John E. Billheimer

John Edward Billheimer, 92, of Florence SC, passed away Wednesday, November 11th, 2026. He was born on February 15th, 1934 to the late Dr. Edward Charles Billheimer and Marie Cramer Billheimer (Conant).

John is preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Joan Smith Billheimer, who passed away in January of this year. Surviving are his daughters, JoAnne Billheimer and Mary Jane Billheimer Weir (Mark). He is also survived by his sister Ellen Yarborough of Brunswick, Maine. He was also affectionally known as “Poppa John” to Daniel James Lamm (Meredith) and Helen Lamm Roy (Matthew).

John and Joan met in their hometown of New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he attended Rutgers University as an Engineering major. John’s career gradually led them to the south, with their final destination being Florence, SC. Johnn spent most of his career in the textile industry with Celanese, retiring in the early 2000. He then took a part-time job as a substitute teacher for almost 15 years at South Florence High School. He took much joy at seeing his students around town, as they all loved memories of his joking personality and dance moves.

John and Joan were always active in the fundraising community of Florence, and he was always compliant in attending events for the many organizations in which Joan was involved. He was also well known for his running, biking or walking all throughout Florence. He competed in races such as the Boston and New York marathons, and various biking and running races throughout South Carolina and Georgia. He loved to be active, and exercise was always top on his list. He could always be seen on one of the many streets of Florence, and friends were always quick to give a shout when sited.

A prayer service and visitation will be held at Stoudenmire-Dowling Funeral Home from 4:00 to 6:00PM Tuesday, November 17th, 2026, with the rosary being prayed at 3:15. A Mass of Resurrection will be held at St Ann’s Catholic Church the following afternoon, November 18th at 2:00PM. There will be a celebration of life at the Florence Country Club following the mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Ann’s Catholic Church or McLeod Center for Cancer Treatment and Research.