William Dorence Rutledge

William Dorence Rutledge (Bill) passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 16th, 2020, at Brookdale Senior Solutions, where he resided for the past few years. He was born in Walhalla, SC, in 1923. He was predeceased by his parents, Pearl Cantrell and Robert Rutledge, his wife, Mary Houston Rutledge and his siblings, Agnes Rutledge Donaldson, Mary Louise, Vernon, and Ann Morris Rutledge.

William grew up in Charlotte, and after graduating from Central High School in 1943, he went to Clemson where he earned a starting spot in the backfield for legendary coach Frank Howard. Later that year he enlisted in the United States Navy, and upon his return to college life three years later, he decided to attend the University of South Carolina so he could take business administration classes that were not offered at Clemson at the time. Despite a letter from Howard encouraging him not to leave, he came to Columbia and first lettered for the Gamecocks in 1946. He earned the nickname "The Bull" for his efforts, not only on the gridiron, but in the ring for South Carolina's boxing team. He played again in 1947, but a knee injury limited his football career the next year. He lettered again in his final season of 1949. He was also a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. After his days at USC, he went on to work at General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) where he retired after more than 40 years. He remained devoted to the Gamecocks and later became President of the USC Association of Lettermen in the 1970s.

He is survived by his four daughters, Mary Lynn Rutledge, Cindy Casto (Michael), Deborah Kline (Rick), Pamela Brown (Peter) and five granddaughters, Hanna Lapp, Ashley, McKain, Cecilia and Mary Rutledge Brown. He was a loving person and touched many with his generosity and kindness. He will be forever loved and missed.

The family extends a sincere thank you to all of his loving caregivers and the staff of Brookdale Senior Solutions. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Alzheimer’s Association online at alz.org.

A livestream of the service will begin at 3:25 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 on the Dunbar Funeral Home - Devine Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DunbarDevine. Burial will be private.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com