Inez Wilson Gillespie

Inez Wilson Gillespie, known to her friends as Nez, died on February 6, 2026 in Greenville, South Carolina. The daughter of Jess Wilson and Pauline Cowan Wilson, she was born on July 8, 1928 in the suburbs of Salem, SC.

A graduate of Tamassee DAR School and the University of Georgia (1950), she was a life-long Georgia Bulldog fan. She married John William "Bill" Gillespie of Walhalla, SC in 1950 when he was teaching Chemistry at Clemson College. Nez' husband was a veteran of World War II in the U.S. Army Air Corps and in 1956 with a family that now included three children, he rejoined the U.S. Army in the Chemical Corps branch. Subsequently, their family lived in many states and overseas in Germany during a successful career supported by Nez that culminated in 1983 with Bill retiring as a full Colonel.

During the family's tenure in the military, Nez pursued her passions that included teaching GIs to earn their GEDs and marching with the saints in joyful exuberance at Officer Club social events. Bill said Nez never saw a book she didn't want…leading to their home in Walhalla rivaling the Library of Congress. Her love of architecture and interior design, especially that of Frank Lloyd Wright, became the focus of her graduate studies at UNC Greensboro while Bill was sent to Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. Ralph Rucci's masterful use of textiles and his fashion aesthetic delighted her immensely.

While supervising the many moves Bill's career required along with raising a family of three rambunctious children, Nez was able to masterfully juggle the myriad responsibilities that came with Army life in that era. She merited major kudos in guiding her three children to obtain solid educations and to get the most cultural benefit out of every location where they were stationed. In retirement, Bill and Nez initially returned to Clemson, SC and eventually moved to a house they bought in Walhalla, SC.

Although raised by a Presbyterian, in her later years she attended the College Street Baptist Church across the road from her home in Walhalla.

She is predeceased in death by her parents; her husband, and sisters, Ollamae Dillard, Marguerite Lu, as well as brothers, Fred, Ronald and

Donald Wilson.

Her survivors include daughter, Cheree Gillespie, son, John Gillespie and wife Susan Orlean, son, Mark Gillespie and wife Penny; grandchildren, Jay (wife Gabrielle),

Christina, and Austin Gillespie; great grandchildren, Issac and Vivian Gillespie; sister Christine Blanchett, and brother David Wilson.

Nez requested no services and wanted no flowers. Burial of her ashes will be private at a later date.

Donations may be made to the general fund of the Bethel Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 617, Walhalla, SC 29691

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