Keitt Wannamaker

Wesley Keitt Wannamaker, Jr. passed away on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at the age of 59. He was born on August 8, 1963 in the rural town of St. Matthews, South Carolina, where he learned about life, family, and hard work on the Wannamaker’s cotton farm through the example set by his loving parents, Wes and Talley. He graduated from Clemson University with a Chemical Engineering degree and remained in South Carolina to work for Ethyl Corporation (later Albemarle) in Orangeburg. Ethyl led him to Baton Rouge where he fell in love with and married Becky English on February 20, 1993. They were relocated to Richmond, Virginia for Keitt’s job and little did they know they would be moving right back to Baton Rouge for Keitt to go to work for Albemarle. Next, he was hired by ExxonMobil, where he retired in May 2022 after 24 years.

Keitt was a devoted husband of 30 years to his loving wife Becky Wannamaker, and a wonderful father to his three daughters: Sarah, Ann Wesley, and Rebecca Wannamaker. Keitt was a compassionate and humble man who always offered a kind word and a reassuring smile. Keitt was the first person you called when you needed help, and he always put other people’s needs ahead of his own.  In fact, Keitt had a knack for unexpectedly showing up just when you needed someone.

Most people say that Keitt was one of the finest men they have ever met. He was a friend to many, and an active member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church. He was an enthusiastic member in the ACTS Community at St. Aloysius and served on four retreat teams.  He loved to travel, play golf, grill, and spend time with his family and friends. Keitt also enjoyed tinkering around and entertaining at his camp in Lake Rosemound, and more recently, re-establishing the family mountain home back in Saluda, North Carolina. For a boy from South Carolina, he could boil a pretty darn good batch of crawfish. He will be remembered for his friendliness, ever-present smile and the way he genuinely cared about people.

He was preceded in death by his father Wesley Keitt Wannamaker and brother-in-law, Dr. Lee Daley. In addition to his wife and three daughters, he is survived by his mother Talley Wannamaker, his two sisters Dr. Luci Neal Daley and Talley K. Kayser (Mark), his beloved in-laws Judy and Mark English, and many more family members.

The pallbearers are Brad Daley, Dietrich Kayser, Charles Dabadie, Kevin Colomb, Brandon Black, and Alan Risher.

Visitation will be held at St. Aloysius Catholic Church on Monday, April 17, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. until the Mass and Funeral Service at 12:00 p.m. Father Paul Yi will be the celebrant, with Deacon Chauvin Wilkinson assisting.

The Mass and Funeral Service will be livestreamed through Vimeo at 12:00 PM CST. You can watch it by clicking here. The password to view the livestream is : @Keitt_w59!*