William Carleton Clopper

William Carleton Clopper, 97, of Winston-Salem, fought to his last breath before passing away on Sunday, January 29, 2012, at Forsyth Medical Center. Mr. Clopper was born November 18, 1914, to the late Lottie Mae Baker Clopper and Samuel Carleton Clopper in Hagerstown, Maryland. He attended schools in Hagerstown and Baltimore and was very involved with the Boy Scouts of America. After working for Fairchild Aircraft for several years, he spent the rest of his career with the Railway Express Agency. He was the agent for the Hagerstown and York, Pennsylvania agencies and then was promoted to be the internal auditor for the West Coast division, where he lived in Fullerton, California. He retired after becoming the Midwest internal auditor working out of Dallas. A veteran of WWII, he served in the Headquarters Division of General Patton's III Army as a Staff Sergeant Technician for aircraft. He was stationed mostly in Germany. He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Josephine Byers Clopper; a brother, Donald Clopper; and three sisters, Gladys Fauldrath, Christine Longfellow and Ruth Buck. Mr. Clopper is survived by his daughter, Becky Clopper Sowers Wheeler; two grandchildren, Gregory Sowers and his wife Caron, Sherri Sowers Cook and her husband Kenny; and five great grandchildren, Hannah and Carmen Sowers, Trey, Joshua and Sydney Cook. A devout Christian, he was a member of Augsburg Lutheran Church for 39 years where he sang in the choir and was a member of the Sid Sowers Sunday School Class. During his retirement years, he was a beekeeper and lovingly cared for his land. He was a prolific reader and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with his family. The family would like to thank two very special, devoted women who untiringly cared for him during his last year: Marie Baskin and Jan Ruff. Bill's wishes were that his body be donated to WFU/BMC for research. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorials may be given to Augsburg Lutheran Church or Augsburg Lutheran Church designated to the Trinity Glen Lutheran Home, 845 West Fifth Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com