William Thomas FORT, Jr.^{[1, 2]}

1938 - 2017  (78 years)

• Name	William Thomas FORT  [3, 4, 5]
  Suffix	Jr.
  Birth	2 Aug 1938	Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina
  Gender	Male
  HIST	of Sumter, South Carolina WILLIAM T. FORT JR. Posted Sunday, January 15, 2017 6:00 am SALEM - William Thomas Fort, Jr., 78, husband of Martha Jayne DuBose Fort, died on Jan. 14, 2017, at Oconee Hospital in Seneca due to complications following a short battle with liver cancer. Mr. Fort was born on Aug. 2, 1938, in Sumter to William Thomas and Mary Nell McClam Fort. He graduated from Edmunds High School, Sumter, in 1956 and Clemson University, Clemson, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1960 where he was a member of the Numeral Society and served as Editor of the 1960 Taps. He married Martha Jayne DuBose in 1962. He served in the U.S. Air National Guard and was stationed at Mor n Air Base, Spain, until his father's death in 1962. At this time he returned to Sumter to run the family business, Fort Roofing and Sheet Metal Works Inc., which he successfully operated until his retirement in 2005. He is a former member of Sumter County Council, past president of the Carolinas Roofing and Sheet Metal Association, past president of the National Roofing Contractors Association, former member of IPTAY Board of Directors, the Sumter Rotary Club, and he was a member of the Mt. Vernon Coffee Club. He also served as a Deacon in the First Presbyterian Church, Sumter, and most recently a member of Fort Hill Presbyterian Church, Clemson. His personal passions included scuba diving, underwater photography, saltwater fishing, golf and was an avid supporter of Clemson University. Mr. Fort is survived by his wife of 54 years, his sons William Thomas Fort, III (Kim) of Sumter, Jefferson DuBose (Suzanne) of Mount Pleasant, and Andrew Carr (Heather) of Roswell, Georgia; and five grandchildren: DuBose, Craig, Carlie, Mary Bostic and Andrew. He is preceded in death by his parents and two brothers: Lewis Heyward and Melvin David. A memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at Fort Hill Presbyterian Church, Clemson. Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday in the Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery, Sumter. The family will receive friends following the graveside service. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123. Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com. Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements (803) 775-9386. William T. 'Billy' Fort - 1938-2017 Local businessman known for fairness, loyalty, ethics The late William T."Billy" Fort is shown in his office a few years ago. The longtime owner and president of Fort Roofing and Sheet Metal Works Inc. is remembered not just for his business acumen but for his character, his ability to relate to people from all walks of life, dedication to family, his fairness and his ethical business practices. Posted Tuesday, January 24, 2017 6:00 am William Thomas "Billy" Fort, who died Jan. 14, was owner of Fort Roofing and Sheet Metal Works Inc. and a very accomplished businessman who made enormous contributions to his community; however, it is for his loyalty, caring nature and personality his friends and family remember him. Will Fort, who now runs Fort Roofing and is the oldest of Billy Fort's three sons, recalled his father's influence on him and brothers Jeff and Andy. "When we were growing up on Adams Avenue," Will Fort said, "he let us do what we wanted to do, and we did a lot with him. We were good kids and never got in any big trouble." The brothers were close in age - they were all at Clemson University together for one year, in fact - and a lot of what they did was "family stuff," he said. His parents were also friends with the sons' Clemson friends. "They called them 'Billy T' and Jayne D,'" Will Fort said. "Dad was very active and loved the outdoors, and we all caught that from him. We made a good foursome, so we played golf a lot, went scuba diving, offshore fishing ... ." In business, Will Fort said, "Dad let us make mistakes; he was not stern, but he made sure we learned from our mistakes so we didn't make them again." In addition to business and family, Billy Fort served his community on Sumter County Council and Sumter Rotary Club; First Presbyterian Church as deacon; his alma mater, Clemson University, as a member of the IPTAY (a scholarship fund, originally "I Pay Ten a Year") board of directors; and in numerous other ways. Family photos fill frames and bulletin boards in Will Fort's office. He stood up and pointed to one Billy Fort was especially proud of. "In 1989, Dad was president of the National Roofing Contractors Association, and he got to introduce the speaker, Ronald Reagan," he said. In the photo, Billy Fort is standing with Reagan and several others. Dr. Barney Williams grew up in Sumter with Fort. "As children, we played sports together, graduated from Edmunds High School and Clemson together, even dated together," Williams said. "Billy always liked everyone and made them comfortable with him. He was respected by all his friends. "He will be missed." Joanne Crowson went to work for Fort in 1971 and stayed until he retired in 2005. "It was my only full-time job," she said, "because he was so good to work for. If you needed something, he would bend over backwards to help you, and he was a great role model - I owe most of my work ethic to him. He was very fair, and he had a lot of long-time employees. Nobody wanted to leave him." Crowson said she actually delayed her own retirement because of Fort. Fort was also a good family man, she said, "and when you started work there (at Fort Roofing), you became part of the family." Like his sons Will and Jeff and his friend Dr. Williams, Crowson had high praise for Fort's gentility. "He was a true Southern gentleman" was a refrain the family heard from his friends during the past week. "It's like a part of my life is gone," Crowson said. "I miss him." Son Jeff described his father as "the kind of guy who had this gift that I think is rare. Anytime someone met him for the first time, after a short period they'd feel like they'd known him for a long time. He made people feel as if they belonged with a story or a joke, a hand on the shoulder. It's a gift he carried with him all his life." As a father, Jeff Fort said, "He couldn't have been any better. Growing up in a small town like Sumter, there were so many family relationships across the generations. We spent a lot of time with family." Another trait Billy Fort possessed, Jeff Fort said, was his "old-school personality, his very personal approach. He enjoyed close relationships with all the people he knew - through the industry across the entire country, with people in all walks of life. They all came to appreciate his approach. He was a gentleman." William T. "Billy" Fort is survived by his wife of 54 years, Martha Jayne DuBose Fort, sons William Thomas Fort III (Kim) of Sumter, Jefferson DuBose (Suzanne) of Mount Pleasant and Andrew Carr (Heather) of Roswell, Georgia, and five grandchildren: DuBose, Craig, Carlie, Mary Bostic and Andrew. Memorial services were held in Clemson and Sumter. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123. - Ivy Moore  [1, 2, 6]
  MILI	He served in the U.S. Air National Guard and was stationed at Moron Air Base, Spain, until his father's death in 1962.  [1]
  _UID	99D3E17B8EBF4EAFABAC9F76E3C50814429D
  Death	14 Jan 2017	Oconee Hospital, Seneca, South Carolina
  Burial	18 Jan 2017	Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina   [1]
  	Elmore-Hill-McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, Sumter, South Carolina
  Person ID	I98577	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	24 Jan 2017

  
  

  Father	William Thomas FORT, Sr.   d. 1962
  Mother	Mary Nell McCLAM   d. Bef 8 Feb 2004
  _UID	E13E78E6A07643B99F74C58E880999BFDE55
  _UID	E13E78E6A07643B99F74C58E880999BFDE55
  Family ID	F51946	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Martha Jayne “Jayne” DUBOSE
  Marriage	1962  [1]
  _UID	0D6C6347FFDF42368FF1CDC3D9CB5239B87A
  _UID	0D6C6347FFDF42368FF1CDC3D9CB5239B87A
  Children	1. Andrew Carr FORT   2. William Thomas “Will” FORT, III   3. Jefferson DuBose “Jeff” FORT
  Family ID	F68306	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 Jan 2017

  
  

• Sources

  [S24754] William T. Fort Jr. [S24789] William T. ‘Billy’ Fort * 1928-2017. [S2304] Acker-Fort. [S8713] M. David Fort Sr. [S8734] William DuBose. [S2554] Lewis Heyward Fort.