Paul "Sonny" Henry Fletcher
Help us celebrate Paul "Sonny"! Please share your stories and photos, and invite others who remember Paul "Sonny".
CHAPIN, S.C. Paul "Sonny" Henry Fletcher, Jr., 77, passed peacefully on the morning of Sunday, June 20, 2021 with his wife of 58 years by his side.
Born on October 5, 1943 in Pikeville, KY, Paul was the son of Paul Henry Fletcher and Rose Issac Fletcher. As a child, he attended Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic School in Paintsville, KY, often sneaking off and making his way back to his family's home in Norton, Va. Growing up in Norton, Paul met his wife, Ruble, while riding bicycles with the neighborhood kids. As a teenager, he spent his time working at his father's drive-in, which was the local hangout. He is probably best remembered by his classmates at John I. Burton High School for driving too fast and often outrunning the police. During these years, Paul also enjoyed spending time with extended family in Daytona Beach, FL.
Paul and Ruble were married on September 9, 1962 and moved to Washington, DC. There, Paul worked at Andrews Air Force Base until entering the marine business as an engine repairman. Soon after, he began a business as a marine engine distributor, and in 1975, he began designing and manufacturing his own engines. This led to a move to Columbus, Ohio. However, following the Blizzard of 1978, he decided it was time to move his family and expand his company to warmer weather, which landed them in Chapin. As the founder and owner of Pleasurecraft Marine Engine Group for 40 years, he was an innovator in the marine engine industry. He enjoyed boating, saltwater fishing, and flying. He was never afraid of anything, and the bigger the challenge, the more he liked it. In the end, he said he'd had a good life and God had been good to him.
He will be remembered by his wife, Ruble Smith Fletcher; his children, John Paul Fletcher (Angela) and Joy Thompson Berry (Steve); his grandchildren, Courtney Marie Fletcher, Colin Russell Fletcher and Audrey Grace Thompson; his step-grandchildren, Steve Maxie Berry III and Riley Gregory Berry; his sister, Nancy Fletcher Jenkins; his half-sisters, Michele Fletcher Ferguson and Sharon "Kaye" Fletcher Hickman, as well as the rest of his extended family and friends. Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Rose Isaac Fletcher and Paul Henry Fletcher Sr.
A celebration of life service was held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at Dunbar Funeral Home. Dutch Fork Chapel. located at 7600 Woodrow St, Irmo. He was laid to rest on Friday, June 25, 2021 at Forest Hills Memory Gardens in Abingdon, Va. during a private family ceremony.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or Leeza's Care Connection of SC.
We would also like to thank the wonderful staff at Westminster Memory Care in Lexington and Kerrie and Barbara of Pathway Hospice.
Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.