Obituary of William Hammond Spires, Jr.

William “Bill” Hammond Spires, Jr., 81, of Columbia, SC, passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26, 2020, surrounded by his family.

Born on December 8, 1938 in Augusta, Georgia, he was the eldest child of the late William Hammond Spires, Sr. and the late Frances Adams Tomms.

Bill is survived by his sister, Kaye Webb, and his former wife, best friend and partner in life, Betty Spires. He was the father of six children, Stephanie Irwin, Patricia Dawn Spires (Dennis Maglio), William Hammond Spires III, Heather Spires (William Small), Frances Maia Spires (Jayme Butler) and Autumn Raye Spires, and the grandfather of Jessica, Alex, Raymond, Haili and Vela.

Bill was a star athlete at Jackson High School in Jackson, SC, before attending Clemson University. He left Clemson to join the U.S. Air Force, where at the age of 22, he had the distinct honor of being the youngest manager in the Mercury Manned Space Flight Program at Cape Canaveral, FL. He also served as Technical and Operations Supervisor at Launch Complexes 11 and 14 for the Mercury Manned Space Flight Program.

After serving four-and-a-half years in the U.S. Air Force, Bill followed his dreams and became an entrepreneur.

His unconventional approach to life held many lessons for his family. He showed us courage in his commitment to honoring his dreams, regardless of the opinions of others, creativity in forging new paths where none existed before, resilience in the way he rebounded from setbacks, hope for the future, and the importance of showing compassion to others.  Bill lived on his own terms, which wasn’t always easy for those around him, but it made us stronger, which was a gift. He was loved, and we will miss him.

Bill’s family would like to extend thanks to the Dorn VA and their many employees for the fine care they provided Bill through the years. We are grateful, as was Bill. The family would also like to thank Palmetto Health Hospice, with special thanks to Sherri Rawlinson, his nurse.

The family suggests memorial contributions be sent to Palmetto Hospice care of Prisma Health Midlands Foundation (choose "Hospice" as your designation at following link): https://events.foundation.palmettohealth.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=207&_ga=2.238166467.2129993314.1597767329-321281937.1597767327  

Family and friends may sign the online guest book at southcarolinacremation.com