William Hill “Billy” McNAIR, Jr.

1919 - 2020  (101 years)

• Name	William Hill “Billy” McNAIR  [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Suffix	Jr.
  Birth	2 Oct 1919	Jesup, Georgia   [3]
  Gender	Male
  HIST	of Gable, South Carolna The article gives his birthplace as Joseph, Georgia- I think the reported heard wrong. It has to be Jesup, Georgia, like it says in his obituary. jkh A long life lived simply, fully: On his 100th birthday, Clarendon County man reflects on World War II service, meeting his wife William McNair, a Clarendon County resident and United States Army veteran who served during World War II, celebrates his 100th birthday today, Oct. 2. He was honored with the Purple Heart after being injured during the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium in December 1944. SHELBIE GOULDING / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Wednesday, October 2, 2019 6:00 am By SHELBIE GOULDING shelbie@theitem.com It's amazing what can happen in a century of life, and it's rare people get the chance to live that long and tell their story. William McNair of Clarendon County is one of those rare people, but he didn't ask to be. He's a simple man who lived a simple life. At least that's how he likes to put it, but others see him as a man who lived a good and honest life for 100 years. He turns 100 today. Millie McNair, described her father as a "very honest, God-fearing man." Born in Joseph, Georgia, to William McNair Sr. and Millie McNair, he moved to South Carolina in 1930 with his parents and two younger brothers, Robert and John C. He has been living in the Clarendon County area since 1947. He has lived in his country home now for about 60 years and was a farmer all his life. The mailbox outside his brick house is decorated with Clemson pride. "Not only am I a fan, but I'm a graduate," William bragged. He finished at Clemson in 1941, which he said was the greatest class to ever finish Clemson at the time. It was a large class of 340, and members were drafted in the war, including himself. After finishing Clemson with a degree in agriculture, he worked for the United States Department of Agriculture for one year until he was drafted into the U.S. Army. "Most of the class ended up being drafted into the war," Millie McNair said. "Yeah, just about all of them went into service immediately, and its amazing 20- and 22-year-old boys learned to fly those fighter planes," William McNair said. "He said when he was going over to the war, he didn't have any fear," Millie McNair said. "I mean, it just didn't occur to him about what he was facing." On Aug. 22, 1942, McNair was ordered to report for induction into the army, and he reported to Fort Jackson on Sept. 3. "I was in the Army for three years and three months," William said. He reported to camp for a couple of years and got promoted from corporal to first lieutenant to second lieutenant in that time. On July 23, 1944, he arrived to Liverpool, England, after two weeks at sea to travel across England, France and Germany. "I went to Europe and was sent to the 2nd Army division in Germany," he said. "When the Battle of the Bulge broke out, my entire division was sent to Belgium." From sleeping in self-made fox holes and abandoned German houses, it was a rough couple months in a foreign country. "My scariest story was when I was in Germany," he said. "It was a mission beyond our frontlines to see if there were any Germans out there. It was a suicidal mission because you either had no Germans out there, you'd get captured or you'd get killed. "Thankfully, there weren't any Germans out there, so I survived." On Dec. 24, 1944, he was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He spent days in in-field hospitals until he was sent to a hospital in France, where he was operated on on Jan. 1, 1945, to remove shrapnel from his knee. The first and only time McNair was in Paris was for surgery. "And they told you that was going to be a lifetime injury," Millie McNair reminded her father. "That you'd end up in a wheelchair." He never needed to use a wheelchair in his lifetime. "I'm on my two feet right now. I've been on this walking stick though. I don't have good balance," he said. "I'm slow, but going slow keeps me from falling down." He spent a month recovering in the hospital in France and a couple months in a hospital in England before returning back to the U.S. after two weeks at sea on April 23, 1945. Throughout his journey, William McNair never traveled by plane. He either drove a car, rode a train or sailed across the ocean. "And I don't intend to," he said. "I always said if I got in it, I'd take the spark plugs out so it wouldn't run." "He says if the engine gives out you can't pull on the side of the road," Millie McNair laughed. He was sent to a hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida, after getting back to the U.S. After some months, he retired with disability retirement from the Army on Dec. 1, 1945. "I'm no hero. I'm just a survivor," he said. Despite his personal reflection, he received a Purple Heart for his heroism. When he got home from the war, his job in Manning with the Department of Agriculture was still waiting for him, so he went back to work. In the meantime, in the summer of '45, he met his wife at church. "She was the high school English teacher and was also the coordinator of the commencement and graduation ceremonies," Millie McNair said. "He and his parents went over there, and my mother wouldn't let them in until the graduates went in because they were late, and he noticed her." "Well, I came home, and I got to thinking that I got to get a date with that girl," William McNair said. "We were married a year later." He married Janet Nettles in June 1946. They had two daughters, Mary Janet and Millie. After working in the fields in Manning for three years, William farmed at home. "We had a small farm at that time," he said. "I had tobacco, cotton, corn, soybeans and raised hogs." He farmed until 1984, where he started renting the land to his nephews rather than run it. He lived a country-styled life and raised his daughters on the farm with his wife for the following years until she died 15 years ago in 2004. "He said he'd never find anyone as good as she was," Millie McNair said of her mother. Out of all William's memories in life, he always found himself looking back at times with his wife. William had lived independently since then until he fell coming out of an old Sumter restaurant in the fall of 2010, which resulted in an elbow break. After having surgery in Florence, he was away from his home for three months during rehabilitation. "We tried to interest him in an apartment there so that he'd get three meals a day, so we wouldn't have to worry about that, and he wouldn't have to worry about the farm," Millie said. "He said he wasn't the least bit interested in that because he wanted to get back here to listen to the farm machinery and watch the crops grow." William returned with a caretaker, Beth Evans, who checks on him, drives him places and helps him out around the house throughout the week. Reflecting on his century of life, William McNair said the best years of his life were in 1941 when he finished Clemson; 1945, when he came home from Europe and met his wife; 1946, when he got married; and when his daughters were born in 1951 and 1957. "The lord just blessed me to live a long life, and I haven't done anything out of the ordinary," he said. He's been active in the church all his life. He was a ruling elder in clerk of session at New Harmony Presbyterian Church for about 62 years. His daughter said the church will be doing a drop-in for him on the Sunday following his birthday, Oct. 6. Though he had a simple life well-lived, he said his secret to a long-lived life is to not drink or smoke, and to not mess with women or run around on your wife. With that advice, one could say he's a very sharp and wise man. WILLIAM HILL MCNAIR JR. Posted Saturday, October 31, 2020 6:00 am GABLE - William Hill McNair Jr., 101, widower of Janet Nettles McNair, died on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020, at McLeod Hospice House. Born on Oct. 2, 1919, in Jesup, Georgia, he was a son of the late William Hill McNair Sr. and Mildred Evelyn Dye McNair. He was a proud 1941 graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agronomy. Mr. McNair was a retired World War II U.S. Army first lieutenant and a retired farmer. He was the oldest living member on record of New Harmony Presbyterian Church. Mr. McNair was a Sunday school teacher and clerk of session for more than 50 years. He served as an elder from 1946 until he retired to elder emeritus status in June 2008. Mr. McNair is survived by two daughters, Mary McNair Sohl (Carl) of Charleston and Mildred Hill McNair of Florence; a sister-in-law, Anne Tuttle McNair of Gable; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by two younger brothers, John Carroll McNair and Robert Dye McNair. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday at New Harmony Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Dr. Gordon K. Reed and the Rev. Michael Brown officiating. Burial will follow at DuRant-New Harmony Cemetery. Nephews and great-nephews will serve as pallbearers. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service from 1 to 2 p.m. at the church. Due to COVID-19, masks and social distancing are required. Memorials may be made to New Harmony Presbyterian Church, 1174 New Harmony Church Road, Alcolu, SC 29001. Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, 304 N. Church St., Manning, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 435-2179. www.stephensfuneralhome.org  [1, 2, 3, 4]
  HIST	of Gable, South Carolna The article gives his birthplace as Joseph, Georgia- I think the reported heard wrong. It has to be Jesup, Georgia, like it says in his obituary. jkh A long life lived simply, fully: On his 100th birthday, Clarendon County man reflects on World War II service, meeting his wife William McNair, a Clarendon County resident and United States Army veteran who served during World War II, celebrates his 100th birthday today, Oct. 2. He was honored with the Purple Heart after being injured during the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium in December 1944. SHELBIE GOULDING / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Wednesday, October 2, 2019 6:00 am By SHELBIE GOULDING shelbie@theitem.com It's amazing what can happen in a century of life, and it's rare people get the chance to live that long and tell their story. William McNair of Clarendon County is one of those rare people, but he didn't ask to be. He's a simple man who lived a simple life. At least that's how he likes to put it, but others see him as a man who lived a good and honest life for 100 years. He turns 100 today. Millie McNair, described her father as a "very honest, God-fearing man." Born in Joseph, Georgia, to William McNair Sr. and Millie McNair, he moved to South Carolina in 1930 with his parents and two younger brothers, Robert and John C. He has been living in the Clarendon County area since 1947. He has lived in his country home now for about 60 years and was a farmer all his life. The mailbox outside his brick house is decorated with Clemson pride. "Not only am I a fan, but I'm a graduate," William bragged. He finished at Clemson in 1941, which he said was the greatest class to ever finish Clemson at the time. It was a large class of 340, and members were drafted in the war, including himself. After finishing Clemson with a degree in agriculture, he worked for the United States Department of Agriculture for one year until he was drafted into the U.S. Army. "Most of the class ended up being drafted into the war," Millie McNair said. "Yeah, just about all of them went into service immediately, and its amazing 20- and 22-year-old boys learned to fly those fighter planes," William McNair said. "He said when he was going over to the war, he didn't have any fear," Millie McNair said. "I mean, it just didn't occur to him about what he was facing." On Aug. 22, 1942, McNair was ordered to report for induction into the army, and he reported to Fort Jackson on Sept. 3. "I was in the Army for three years and three months," William said. He reported to camp for a couple of years and got promoted from corporal to first lieutenant to second lieutenant in that time. On July 23, 1944, he arrived to Liverpool, England, after two weeks at sea to travel across England, France and Germany. "I went to Europe and was sent to the 2nd Army division in Germany," he said. "When the Battle of the Bulge broke out, my entire division was sent to Belgium." From sleeping in self-made fox holes and abandoned German houses, it was a rough couple months in a foreign country. "My scariest story was when I was in Germany," he said. "It was a mission beyond our frontlines to see if there were any Germans out there. It was a suicidal mission because you either had no Germans out there, you'd get captured or you'd get killed. "Thankfully, there weren't any Germans out there, so I survived." On Dec. 24, 1944, he was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He spent days in in-field hospitals until he was sent to a hospital in France, where he was operated on on Jan. 1, 1945, to remove shrapnel from his knee. The first and only time McNair was in Paris was for surgery. "And they told you that was going to be a lifetime injury," Millie McNair reminded her father. "That you'd end up in a wheelchair." He never needed to use a wheelchair in his lifetime. "I'm on my two feet right now. I've been on this walking stick though. I don't have good balance," he said. "I'm slow, but going slow keeps me from falling down." He spent a month recovering in the hospital in France and a couple months in a hospital in England before returning back to the U.S. after two weeks at sea on April 23, 1945. Throughout his journey, William McNair never traveled by plane. He either drove a car, rode a train or sailed across the ocean. "And I don't intend to," he said. "I always said if I got in it, I'd take the spark plugs out so it wouldn't run." "He says if the engine gives out you can't pull on the side of the road," Millie McNair laughed. He was sent to a hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida, after getting back to the U.S. After some months, he retired with disability retirement from the Army on Dec. 1, 1945. "I'm no hero. I'm just a survivor," he said. Despite his personal reflection, he received a Purple Heart for his heroism. When he got home from the war, his job in Manning with the Department of Agriculture was still waiting for him, so he went back to work. In the meantime, in the summer of '45, he met his wife at church. "She was the high school English teacher and was also the coordinator of the commencement and graduation ceremonies," Millie McNair said. "He and his parents went over there, and my mother wouldn't let them in until the graduates went in because they were late, and he noticed her." "Well, I came home, and I got to thinking that I got to get a date with that girl," William McNair said. "We were married a year later." He married Janet Nettles in June 1946. They had two daughters, Mary Janet and Millie. After working in the fields in Manning for three years, William farmed at home. "We had a small farm at that time," he said. "I had tobacco, cotton, corn, soybeans and raised hogs." He farmed until 1984, where he started renting the land to his nephews rather than run it. He lived a country-styled life and raised his daughters on the farm with his wife for the following years until she died 15 years ago in 2004. "He said he'd never find anyone as good as she was," Millie McNair said of her mother. Out of all William's memories in life, he always found himself looking back at times with his wife. William had lived independently since then until he fell coming out of an old Sumter restaurant in the fall of 2010, which resulted in an elbow break. After having surgery in Florence, he was away from his home for three months during rehabilitation. "We tried to interest him in an apartment there so that he'd get three meals a day, so we wouldn't have to worry about that, and he wouldn't have to worry about the farm," Millie said. "He said he wasn't the least bit interested in that because he wanted to get back here to listen to the farm machinery and watch the crops grow." William returned with a caretaker, Beth Evans, who checks on him, drives him places and helps him out around the house throughout the week. Reflecting on his century of life, William McNair said the best years of his life were in 1941 when he finished Clemson; 1945, when he came home from Europe and met his wife; 1946, when he got married; and when his daughters were born in 1951 and 1957. "The lord just blessed me to live a long life, and I haven't done anything out of the ordinary," he said. He's been active in the church all his life. He was a ruling elder in clerk of session at New Harmony Presbyterian Church for about 62 years. His daughter said the church will be doing a drop-in for him on the Sunday following his birthday, Oct. 6. Though he had a simple life well-lived, he said his secret to a long-lived life is to not drink or smoke, and to not mess with women or run around on your wife. With that advice, one could say he's a very sharp and wise man. WILLIAM HILL MCNAIR JR. Posted Saturday, October 31, 2020 6:00 am GABLE - William Hill McNair Jr., 101, widower of Janet Nettles McNair, died on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020, at McLeod Hospice House. Born on Oct. 2, 1919, in Jesup, Georgia, he was a son of the late William Hill McNair Sr. and Mildred Evelyn Dye McNair. He was a proud 1941 graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agronomy. Mr. McNair was a retired World War II U.S. Army first lieutenant and a retired farmer. He was the oldest living member on record of New Harmony Presbyterian Church. Mr. McNair was a Sunday school teacher and clerk of session for more than 50 years. He served as an elder from 1946 until he retired to elder emeritus status in June 2008. Mr. McNair is survived by two daughters, Mary McNair Sohl (Carl) of Charleston and Mildred Hill McNair of Florence; a sister-in-law, Anne Tuttle McNair of Gable; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by two younger brothers, John Carroll McNair and Robert Dye McNair. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday at New Harmony Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Dr. Gordon K. Reed and the Rev. Michael Brown officiating. Burial will follow at DuRant-New Harmony Cemetery. Nephews and great-nephews will serve as pallbearers. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service from 1 to 2 p.m. at the church. Due to COVID-19, masks and social distancing are required. Memorials may be made to New Harmony Presbyterian Church, 1174 New Harmony Church Road, Alcolu, SC 29001. Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, 304 N. Church St., Manning, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 435-2179. www.stephensfuneralhome.org
  MILI	He was a retired World War II U.S. Army first lieutenant.  [4]
  MILI	He was a retired World War II U.S. Army first lieutenant.
  _UID	0EEFD0688EF746A186212CB98B6D4ABE2DB4
  _UID	0EEFD0688EF746A186212CB98B6D4ABE2DB4
  Death	29 Oct 2020	McLeod Hospice House in Florence, Florence County, South Carolina
  Burial	1 Nov 2020	DuRant-New Harmony Cemetery on Brewington Road near Alcolu, South Carolina   [4]
  	Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, Manning, South Carolina Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, Manning, South Carolina
  Person ID	I284703	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	11 Nov 2020

  
  

  Father	William Hill McNAIR, Sr.   d. Bef 1 Mar 2013
  Mother	Mildred Evelyn “Millie” DYE   d. Bef 1 Mar 2013
  _UID	11F8DFC679A44753ACD547E458FADB5492EA
  _UID	11F8DFC679A44753ACD547E458FADB5492EA
  Family ID	F82280	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Janet NETTLES   d. 2004
  Marriage	Jun 1946  [3]
  _UID	0BB2765ECBAE429B86F1DC076B3D19B6B8BA
  _UID	0BB2765ECBAE429B86F1DC076B3D19B6B8BA
  Children	1. Mary Janet McNAIR   2. Mildred Hill “Millie” McNAIR
  Family ID	F191250	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	2 Oct 2019

  
  

• Sources

  [S19267] John C. McNair. [S25929] Robert D. McNair. [S27129] A long life lived simply, fully. [S28286] William Hill McNair Jr.