He grew up in Cleveland where he began a 72-year career in the dry cleaning business. He worked at Emory Industries in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1954-1974 as a dry cleaning chemical engineer.
He was a well-known business man. He and his wife established Rymer Dry Cleaners in 1974, a business serving Manchester and Tullahoma. His son, Billy, bought the business in 1996, and it is where Bill continued to work daily until 2009.
He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Tullahoma, a Master Mason and a member of the Georgiana Davis Lodge No 338, Trussville, Ala.
He was an avid gardener and the past president of the Tullahoma Rose Society and developed many friendships with local farmers across the region.
Always the devoted husband, a great dad, wonderful grandfather and a Christian man, he will be sadly missed by his family and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Virgil Ray and Pearl Goins Rymer; brother, Wallace Rymer; and one sister, Opal Rymer Fitzgerald.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Ruth Broadaway Rymer; sons: W.J. “Bill” Rymer and his wife, Susan, of Tullahoma and Bobby Rymer and his wife, Jeannie, of Nashville; daughter, Pam Nichols and her husband, John, of Tullahoma; granddaughter, Jackie Shasteen; and grandson, Nathaniel Nichols.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. today, Sept. 22 2010, with the Revs. John Bell, Mark Ashley and Randy Goodman officiating. The procession will begin at Kilgore Funeral Home in Tullahoma to Rose Hill Cemetery.
The visitation will be held in the family home, 204 Twelve Oaks Road, Tullahoma, immediately following the service.
Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church of Tullahoma or Hospice of the Highland Rim Foundation. Visit www.kilgorefuneralhometullahoma.com.
