregivers from Senior Matters, especially Gail, Jossie and Yam who provided comfort and compassion during his last days at his home.
He will be missed by his family and friends, but is now celebrating his new life in his new home with his sweetheart and all his family and friends that have gone before him.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Mt. Horeb Building Fund, PO Box 8, Chapin, SC 29036.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18