W. Mellichamp Obituary

MELLICHAMP, JR., W. CHARLOTTE, NC - Bill, 84, died suddenly on July 28, 2005. He was born August 31, 1920 in Greenwood County, South Carolina, the son of the late William Louis Mellichamp, Sr. and Hattie Strom Mellichamp. He grew up on a farm in Callison Community, SC near Edgefield and Ninety Six. He is survived by one son, Larry Mellichamp and his wife, Audrey, two daughters, Judy Mellichamp Lewis and her husband, Jerry, and Joanne Mellichamp, five grandchildren, Suzanne Lyne Mellichamp, Jason Patrick Lewis, Jenna Kristina Lewis, April Rose MacGeorge and Sarah May Hunt, and a special friend, Edith Spitzer, all of Charlotte; and sister, Harriet Ellis and her husband, Pete of Kingstree, SC. His wife of some 50 years, Martha Thomas Mellichamp, passed away in January of 2001. After graduating from Greenwood High School, Bill moved to Lamar, SC to live with his Uncle Luther and Aunt Annie Mae Fields on a tobacco farm. He worked for a few years at Sonoco Products Co. in Hartsville, SC until after Pearl Harbor. He was inducted into Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet training on December 2, 1943 and was honorably discharged November 9, 1945. He attended the University of South Carolina at Columbia as a 2-year special student in art and English literature and moved to Charlotte in 1946. He attended the Carnegie Mellon Art School in Pittsburgh in 1948. In 1951, he started Champé Advertising Production Company in Charlotte, which specialized in silk-screen printing, and became very successful due to his untiring efforts to maintain high quality and personal service. He gave a great deal to his church and community through that company. Champé Graphics & Production, Inc. is now owned and operated by Judy and Jerry Lewis and Joanne Mellichamp. He was a loving husband and father. He liked to travel, and kept in touch by visiting family members throughout South Carolina and Georgia. He always had a fine garden and shared the produce, especially tomatoes. He enjoyed being helpful to his family and friends. His honest and non-judgmental attitude, calm nature, and practical knowledge have helped his family in their lives as well. He was a member of Hickory Grove United Methodist Church for over 40 years, where he was a member of the Epworth Class and Methodist Men, and was a member of the American Legion Post 400, of Hickory Grove Community in Charlotte. His life was honored with a memorial service 7:00 PM Monday, August 1 at Hickory Grove United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Arnie Corriher officiating. A reception followed. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, c/o Larry Mellichamp, McMillan Greenhouse, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223. Arrangements are by the Wilson Chapel of Hankins & Whittington Funeral Service, 5301 Albemarle Road, Charlotte, NC, online at www.hankinsandwhittingtonwilsonchapel.com. Visit our guestbook at www.charleston.net/deaths.