Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
A history of many families.
1942 - 2008 (66 years)| Name | Charles Claude “Charlie” WAY [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] | |
| Birth | 1942 | Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina  |
| Gender | Male | |
| HIST | Date Published: August 20, 2008 By HEATH HAMACHER Item Staff Writer hhamacher@theitem.com The Sumter County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the killing of a Sumter County man Monday afternoon. Charles Claude Way, 66, was found dead in his 65 Grace Lane home about 4:30 p.m. Monday by his 27-year-old daughter, Robin Miles. According to an incident report, Miles spoke to her father at about 11 a.m. Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said Miles tried unsuccessfully to reach Way again at about 1 or 1:30 p.m., but was unable to do so. She decided to go to Way's home to check on him, Dennis said, and arrived to find his front door unlocked but no sign of forced entry. Dennis said she discovered his body near the back of the home. The autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, Dennis said. "We believe it was a small-caliber handgun," Dennis said, "and it may have been a revolver." Two shots had been fired at the residence, one striking the front door and one hitting Way. Dennis said the killer never entered the home. "There were things all over the place he could've taken; everything was in order," he said. Investigators said they are looking at attempted robbery as a motive, though they stressed they are not ruling out other possibilities. Dennis said they are trying to determine if Way knew his killer. Way's niece, Misty Huggins, lives just down the road from Way. She said she was at work when she found out something had happened to her uncle and was in "total shock" when she found out he had been killed. "He was a very friendly person," she said. "Didn't have any enemies. If anybody needed anything, he'd do anything for anybody." Way, whose wife died a couple of years ago from cancer, lived alone. At this time, Dennis said there are no suspects. Way's family and friends can't imagine who would do something like this or why. Jim Fender, owner of GEMS Auto Sales, said he and "Mr. Charlie" were best friends and have been in the car business together. "I don't know of any enemies that he had," Fender said. "He was a very honest man, he loved his children and grandchildren ... He got along with everybody. I'm going to miss my friend, you can believe that." Way was an Army veteran and retired from the U.S. Postal Service. Dennis said it appears to be yet another "senseless" crime. "You know, somebody fights for his country and minds his own business ..." Dennis said. "This is disturbing; it's tragic." Miles would not comment about the case. Dennis said his department is following several leads and is seeking assistance from anyone who might have information regarding the case. Anyone with information can contact the sheriff's office at (803) 436-2700 or Crime Stoppers at (803) 436-2718. Contact Staff Writer Heath Hamacher at hhamacher@theitem.com or (803) 774-1270 Date Published: August 20, 2008 CHARLES C. WAY Charles Claude Way, 66, widower of Dora Poulos Way, died Monday, Aug. 18, 2008. Born in Sumter, he was a son of the late Claud C. and Doris R. Way. Mr. Way was a U.S. Army veteran and was retired from the U.S. Postal Service. He was a member of Northside Memorial Baptist Church. He was a Mason and a Shriner. Survivors include two daughters, Charlotte "Reenie" Smith (Roger) of Maryland and Robin Miles (Doug) of Sumter; grandchildren, Samantha Smith, Caleb Smith, Shane Smith, Sarah Beth Miles and Doug Miles Jr.; three sisters, Doris W. "Dotsy" Prescott (Carson) of Gable, Jane W. Garrison (Wayne) of Steamboat Springs, Colo., and Betty W. Huggins (Alfred) of Alcolu; a brother, R. Allen Way (Barbara) of Orange Park, Fla.; and a special friend, Nancy Elliott of Manning. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Jimmy Holley officiating. Burial will be in the Sumter Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and other times at the home, 65 Grace Lane. Memorials may be made to the Northside Memorial Baptist Church Building Fund, 1004 N. Main St., Sumter, SC 29150 or to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 107 Westpark Blvd., Suite 150, Columbia, SC 29210. Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements. Date Published: August 21, 2008 Shooting death leaves no suspects Investigation into possible burglary attempt continues By HEATH HAMACHER Item Staff Writer hhamacher@theitem.com Two days after 66-year-old Charles Way was shot and killed in his home, authorities are still searching for the suspects in a crime that had no witnesses. "We haven't made any arrests and don't have any suspects to release at this time," Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said Wednesday. "We are following up on some leads." Way's daughter, 27-year-old Robin Miles, found his body at about 4:30 p.m. Monday toward the rear of his 65 Grace Lane home, off U.S. 378 East, after going to check on him, reports said. Miles had just talked to her father at 11 a.m., reports said, and decided to go to his home to check on him after being unable to reach him on the phone a couple of hours later, Dennis said. There she found no sign of forced entry, but the front door was unlocked. Miles called emergency service personnel, who then notified law enforcement, Dennis said. Authorities think a small-caliber handgun was used in the murder and that the killer never entered the home. Dennis said two shots were fired from the front door, one of which struck the door and the other hitting Way in the abdomen. The autopsy performed Tuesday at Newberry Pathology Associates confirmed the gunshot as the cause of death. Dennis said the killing could have been the result of an interrupted burglary, but that his department is looking at other possible motives. Neighbors were shocked at the news that not only was someone killed in their community, but also that it was Way, who friends and family described as honest and loving. Dennis described the killing as "senseless" and "tragic." He said it's a shame that Way, an Army veteran and retired postal worker, lost his life in such a manner. "We are going to make every attempt ... use all our resources to apprehend this individual and prosecute him to the fullest," Dennis said. "It was a senseless murder." Dennis said his department is working several leads and is seeking assistance from anyone who might have information regarding the case. Anyone with information can contact the Sumter County Sheriff's Office at (803) 436-2700 or Crime Stoppers at (803) 436-2718. Contact Staff Writer Heath Hamacher at hhamacher@theitem.com or (803) 774-1270. Date Published: October 3, 2008 Sheriff's Office requests help Officials need help solving cold cases By HEATH HAMACHER Item Staff Writer hhamacher@theitem.com Sumter County authorities are hoping the public can provide leads that will help get two murderers off the streets. Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said the two killings, both of which happened in August, are unrelated. Investigators continue to search for tips. "We are still actively investigating these cases, these are not cold cases by any means," Dennis said. "This is just another means we can get some new leads, some new avenues to look at." On Aug. 1, deputies were called out to the fire station on U.S. 521 North in Dalzell, where they found Jerventez D. Wilson, 24, suffering from a gunshot to the chest. Wilson had been brought to the fire station by a man who claimed Wilson walked out from Cubbage Mobile Home Park No. 2 on Black River Road and said he needed help. Dennis said his investigation has determined Wilson was shot while at the mobile home park. Wilson, formerly of 26 Larkin St., was taken to Tuomey Regional Medical Center, where he died. The man was questioned by authorities but released. Before his death, Wilson was employed as a substitute teacher in Sumter School District 17. On Aug. 18, Charles Claude Way, 66, was found dead in his 65 Grace Lane home about 4:30 p.m. by his 27-year-old daughter, Robin Miles. Grace Lane is off U.S. 378 East. Miles had gone to her father's home to check on him after several unsuccessful attempts to reach him on the phone. Way died from a single gunshot to the abdomen, investigators said. There was no sign of forced entry or that the killer even entered the home. "There were things all over the place he could've taken; everything was in order," Dennis said. The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information regarding either of these murders to contact Crime Stoppers at (803) 436-2718. Dennis said Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2,500 for information regarding either case that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible. Contact Staff Writer Heath Hamacher at hhamacher@theitem.com or (803) 774-1270. 2 years after killing, family hopes for resolution BY JOE PERRY jperry@theitem.com It's been two years since Charlie Way was mysteriously shot and killed, but his family and law enforcement haven't given up finding his killer. Charles "Charlie" Claude Way, 66, an Army veteran and retired U.S. Postal Service worker, was shot once through the door of his Grace Lane Home on Aug. 18, 2008, and was later found by his daughter, Robin Miles. Investigators thought robbery might be the motive but soon realized nothing was taken from the home he used to share with his late wife Dora, who died from cancer about two years before his death. "I'm hanging in there," Miles, 39, said Thursday. "I can't believe two years have gone by and there's obviously no resolution." Miles said the two-year anniversary of her father's death has been tough to deal with, especially since no one has been arrested and charged. But she's heartened by the fact that the State Law Enforcement Division is also working on the case. "We're not giving up. We're having to go on living," she said. In the fall of 2009, Adams Outdoor Advertising worked with Crime Stoppers to put Way's face on a billboard on U.S. 76/378 East in hopes that someone would come forward with information. That billboard is still up. Miles said Adams is still donating space and noted that friends and family members have put up a $10,000 reward offered to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for her father's death. Miles also said the $10,000 reward is in addition to a $2,500 reward offered by Crime Stoppers. Sheriff Anthony Dennis said Thursday that Way had opened the door to his home but was shot through it. "It might've been random and the person might not be local," he said. His office is working with SLED to bring about resolution to the case, but investigators haven't had any real solid leads. "But the case is still open," Dennis said. Dennis affirmed that nothing was stolen from Way's home and explained that SLED has assisted with forensic analysis, while his investigators have conducted polygraph exams. Anyone who has any information on Way's death can contact the Sumter County Sheriff's Office at (803) 436-2700 or Crime Stoppers at (803) 436-2718. Callers can remain anonymous. Reach Joe Perry at (803) 774-1272. Posted in News, Local news on Friday, August 27, 2010 Man's death a mystery 5 years later A billboard previously advertising the search for Charles Way's killer. Family members recently marked the five-year anniversary of the day the retired postal worker was discovered shot to death in his home. The case remains open. Five years is a long time to wait to find out how your loved one died. The family of Charles Way knows some details, but not enough for closure, of what happened to him on Aug. 18, 2008. The 66-year-old retired postal worker was found by his daughter on the floor of his Grace Lane home, dead of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. But who pulled the trigger and why remains a mystery. BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com Five years is a long time to wait to find out how your loved one died. The family of Charles Way knows some details, but not enough for closure, of what happened to him on Aug. 18, 2008. The 66-year-old retired postal worker was found by his daughter on the floor of his Grace Lane home, dead of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. But who pulled the trigger and why remains a mystery. There were no signs of forced entry, and nothing in the house was stolen. Way even had a gold bracelet and watch still on his wrist. Way's neighbors didn't report seeing or hearing anything unusual. For half a decade, that's where the case has stood. Last Sunday, family members ran an ad marking the anniversary along with a call for anyone with information about the case to come forward. Information leading to an arrest and conviction of Way's killer could earn a reward of $15,000. Born and raised in Sumter, Way joined the Army out of school and was stationed in Germany in the early 1960s. When he came back to the U.S., he worked for 30 years with the Sumter Post Office. In retirement, he started a side business buying and selling used cars from home. His wife, Dora, passed away from cancer in 2006, but he was always in touch with his two daughters, five grandchildren and his siblings living nearby. "We stayed close, and with my mom being sick, we were there for each other," said daughter Robin Miles. "He was just a good man. He didn't meet a stranger, and he took good care of my mom until her death." Way's sister Dotsy Prescott spoke to her brother the night before his death, letting him know she'd be staying one more night at the beach before driving back to Sumter. When she got home the next day, Prescott tried to call him between 3:30 and 4 p.m. but couldn't get through. "I tried his house phone and his cellphone and he didn't pick up, and he usually answers one of those," she said. "So I called Robin and said 'you need to check on him. He's not answering his phone.'" A short time later, Prescott received another call from her niece. "All she said was 'I need you now'," Prescott remembers. Way was home alone when he was shot sometime between 11:30 a.m., the last time a call was made from the home's phone, and 4:30 p.m., when his daughter found him, lying face down in the laundry room near the back door. Family members who quickly gathered at the house initially thought he might have died from natural causes. "He'd been complaining of stomach pains and they thought he may have collapsed," said Lt. Robert Burnish with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office. "They called the coroner and EMS out there, and when they were moving him they saw the bullet wound." Burnish was one of the sheriff's deputies who responded after it became apparent the house was a crime scene. Only a little physical evidence was recovered: a shell casing from a small-caliber handgun found in the living room and an "indentation" on the metal portion of a screen door leading to the car port, which investigators suspect might have been caused by a gun firing. With that information, law enforcement developed a rough theory of what happened. "Either he met somebody he knew at that door, or he surprised somebody at the door who was trying to break in," Burnish said. Way was apparently shot at the door to the car port, which family members found open at the time they arrived. Injured, he then ran through the house, trying to reach the back door on the other side of the laundry room. He never made it. Prescott remembers him still having the TV remote in his hand when he was found. The side door led into an open-air car port where Way had a couple of cars he was working on to resell. Anyone could have walked up to the door from the street. The killing was devastating for Miles, especially coming so close after the loss of her mother. For years afterward, she worries the killer is someone she knows. "The average person, they don't think this can happen to them," she said, "but it can happen right in the comfort of your own home." Recently, Burnish went back over the case and is working with State Law Enforcement Division agents to review the evidence and talk again with potential witnesses and others who knew Way. His family appreciates the continued effort to bring the case to a close. "We try not to bug them," Prescott said, "but we want them to know we're very much interested in having this solved ... we didn't want them to forget about it." "Somebody knows something," Burnish said, "and we're asking them to help." Anyone with information about the killing of Charles Way is asked to call the Sumter County Sheriff's Office at (803) 436-2000 or Crime Stoppers, which is also offering a reward in the case, at 1-888-CRIME-SC (274-6372) or (803) 436-2718. All callers can remain anonymous. Posted in Local news, News on Sunday, August 25, 2013 [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] | |
| MILI | he was a U. S. Army veteran [3] | |
| Occupation | he was retired from the U. S. Postal Service | |
| Religion | he was a member of Northside Memorial Baptist Church [3] | |
| _UID | 91AB111F3CED4E9B8E89E3D227381FCB93FC | |
| Death | 18 Aug 2008 | at his home, 65 Grace Lane |
| Burial | 21 Aug 2008 | Sumter Cemetery, 700 W. Oakland Avenue, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina [3] |
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| Person ID | I175361 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 25 Aug 2013 | |
| Father | Claud C. WAY | |
| Mother | Doris R. | |
| _UID | F8EC5D648AFA4CBEB02E360CA6C55BB3CCEC | |
| _UID | F8EC5D648AFA4CBEB02E360CA6C55BB3CCEC | |
| Family ID | F153652 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | Dora POULOS, b. 1947, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina d. 17 Feb 2006, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina (Age 59 years) | |||||
| Marriage | 1966 [1] | |||||
| _UID | EA8A7ED9D24648049B3FBF5453AE6560E29C | |||||
| _UID | EA8A7ED9D24648049B3FBF5453AE6560E29C | |||||
| Children |
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| Family ID | F119303 | Group Sheet | Family Chart | ||||
| Last Modified | 9 Mar 2006 | |||||
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