LTC US Army (Retired) William Shuler

Lieutenant Colonel US Army (Retired) William Aiken Shuler, Jr., 93, of Newberry passed away on Tuesday, July 27, 2023.

Born on July 6, 1929 in the Raftering Creek section of Rembert, South Carolina he was the youngest of seven children born to William Aiken Shuler and Ada Eloise Bradley Shuler. He was predeceased by his parents as well as all of his siblings.

He was educated in Dalzell, SC in the Hillcrest School which is now known as Thomas Sumter Academy. He completed his formal education with two years in Spartanburg Junior College and then two years in Clemson College from which he graduated in February 1952.

In December 1950 William met and then married Priscilla Brannon in March 1951. They were married 72 years, and had four children. William Aiken Shuler III was born in Camden Hospital March of 1952, just one week before he reported to Aberdeen Proving Grounds for preliminary training for deployment to Korea in September 1952. Thus began his 25 year career in the Army. He and Priscilla had three more children born in military hospitals; Robert Victor in Fort Benning, Georgia and Priscilla Denise, also in Fort Benning. Their last child, Valerie Ann was born in Boussac La Foret near La Rochelle, France.

William retired from service after having served in Korea – Ft. Rucker, Alabama – Ft. Bennning, Georgia – Captieux and Chize, France – Command and General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas – Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland – the Pentagon in Maryland – Viet Nam, Darmstadt, Kaiserslautern and Zweibrucken Germany. His retirement station was Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Both deployments to Korea and Viet Nam were in combat zones.

William and Priscilla lost their oldest son – USAirForce Major (Retired), William Aiken Shuler III to cancer in October 2018. He left a wife – Suzanne Thackston Shuler and three sons, William Aiken Shuler IV, USAF Major Christopher James (Jessica Autumn Hall and three grandchildren, Catherin Autumn, James Max, Charlotte Aiken) and Steven Thomas Shuler (Ashleigh Payne).

Mr. Shuler is survived by his wife of 72 years, Priscilla Brannon Shuler and three remaining children, Robert Victor Shuler (Ruth Ann Beacham) of Columbia, Priscilla Denise Shealy (Luther and two children, Luther Allen, Jr. and Candace Marie – married to Blair Tidmarsh with one child – Mason Drew) of Simpsonville, SC and Valerie Ann Hesse (Andreas – and three children, Kristie Ann Cox (Robert – and Kylie Grace Cox), Courtney White – Retired Marine, and Celeste Maria Hesse) of Simpsonville, SC.

William was known by several different monikers, Colonel, Judge, Bill, Bubba, Daddy, Diddy, Papaw, and Poo. He not only had a very successful and satisfying military career, but upon retirement was able to fulfill a lifelong desire to 'build things.” He succeeded in building four houses...two for himself and one each for his two daughters. Then, he and several men volunteered to build the beautiful Church Association Office Building outside of Monetta, SC. Not only building large structures, he excelled in producing hundreds of craft items that he sold throughout South Carolina and neighboring states in craft fairs. He once bragged to his wife that if she could draw 'it' then he could 'build it'. She did and he did. She designed the two houses he built for them personally as well as most of the craft items he produced in his extensive woodworking shop.

Health issues dictated the move from the small, downsized home in Chappells, SC to Springfield Place in Newberry in the summer of 2018.

A visitation will be held Sunday, July 2, 2023, from 4:00 – 6:00 PMat the McSwain-Evans Funeral Home.  Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 8, 2023, at 10:00 AM at Chestnut Baptist Church in Chappells of which he was a member. Services will be conducted by the Reverend Richard Senterfiet. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please honor his memory with a donation to Hospice of Laurens County Hospice House, 1304 Springdale Drive, Clinton, SC 29325.