William Harold Gooding

West Columbia - William Harold Gooding, age 94, passed away peacefully on May, 19, 2019 after a long illness. He was born in Hampton County on January 18, 1925 to the late William Hard Gooding and Maybell Cook Gooding and was a brother to nine siblings. Funeral Services will be held at 12p.m. Thursday, May 23, 2019 in the chapel of Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington at 4720 Augusta Road, Lexington, S.C. 29073. Burial will follow the service in Woodridge Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 10:30 AM until 11:45 AM prior to the service at the funeral home. Harold graduated from Brunson High School and later earned a degree in accounting from the University of South Carolina in 1949. He served three years in the army during WWII and in 1953 married the love of his life, Martha Sue Cromer from Newberry, S.C. He retired from the S.C. Public Service Commission in 1986 after 36 years of service and enjoyed a long retirement. He resided in the Cayce / West Columbia area after graduating from college and was a faithful member of the Cayce United Methodist church. He was an avid golfer and longtime member of the Country Club of Lexington and Fort Jackson Golf Club. Harold was a jovial easygoing man, always smiling and laughing. He never met a stranger and was always ready to strike up a conversation with anyone willing to listen. He was blessed to enjoy good health for almost the entirety of his long life and will be sorely missed by everyone that had the pleasure to know him. Surviving are his 2 children, Barbara Senn (John), Stanley Gooding (Diane); grandson, Scott Senn (Leigh Ann); great grandchildren, Jessica and Savanna Senn; sister, Dorothy Braxton of Charleston, S.C.; brothers, Oddis Gooding of Hampton, S.C. and Bill Gooding of Charleston, S.C. He was predeceased by his wife of 62 years, Martha C. Gooding; brothers, Jake, Douglas, Ralph and Rudolph; sisters, Ernestine Browder and Verta Faircloth, both of Charleston, S.C. The family would especially like to thank the many caregivers that provided such excellent support and care during his illness. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 140 Stoneridge Drive, Ste 210, Columbia, SC 29210.