Frederick Raymond Wilson

Frederick Raymond Wilson, age 62, of Clover, SC, passed away unexpectedly Friday, September 3, 2021. On February 8, 1959, Fred was born in Peoria, Illinois, to the late Ted and Ruth Wilson.

He grew up among the cornfields in Washington, IL, swimming in the creek, walking the railroad tracks, riding his bike, visiting family, and eventually racing dirt bikes across the state. After getting his driver's license, he gravitated to motorcycles and muscle cars, building his own high-performance engines.

Always extremely intelligent and mechanically gifted, Fred started his long career as an engineer with Kraft Dairy Group in Peoria in 1979, making ice cream for Breyers. After the plant's closing, he moved to Spartanburg, SC, in 1987 to lead the maintenance team with PET Foods, followed soon by a move to Charlotte, NC, again to be the Supervising Engineer for Breyers ice cream. Here, he developed the process and the machine to create the "rounded-rectangle" ice cream container we see in stores today. Finally, in 2000 he joined Getrag, now GKN Driveline, as the Plant Engineer making trips to Germany, France, India, and across the US until his retirement in 2017.

In 1997, he moved to his home in Clover, SC, to raise his family. Over the next 20 years, he was an exceptional, always kind and loving father; taking active roles in his children's sports, serving as assistant scoutmaster in Boy Scout Troop 333, volunteering with the youth group at First United Methodist Church Clover, taking care of his mother, all the while being everything you could ask for in a father and a friend. Fred was preceded in death by his nephew Trevor Logue in 2006. 

He is survived by his daughter Nikki Reber (JP Bentz) of Dublin, OH, his son Taylor Wilson of Clover, his daughter Victoria Wilson of Bostic, NC, granddaughters, Corinne Bradley of Chicago, IL and Emma Reber of Dublin, OH, his cherished Uncle Allen & Aunt Debbie Wilson of Montague, MI, the supportive and caring mother of his children, Chris Wilson of Clover, his special cousin Gene “Skip” Zimmerman of Champaign, IL, brother Joel Wilson (Valerie) of Smithfield, VA, sister Maria Wilson of TX, nephew Thadd Wilson (Kristann) of Szczecin, Poland, nieces Katie Logue and Brittany Wilson of TX, and countless other family and friends.

A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church in Clover, SC, at 11:00 am ET on Saturday, September 11, 2021, and a graveside service with burial next to his mother will be at Hillcrest Memory Gardens in Morton, IL, on September 14, 2021, at 1:00 pm CT. Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church of Clover, 124 Bethel Street, Clover, SC, 29710 or Clover Area Assistance Center, 1130 State Hwy 55 E, Clover, SC, 29710.

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