William ‘Bill’ Robert McWhorter
“We are a product of the landscape around us. We are made from the dust of whatever place we are born, and our souls remember that, though our minds may forget.” – William “Bill” Robert McWhorter.
Bill, 67, a resident of Elkins, died peacefully at home Tuesday, April 5, 2016, surrounded by loved ones.
He was born Wednesday, Dec. 22, 1948, in Fairmont, and educated in public schools in Beckley and Fairmont. His higher education began at Fairmont State College but was interrupted by the Vietnam War. He served with the U.S. Army 29th Artillery in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1971. Bill went on to obtain a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Humboldt State University in California. There he met Suzanne “Sam” Bowyer, and the two were married Feb. 14, 1989 on Trinidad Head in Trinidad, Calif. Sam survives in Elkins.
Art was Bill’s passion; music, theatre and especially painting. In California, he was a part of the Humboldt Harmonaires, an a cappella Barbershop Chorus, and participated in local theater. In Elkins, Bill was a favorite entertainer of the Elkins Area Community Theater and sang with the First Baptist and First United Methodist choirs. Many will remember his Easter performances at the Methodist church and his dramatic readings of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” at Midland Elementary.
An avid painter, his works were featured in galleries across the country and received Best in Show, special merits and numerous awards. His paintings were frequently shown at Tamarack in Beckley, where a permanent installation still resides. Bill said of his art, “My paintings come from nature, memory and imagination. They also come from nowhere… Painting is a matter of drawing with color. I identify the colors and arrange them in accord with relationships I see in nature. Some of us have a skill for manipulating and articulating those relationships, and when we occasionally get it right, we manage to assemble those elements into something beautiful and true.”
Bill was a co-founder of the local Artists at Work cooperative gallery in 1993. He was an original Artist in Residence and instructor for ArtsBank Inc., a non-profit program providing in-depth artistic experiences for the youth of Randolph County. He was appointed coordinator of ArtsBank in 2007.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Egbert Ewing McWhorter and Polly Ann Harler McWhorter; and sister, Barbara Bennett.
He is survived by his wife, Suzanne “Sam” of Elkins; and his children, Eli Madison McWhorter of Huntington and Willa Rose Logan McWhorter of Morgantown. Also left to cherish his memory are three siblings, Patricia Cooke (Harry) of Salisbury, N.C., Nancy Pomeroy (Rick) of Ice Mountain and Richard McWhorter (Ann) of Huntington; and several nieces and nephews.
Bill’s request for cremation was honored, and a memorial service will be held at the Randolph County Community Arts Center Saturday, May 7, from 2-4 p.m.
The Randolph Funeral Home and Cremation Services has been entrusted with the arrangements for William Robert McWhorter. Send online condolences to the family at www.therandolphfuneralhome.com.