William C. (Bill) Grimes, of Irmo, passed away February 9, 2023, after a long struggle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Bill was born in Spartanburg, SC to the late Harold B. Grimes and Loire S. Grimes. He grew up in Blackville, SC where he graduated from high school in 1957 and was president of his senior class and member of the high school band. Bill was a 1962 graduate of The Citadel, where he received his B.S. degree in Business Administration and was a member of the Regimental Band. After college graduation, he went to work for the U.S. Treasury Department (Internal Revenue Service) in Greensboro, NC. After four and half years in Greensboro, he transferred to the US Small Business Administration (SBA) in Columbia, SC in 1967. In 1977, he was promoted to a position with SBA in Birmingham, AL before returning to SBA in Columbia in 1980.
Bill was SBA’s Deputy District Director for South Carolina when he retired from government on April 30, 1989. He immediately went to work for the Business Development Corporation (BDC) of South Carolina. While at BDC, he was instrumental in forming the Certified Development Corporation (CDC) of South Carolina, a nonprofit involved in commercial fixed asset lending in conjunction with SBA. On December 31, 2012, Bill retired as Executive Vice President and Corporate Secretary of BDC and as President and Corporate Secretary of CDC. Bill always enjoyed his work and has said that both government and private industry were good to him and he was always in the right place at the right time for advancement.
In December 1974, Bill married his late wife, Elaine McMullen Derrick Grimes, and became stepfather to her two sons Lee and Tim Derrick and was a beloved father figure to them both.
Over the years Bill was active in a number of civic and community organizations. He was a past president of the former VARO Federal Credit Union in Columbia. He was also a former member of the Columbia Sertoma Club, the Hoover, Alabama Lions Club, and the Irmo Optimist Club. Bill was a 32 degree Mason and a member of the Columbia Scottish Rite, as well as a member of Acacia Masonic Lodge N. 94 in Columbia. He was a member and past Master of the former Earlewood Masonic Lodge N. 371 in Columbia. He was a member of Northside Baptist Church in Lexington where he was a regular attendee until the onset of the COVID pandemic.
Bill enjoyed the outdoors and at one time was able to enjoy hunting and some occasional golf as well as gardening. He and Elaine loved to travel and enjoyed a number of cruises over the years, often accompanied by favorite Uncle Mac and his wife Mary Jo, as well as brother-in-law John. Bill particularly enjoyed having Elaine accompany him on a number of business trips for conferences and meetings all over the country, enabling them both to see and visit many sites and locations they would not otherwise have been able to. They also enjoyed several trips with Mac and Mary Jo, traveling to several parts of the country to visit national parks and other sites of interest.
A celebration of life will be conducted by the Reverend Steve Allen at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, February 15 at Temples-Halloran Funeral Home, 5400 Bush River Rd, Columbia, SC 29212 with entombment at Bush River Memorial Gardens. Masonic Rites will be conducted. Visitation with friends and family will be held at 11:00 AM prior to the service at Temples-Halloran Funeral Home.
Bill is survived by his sons Lee (Kim) Derrick of Summerville and Tim Derrick of Irmo; grandsons Will (Jessica) Derrick of Dawsonville GA; John and David Derrick of Irmo; granddaughters Amanda and Ashlyn Harvey of Summerville, SC; brother-in-law John McMullen, Jr.; of West Columbia; Louis (Mac) and Mary Jo McMullan of West Columbia; and former daughter-in-law Christy Derrick. In addition to his parents and his wife, Bill is predeceased by his brother Harold B. Grimes, Jr. and a special and favorite cousin Earl B. Seay of Greenville, NC.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Northside Baptist Church Building Fund, 3437 Sunset Blvd. Lexington SC 29072; The Citadel Foundation, fbo the Harold Benjamin Grimes, Jr. and William C. Grimes scholarship, 171 Moultrie St. Charleston, SC 29409; or to a charity of one’s choice.