Bill was born in Charleston, SC on October 08, 1932, the eldest of five boys born to Jessie Gates and John F. Grooms. The family moved to Rockhill, S.C., but his father’s work in the textile mills eventually moved them to Columbia. Although Bill’s father passed away when he was 10, his mother had many family members, and he learned his love of family gatherings from the many get-togethers that they had.
While attending Columbia High School, Bill worked in the print room at The State Newspaper. After graduating in 1951, he joined the US Air Force. He served for almost 2 years on active duty during the Korean War, most of it as a radio operator for flights in and out of Eielson Air Base in Fairbanks, Alaska.
In 1953 Bill returned to Columbia and entered the University of South Carolina to study accounting. After graduating he went to work for the Internal Revenue Service for 8 years. During that time he earned his Certified Public Accountant license, and in 1965 he went to work as a CPA with Clarkson, Harden and Gantt. He became a senior partner with them, and worked in that capacity through their transition to Arthur Young and then to Ernst & Young (EY).
In 1956 Bill married his sweetheart, Louise Hogan. Over the course of the next six years, they had a son and a daughter and settled into an idyllic life in the Springwood Lake subdivision of Northeast Columbia. Friendships that were formed on those quiet neighborhood streets would last a lifetime.
Most of Bill’s accounting career was spent dealing with tax law — he quickly became known as the ‘go-to guy’ for other accountants who had clients that needed help in court cases with the IRS. As a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Bill lectured in all 50 states on tax, accounting, and business matters. He co-authored textbooks for the IRS and for Arthur Young, and wrote articles for magazines such as Money Magazine, The Corporate Tax Clinic, The Wall Street Journal, and The Tax Advisor. After retiring from active practice, Bill continued to teach Continuing Professional Education classes for accountants, covering the annual changes to the US Tax code.
While attending USC Bill joined the Air Force Reserve, and began a military career that spanned over 35 years. He rose to the rank of Colonel and served in command positions with the 315th Military Airlift Command at the Charleston Air Force Base and the 84th Aerial Port Squadron at the Donaldson Center in Greenville, SC. He also enjoyed serving as a local liaison to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.
A few years after retiring from the Air Force Reserve, Bill was asked to serve in the South Carolina Military Department. He entered the South Carolina State Guard in 1996, and was promoted to Brigadier General. Among other duties, he worked in support of the South Carolina Youth Challenge Academy. Bill was then asked to become part of the Joint Services Detachment of the SC Military Department and was promoted to Major General before retiring from that service.
Despite a full professional and military career, Bill was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and community member. He served on the boards of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia Art Museum, the Columbia Sertoma Club, the Columbia Stage Society (Town Theatre), the Workshop Theatre Board of Trustees, and as a Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America.
Bill was a member of North Trenholm Baptist Church, and served as a Sunday School teacher, a Deacon, and on many committees at the church, including the group that was responsible for creating the NTBC Foundation.
Bill loved to travel, and he took his family on many trips, literally all over the world. A timeshare in the NC Mountains and a beach house at Fripp Island, SC allowed him to escape the demands of his busy life, and he loved vacationing in both areas of the Carolinas.
His greatest joys in life involved time spent with friends and family. A gregarious and outgoing man, Bill loved to gather friends and family and enjoy a good meal! It didn’t matter if it was fine dining downtown at The Summit Club, or Sunday night hamburgers on his back porch, as long as others were enjoying themselves, he was happy.
Bill is survived by his wife of 66 years, Louise Hogan Grooms, son William (Billy) Grooms Jr and his wife Debie, grandchildren Alec Grooms and Morgan Moon, great-grandchildren Emma and Logan; daughter Laura Grooms and her husband Marc Murray and their daughter Olivia Murray; brothers Donald E. Grooms (Miriam) and Charles Grooms (Katherine), and a large extended family.
He is predeceased by his parents, and his brothers Thomas D. Grooms and John F. “Jack” Grooms.
A visitation service will be held in the chapel at North Trenholm Baptist Church on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 11:00 a.m., immediately followed by a funeral service at 12:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. Burial with full military honors will be at 2:00 p.m. at the Fort Jackson National Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel — you may visit his memorial page at www.dunbarfunerals.com.
The family suggests any memorials be made to the North Trenholm Baptist Church Foundation, Town Theatre in Columbia, SC (https://towntheatre.com/donate-today ), or the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund (https://curealz.org/).
OR… call a friend or family member and take them out to a nice dinner, in memory of Bill Grooms!
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