John William Wakefield Jr.

SPARTANBURG, SC – John William “Bill” Wakefield Jr., age 86, died July 31, 2012 at Spartanburg Regional Hospice House. Born Nov. 1, 1925, in Ninety-Six, S.C., he was the son of the late Lela Katherine Townsend Wakefield and John William Wakefield Sr. He grew up in Columbia where his father began selling Buicks in 1930. He graduated from Dreher High School in 1942 as a member of the National Honor Society. He graduated from the University of South Carolina at the age of 19 with a bachelor’s degree in science. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership fraternity and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The Wakefield family moved to Spartanburg to found Wakefield Buick in 1945 on Saint John Street, where the Chapman Cultural Center is now located. In 1945 he served in the Army Transport Service on a hospital ship that rescued Americans wounded in the Liberation of Paris. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served a year during the Korean War. He became president of Wakefield Buick in 1956. Over the years he operated multiple automotive franchises including Jeep, Opel, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, DeLorean, Chevrolet, BMW, and Suzuki with dealerships in Spartanburg, Tryon, Gaffney, Anderson, and Hilton Head Island. He was a board member of the South Carolina Automobile Dealers Association from 1966 to 2000 and served as its president in 1977-78. Mr. Wakefield was nominated as TIME Quality Dealer of the Year. He was a fierce proponent of downtown Spartanburg, serving as president of the Downtown Merchants Association and a member of the Spartanburg Development Council under Mayor Lewis Miller. In 1985 he moved his Spartanburg car dealership to its current location on West Saint John Street. He was a founder of Saint Christopher’s Episcopal Church and of All Saint’s Anglican Church. Surviving are his wife, Peggy Wakefield; a son, Jay Wakefield, and his wife Jenny of Spartanburg; two daughters, Katherine Wakefield, and Betsy Wakefield Teter and husband John Lane, all of Spartanburg; a stepson, McKrae Game, and wife Julie of Spartanburg; a step-daughter, Maria Reinertson of Bluemont, Va.; and grandchildren, Rob Teter and Russell Teter of Brooklyn, N.Y., Anne Townsend, Walker and Brownlee Wakefield of Spartanburg, Seth and Caroline Game of Spartanburg, and Christian, Brent, Reese and Bryce Reinertson, of Bluemont, Va. The family wishes to express their gratitude to all the caregivers: Kim Ross, Alice Williams, Jacqueline Tate, Linda Porter, Sarah McKinney, Shanda Jackson, Stephanie Mills, Sheila Jackson, and Vicki Lucas and Vicki Traviss. Memorials may be made to Spartanburg Regional Hospice House, 686 Jeff Davis Drive, Spartanburg, S.C. 29303. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at J.M. Dunbar Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Chapman Cultural Center and All Saint’s Church, 200 East St. John Street, with Rev. Charlie Vensel officiating.