TIMMONSVILLE - Dillon L. Wilkes passed away peacefully February 23, 2012 after a long and productive life of more than 92 years.
He was born on April 12, 1919, in Lamar, SC, to the late Tillman Earl Wilkes and Mamie Jordan Wilkes.
Funeral services will be conducted at Layton-Anderson Funeral Home at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, February 25, 2012, with visitation at 2:00 pm. Interment will follow at Lake Swamp Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of South Carolina, 1800 Second Loop Road, Florence, SC 29501.
He was one of ten children, and he had many wonderful memories of growing up on the farm, competing and playing with his seven brothers and enjoying supportive and loving relationships with his two sisters.
As a young man, he worked as a surveyor for Darlington County and for Jones Construction Company of Charlotte, NC, constructing numerous facilities in and around the Panama Canal. He then was drafted and served 50 months with the 36th Infantry Division, US Army during World War II, helping first to organize crews and construct barracks in many locations, including Fort Jackson, and then serving as an artillery mechanic, keeping his unit's weapons working safely. He had many stories of situations in the midst of battle when he would have to go to the front line and repair jammed weapons.
Throughout his life, he was humbled by memories of being under fire with his fellow soldiers in foxholes across Europe and North Africa, and when the firing ceased, discovering that he was the sole survivor. For his meritorious service, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.
After the war, he began his primary career with State Farm Insurance as an Agent in Florence, SC for more than 30 years, building his agency from two policyholders to several thousand by the time that he retired at the age of 60. He served for many years on the President's Advisory Council, and took pride in his role in convincing State Farm to hire women as Agents. He was active in the Florence Civitan Club, and as a volunteer for the Red Cross.
He was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Florence, SC, where he served as an usher and a Sunday School Teacher for teenage boys.
After retirement and a move to the Lake Swamp Community where he grew up, he joined Lake Swamp Baptist Church. Dillon loved people, and he loved construction projects of all kinds. Nothing made him happier than to discover a problem that he could solve by building something useful---sometimes cabinets or bookshelves for a friend or relative, other times a deck or outbuilding for someone's new home. He also prided himself in the fact that he lacked formal training in construction but could competently design a building from plans quickly drawn on a brown paper bag.
The home he built after his retirement with the help of his late wife Fern was a great source of pleasure to him. He was blessed by the love of two wonderful women: the late Fern Weaver Wilkes, who died in 1997 after 51 years of marriage, and Mary Howell Wilkes, with whom he shared the last five and a half years. Mary shared good times as well as troubling ones as he battled dementia. Her loving support and patience was a final gift to him and to his family. Her devotion made it possible for him to be at home and have the kind of life he loved until the very end of his life.
Dillon is survived by his wife, Mary Howell Wilkes of the home; daughter, Karen Wilkes Gainey, (husband C. Bryan Gainey) of Moore, SC; granddaughter, Ashley Gainey Ellington (husband John B. Ellington) of Eden, NC; three great-grandchildren, Benjamin Ellington, Grace-Anne Ellington, and Simon Ellington, all of Eden, NC; one brother, Exley A. Wilkes, of Florence, SC; two step-children, Lois Howell Thomas of Lamar, SC, and Terry Howell, of Lamar, SC; and a cherished extended family of nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grand-nieces, and cousins. Dillon was preceded in death by brothers Derry M. Wilkes of McColl, SC; Atha R. Wilkes of Garden City, SC; Trellis C. Wilkes of Columbia, SC; Dawson J. Wilkes of Darlington, SC; Kendrick E. Wilkes of Florence, SC; and T. Edwin Wilkes of Lamar, SC; and sisters, Sue Delle Younce of Columbia, GA; and Zelta Witherspoon of Lamar, SC.
Funeral services will be conducted at the Layton Anderson Funeral Home at 3:00 pm on Saturday, with visitation at 2:00 pm.
Interment will follow at Lake Swamp Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of South Carolina, 1800 Second Loop Road, Florence, SC 29501.
Layton-Anderson Funeral Home, 4210 W. Palmetto Street, Florence is assisting the family with arrangements.
Published in Morning News on February 25, 2012
TIMMONSVILLE - Dillon L. Wilkes passed away peacefully February 23, 2012 after a long and productive life of more than 92 years.
He was born on April 12, 1919, in Lamar, SC, to the late Tillman Earl Wilkes and Mamie Jordan Wilkes.
Funeral services will be conducted at Layton-Anderson Funeral Home at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, February 25, 2012, with visitation at 2:00 pm. Interment will follow at Lake Swamp Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of South Carolina, 1800 Second Loop Road, Florence, SC 29501.
He was one of ten children, and he had many wonderful memories of growing up on the farm, competing and playing with his seven brothers and enjoying supportive and loving relationships with his two sisters.
As a young man, he worked as a surveyor for Darlington County and for Jones Construction Company of Charlotte, NC, constructing numerous facilities in and around the Panama Canal. He then was drafted and served 50 months with the 36th Infantry Division, US Army during World War II, helping first to organize crews and construct barracks in many locations, including Fort Jackson, and then serving as an artillery mechanic, keeping his unit's weapons working safely. He had many stories of situations in the midst of battle when he would have to go to the front line and repair jammed weapons.
Throughout his life, he was humbled by memories of being under fire with his fellow soldiers in foxholes across Europe and North Africa, and when the firing ceased, discovering that he was the sole survivor. For his meritorious service, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.
After the war, he began his primary career with State Farm Insurance as an Agent in Florence, SC for more than 30 years, building his agency from two policyholders to several thousand by the time that he retired at the age of 60. He served for many years on the President's Advisory Council, and took pride in his role in convincing State Farm to hire women as Agents. He was active in the Florence Civitan Club, and as a volunteer for the Red Cross.
He was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Florence, SC, where he served as an usher and a Sunday School Teacher for teenage boys.
After retirement and a move to the Lake Swamp Community where he grew up, he joined Lake Swamp Baptist Church. Dillon loved people, and he loved construction projects of all kinds. Nothing made him happier than to discover a problem that he could solve by building something useful---sometimes cabinets or bookshelves for a friend or relative, other times a deck or outbuilding for someone's new home. He also prided himself in the fact that he lacked formal training in construction but could competently design a building from plans quickly drawn on a brown paper bag.
The home he built after his retirement with the help of his late wife Fern was a great source of pleasure to him. He was blessed by the love of two wonderful women: the late Fern Weaver Wilkes, who died in 1997 after 51 years of marriage, and Mary Howell Wilkes, with whom he shared the last five and a half years. Mary shared good times as well as troubling ones as he battled dementia. Her loving support and patience was a final gift to him and to his family. Her devotion made it possible for him to be at home and have the kind of life he loved until the very end of his life.
Dillon is survived by his wife, Mary Howell Wilkes of the home; daughter, Karen Wilkes Gainey, (husband C. Bryan Gainey) of Moore, SC; granddaughter, Ashley Gainey Ellington (husband John B. Ellington) of Eden, NC; three great-grandchildren, Benjamin Ellington, Grace-Anne Ellington, and Simon Ellington, all of Eden, NC; one brother, Exley A. Wilkes, of Florence, SC; two step-children, Lois Howell Thomas of Lamar, SC, and Terry Howell, of Lamar, SC; and a cherished extended family of nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grand-nieces, and cousins. Dillon was preceded in death by brothers Derry M. Wilkes of McColl, SC; Atha R. Wilkes of Garden City, SC; Trellis C. Wilkes of Columbia, SC; Dawson J. Wilkes of Darlington, SC; Kendrick E. Wilkes of Florence, SC; and T. Edwin Wilkes of Lamar, SC; and sisters, Sue Delle Younce of Columbia, GA; and Zelta Witherspoon of Lamar, SC.
Funeral services will be conducted at the Layton Anderson Funeral Home at 3:00 pm on Saturday, with visitation at 2:00 pm.
Interment will follow at Lake Swamp Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of South Carolina, 1800 Second Loop Road, Florence, SC 29501.
Layton-Anderson Funeral Home, 4210 W. Palmetto Street, Florence is assisting the family with arrangements.
Published in Morning News on February 25, 2012
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