William Oliver Young

Bill Young, 99, died in Spartanburg SC on September 3, 2026. He was born March 3, 1927, in Columbia SC, the son of William Oliver (Dog) and Lucile Henley Dibble Young. Bill attended Columbia city schools and then The Citadel for one year.

He served two years in the U.S. Navy, mostly aboard the destroyer USS de Haven in the Pacific.

Bill then graduated in 1949 from the University of South Carolina with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and in 1950 earned a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He began married life in Camden SC, with his wonderful wife Barbara McSwain, and they had four special children – Tish, Lucy, Bill and Jim.

Bill worked for DuPont for 14 years at plants in Camden SC, Waynesboro VA, and Dordrecht, Holland.

In 1964, he left DuPont to start Young Engineering Inc. in Spartanburg SC, designing, building and installing special-purpose machines for manufacturing companies in the area.

Ten years later, he changed the company name to Tandematic and narrowed production to a line developed by the company for the textile industry, exporting these machines as the industry diminished in the U.S.

Bill, along with son Jim and daughter Lucy, who both worked for Tandematic, traveled worldwide in support of the company’s exporting efforts. Barbara accompanied Bill on many of these trips. Tandematic was a regular exhibitor at ITMA-Europe, ITMA-Asia, ITM Istanbul, and other textile machinery trade shows.

The company’s largest export market was in Turkey, where Bill became close friends with Tandematic sales agent Ali Ozgur Erbilol and his family.

Bill sold the company in 2015. Two Tandematic products that had become “state of the art” in the textile knit finishing process are still sold by the company’s buyer.

God blessed Bill with a creative brain, and he used it every day. Over the years, Bill was credited with 39 U.S. patents.

Tandematic was honored to receive the “E” Award for Excellence in Exporting from President Ronald Reagan.

For service to the state of South Carolina, as chairman of Governor Richard Riley’s Export Advisory Board, Bill was honored with the Order of the Palmetto.

The Spartanburg SC Chamber of Commerce honored Bill as Small Businessman of the Year in 1983.

Bill was a Licensed Professional Engineer in South Carolina and had been a proud member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Textile Machinery Association.

Bill served as Junior Warden and Senior Warden at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Spartanburg SC, in the early days of the church.

He was a member of The Country Club of Spartanburg, where he loved playing golf (two holes-in-one within a two-week period!), and a former member of the North Spartanburg Rotary Club.

Bill’s lifelong favorite spot on earth was Pawleys Island SC. He hitchhiked from Columbia with friends as a teenager, went to house parties with Barbara in college, and shared his love of Pawleys with their family by going down often every year.

Bill wrote: “Reflecting, I have had an exciting, productive life, and was proud to have such a wonderful family and some special close friends. But I now wish I had spent more time with Barbara and the children as they were growing up.”

Bill was preceded in death by his wife Barbara McSwain Young. He is survived by a sister, Pat Young, of Boothbay Harbor ME; daughters Tish McCutchen and Lucy Hooper (George), sons Bill Young (Barbara) and Jim Young (Kathy); grandchildren Warren McCutchen (Johnna), Sara McCutchen (Akiko), Will McCutchen (Katie), Kate McCutchen (Matt), Briley Hooper (Carrie), Peter Hooper (Bethany), Anne Alexander (Mark), Bryson Young, Will Young (Abby), Mary Catherine Young (Bernardo), and Anna Young (Jon); and great-grandchildren Kei McDohi, Georgia McCutchen, Eliza and Rowan Hooper, Marlowe Hooper, David, Karen, Theodore and George Alexander, and “Bird Dog” Oliver and Lena Young. He is also survived by Bob McLain and Fitz Allison, friends since childhood.

Bill and his family were especially grateful for the companionship of Mrs. Jeanie Case.

Bill was thankful for the help and companionship of Jim Earl Rogers in his later years, and for the care given by Ada Graber and her team at Comfort Keepers Home Care, especially Brittany Barnett, and by Spartanburg Regional Hospice.

On Saturday, September 26, there will be a private service at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church. Friends are welcome to join the family at a reception from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at The Country Club of Spartanburg, 2500 Country Club Road.

The charity most meaningful to Bill was Meals on Wheels of Spartanburg.