Dr. Wesley Witcher

Doctor Wesley Witcher, 100, of 1025 Keystone Lane, Clemson, South Carolina, passed away Thursday, November 9, 2023.  He married Shirley Ann Wyatt  November 19, 1955 at St. Andrews Methodist Church, Mt. Airy, Virginia.

He is survived by two children: Laura Witcher Goldstein (Ron) of Clemson,  SC, and Steven  Vincent Witcher (Nancy) of Anderson, SC. Four grandchildren: Megan Witcher Wood (Nathan) of Bluffton, SC; Hannah Kelly Goldstein of Northridge, CA; Kathryn Witcher Bolt (Sullivan) of Denver, CO; Benjamin Wyatt  Goldstein of Clemson, SC.  Two great-grandchildren:  Caleb Andrew Wood, and Logan Elizabeth Wood of Bluffton, SC

He was the youngest of five children of the late James Witcher and Myrtle Cox Witcher of Pittsylvania County, Virginia.

After graduation from Climax School he attended Ferrum College for one year, then had his mother sign paperwork to allow him to enlist in the Army Air Corps at age 19. He was sworn in February, 1943 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. He trained at Waco, Texas. He flew 45 missions in New Guinea, Hawaii, and the Philippines.  He flew both B24 and B25s in SWPA during WWII.  After separation from service at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, he took commission in Army Reserves. He was the first commander at the National Guard in Chatham, Virginia. When he moved to Clemson, South Carolina in 1960, he joined the 205th Reserves, retiring in 1972 at the rank of Lt. Colonel.

In 1947, be entered VPI at Blacksburg, Virginia in General Agriculture.  In the summer of 1947, he worked with the National Forest Service in Troy, Montana.  He graduated from VPI with a Bachelors in Forestry and Wildlife.  He then taught in the Pittsylvania County school system for two years and also worked with veterans in the area.  From 1954-1956, he worked as an Assistant Country Agent in Halifax County Virginia, as a tobacco specialist.  In 1956, he returned to VPI, earning a Masters in Plant Pathology.  He next attended NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina, obtaining a PhD in Plant Pathology.

In June, 1960, he joined the faculty of the Clemson University Department of Botany and Bacteriology, which later became the Department of Plant Pathology. He taught classes, researched, and also worked in the Forestry Department.  He retired from Clemson in 1988. He was a member of several Scientific organizations, and worked for 17 years with Crop Pest regulatory service. He was also a registered Forester in-South Carolina.

Wesley loved to fish and hunt and he created beautiful wood work.

He was an active member of the Clemson Methodist Church and later Mt. Zion Methodist Church in Central SC.  He taught Sunday School, sang bass in the choir, and held a number of positions on various committees in the Church. He was a member of the Clemson Masonic Lodge, the Clemson Lions Club, and later the Six Mile Lions Club.  He served as Secretary of the Six Mile Fire Department. The Six Mile Lions Club set up a scholarship in his honor, with the funds providing support for advancing academic,  technical, and professional skills to a member or child of the Six Firemen.

There will be a private graveside service.  Contributions can be made to Mt Zion Methodist Church, 310 Church Street, Central, SC 29630 or Hospice of the Upstate, 1835 Rogers Road, Anderson, South Carolina 29621.

Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home is assisting the Witcher family.