Martha Carlisle Wingard

Martha Carlisle Wingard, 85, of Clemson went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, at her daughter’s home in Clearfield, Pennsylvania.Mrs. Wingard was born December 4, 1928, in Newberry, South Carolina. She was the daughter of the late Hubert Toland and Ora Askins Carlisle and the youngest of seven children. Mrs. Wingard graduated from Newberry College in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in English and before her marriage taught English at Whitmire High School.In 1950, she married Grady Bennett Wingard and moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where she spent most of her life. In addition to rearing her children there, she was a writer for the Columbia Record, earned a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of South Carolina, and taught at Timmerman, Brockman, and Fort Jackson Elementary Schools. She was also a member of Ebenezer Lutheran Church for more than 50 years. For a number of years, Mrs. Wingard and her husband also enjoyed a second home in Hendersonville, North Carolina. There they looked forward to visits from their children, grandchildren, extended family, and friends. In 2002, they moved from their home in Columbia to Clemson to live near one of their daughters. There Mrs. Wingard joined Clemson Presbyterian Church and appreciated the new friends she met in the community. Mrs. Wingard is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Celeste and Jeff Rakes of Dover, DE; daughter and son-in-law, Melissa and Steve Miller of Clearfield, PA; and daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Stephen Benedict of Clemson, SC. She is also survived by eight grandchildren -- Rebekah Mitchell, Joel Rakes, Daniel Rakes, Jacob Miller, Caleb Miller, Jenny Miller, Elizabeth Morrison, and David Benedict -- 3 great-grandchildren, her brother Charles Carlisle and his wife Jean, and a number of nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 27, at 11 AM at Temples Halloran Funeral Home, 5400 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC 29212.The graveside committal will immediately follow in Bush River Memorial Gardens, after which the family will receive visitors. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Children’s Ministry of Clemson Presbyterian Church, 346 Old Greenville Highway, Clemson, SC 29631.