Alton Herman Whetsell, of Bowman, husband of Christine Smoak Whetsell, passed away on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.

Alton was born on September 14, 1940, in Bowman, SC, a son of the late Maggie Mae Huff Whetsell and Herman A. Whetsell.  He grew up on a farm in Bowman and graduated from Bowman High School, later earning his BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Clemson College.  He married Christine in 1961.  After graduation from Clemson in 1962, Alton joined McCall Thomas Engineering in Orangeburg, SC, later becoming the company president and working there until his retirement in 2006.

Alton loved his church, Ebenezer Methodist Church of Bowman, where he was a member and attended his entire life.  He served in many capacities over the years and enjoyed all the young adults and their children that joined the church over the recent years. He enjoyed gardening and sharing his produce with family and friends.  If you ever drove by his house, he was usually seen in the garden or mowing his lawn, another favorite past time.  Alton spent many fall Saturdays tailgating and cheering on his Clemson Tigers.  Always driving up to games with a carload of his daughters’ friends and cousins.  A proud grandfather, he took joy in encouraging and following his grandsons academic and sports achievements.  He could not have been prouder than when all three of his grandsons completed their engineering degrees.

Alton enjoyed golfing and later in life, he and Christine played golf together and socialized with friends over potluck meals at the St. George Country Club.

Surviving is his wife, Christine; daughters, Charmin (Robert) West of Bowman and Tracy (Jim) Jenkins of Arlington, VA and Melinda (Tim) Ott of Eutawville and Mt. Pleasant; grandchildren, Madison (London) West of Mt. Pleasant, James Jenkins of Arlington, VA and Thomas Jenkins of Hampton, VA; a brother-in-law, Robert (Marie) Smoak of Bowman and two beloved nieces, Renae (Mark) Easterling and Lori (Kelly) Williams and a nephew, Ryan (Dayna) Smoak and their families.

The family will receive friends  at the of home of their daughter, Charmin West, 10150 Charleston Highway, Bowman, SC. 

Funeral Services will be held 3:00 PM Friday, December 20, 2024, at Ebenezer Methodist Church with Pastor Mary Everhart officiating. The visitation will be one hour before the service in the Denny West Memorial Hall. The pallbearers will be Mark Easterling, Ryan Smoak, Reese Smoak, Bert Judy, Jason Bedenbaugh and Caleb Patrick.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Ebenezer Methodist Church of Bowman Cemetery Fund, 1600 Ebenezer Road, Bowman, SC 29018 mail to Stacy Weathers, 1877 Duncan Chapel Road, Bowman, SC 29018.

Note: Ebenezer Road off SC Highway 210 is closed use Wamer Road off of Hwy 210 or Two Church Road off of US Highway 178, east of Bowman.