Weston Covert Wilhelm

Weston Covert Wilhelm, 83, of Charleston, SC, beloved husband, brother, uncle, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away on Thursday, November 14th, 2024, in the presence of family, after suffering a stroke the previous week.

Wes brought a singular intelligence, integrity, and sense of humor to his every personal relationship and professional pursuit. While he will be sorely missed by his friends and family, and the many associates he worked with over the years, we find comfort and delight in the indelible mark he has left throughout the Lowcountry on several public spaces, neighborhoods, and communities. 

Wes was born on January 20th, 1941, to the late Dorothy E Wilhelm and John E Wilhelm in Kittanning, Pennsylvania. He grew up with his twin brother and younger sister primarily in Beaver, PA through early high school, and would later refer to their time there as an idyllic childhood. His father worked at Westinghouse, walking distance from their bungalow home. The local schools, public parks, an award-winning public pool, and a small downtown area were equally close. His family relocated to Hampton, SC for the Westinghouse Company in 1956. He lettered in all sports and graduated valedictorian from Wade Hampton High School in 1959. He then attended Clemson University to study Architecture, graduating with honors in 1964. After a brief apprenticeship at an architecture firm in Buffalo, NY, Wes joined the Navy and was trained at Officer’s Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. 

Wes served from 1965 to 1968 aboard the destroyer USS Theodore E Chandler as a Gunner’s Mate. His responsibilities included generating firing solutions using the ship’s gun fire-control system, and piloting DASH drone helicopters. Unofficially, he was also an indispensable member of the officers’ bridge club. Among other awards, he received a Navy Commendation with Combat V for his service.

On completion of his Navy service, Wes moved to Hilton Head Island and began working as an architectural apprentice. After just a few years, he was hired by the Sea Pines Company to join and, later, manage their construction division. As part of that work, he contributed to and oversaw several projects within the Harbour Town development in Sea Pines and Palmas Del Mar in Puerto Rico. In 1976, Wes formed an independent land development company with two partners, whose first project was the Lawton Oaks neighborhood within Sea Pines. They went on to develop Long Cove Club. Wes then formed Marthelm Inc, and developed the Seabrook Retirement Community in Hilton Head over the late 70s and 80s, then King’s Grant in Columbia in the 90’s and 00’s. He also served as managing general partner for Rose Hill in Bluffton for several years.

It was during his time at Sea Pines that he met Anne Fraser, the love of his life. They married in 1977. Their first home was a townhouse in Sea Pines that Wes himself designed, along the 18th fairway at Harbour Town. They had two boys, and provided for them a childhood of love, support, education, and great fun. There were many evenings spent listening to music under Harbour Town’s famous live-oak-sheltered concert venue. When Long Cove Club was being developed, the family could frequently be found walking the job sites on Sundays after church, Wes describing why and how the sitework, roads, and buildings took shape the way they did. On family vacations, there was invariably a component of design or urban planning that informed the itinerary (as well as good food, wine, music, and vibrant culture). Wes had a quiet generosity, and a lifelong passion for design, folk music, photography, bridge, and good storytelling.

In 1982, Wes was instrumental in the creation of Providence Presbyterian Church. He was on the search committee for their first pastor, and served as their first clerk of session. He secured the auditorium at The Seabrook for their first sanctuary while redesigning and overseeing the renovation of their first chapel. He would go on to have a leadership role in the design of their current campus and serve in a number of different capacities for the first 30 years of the church’s life.

Throughout his professional, personal, and spiritual life, Wes dedicated himself to the creation of spaces, neighborhoods, and communities that serve as ideal places to raise families. Not only for young families starting out, or only with children, or any other single demographic, but for the full journey of life from beginning to end. These efforts were not without personal interest. His own children were among the first few Sunday School attendants at Providence Church, he built his first home at Harbour Town then moved the family to Long Cove as it was under construction, and the Seabrook was completed not very long before his mother-in law (and later his own mother) would need to move in, for instance. But in all cases, the goal was larger: a space for the formation of healthy families, and the healthy communities that they invariably support and from which they draw support. In Hilton Head, throughout the Lowcountry, and beyond, that goal was achieved. Wes left the world a better place for having been here.

Wes is survived by his wife of 47 years, Anne; his son Martin and daughter-in-law, Jennifer; his son Gordon and daughter-in-law, Emily; his brother, William and sister-in-law, Sally; their children Lance (and husband Tim) and Todd (and wife Jackie); his sister Jo Ann Cermele and brother-in-law John; his sister-in-law Ellen Ross (and husband David, and their children and grandchildren); his grandchildren Spencer, Carter, Avery, and Evelyn; and his great-nieces: Brooke and Jordan.

The family is grateful to the community of Bishop Gadsen and Gadsen Glenn, for the compassionate care they provided for Wes’s final years. We especially appreciate the efforts of the nurses, culinary staff, and companions who contributed greatly to his quality of life. 

In lieu of flowers, friends are encouraged to make a donation to The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741.

A Celebration of Life will be conducted for Wes Saturday, December 7, 2024 in the Chapel at Bishop Gadsden, 1 Bishop Gadsden Way at 4:00 pm.