Obituary of William Jackson Meredith

William J. “Mr. Bill” Meredith, Sr. passed away on Friday, September 18h, at the age of 89. Bill was born January 23, 1931 in Camilla, GA, son of Culpepper Davis and Ruby Shiver Meredith. In 1949, “and with only $.35 in his pocket”, he hitchhiked from Jessup, GA to Ft. Lauderdale, FL to live with his sister, “Aunt” Kathleen Peacock. He graduated from Ft. Lauderdale Highschool in 1950, and the caption describing him in the 1950 yearbook is, “a lazy drawl reflects his easy-going manner.” He married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Strandhagen, on September 9, 1950. In 1954, Bill was employed with Southern Bell. During a strike, he started drilling wells where he established Oasis Well Drilling in Ft. Lauderdale. Even after the strike ended, he continued drilling wells during the daytime and would work the midnight shift as a cable splicer. In later years, Bill drilled many large (18”) municipal supply wells for the City of Ft. Lauderdale. He founded Windmill Sprinkler Company, Inc. on Sunrise Blvd. in Ft. Lauderdale in the 60’s as a pump, well and sprinkler installation business, where he also sold fishing worms and cane poles, just like the “old fashioned hardware stores”. In the early 80’s, he opened a second location on West Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. Having property in the Muse area north of LaBelle, he moved to LaBelle and established Windmill Grove, followed by opening of a third Windmill Sprinkler location in 2008 on West State Road 80 in LaBelle, FL. Mr. Bill was a real pioneer of South Florida, a gifted businessman who had a clear and intelligent mind, and a sense of gallantry that made him a true gentleman. He never asked much from life, but was always there to give. Capturing your attention with his jokes and sense of humor, Mr. Bill was a great salesman, “wheeling and dealing”, and making business deals. He could “sell ice cubes to Eskimos”. Bill enjoyed “umpiring” baseball games. Windmill Sprinkler sponsored a little league baseball team for years in southwest Ft. Lauderdale at Little Yankee Stadium. Their oldest son, William Meredith Jr., played at Stranahan High school and had a 454 batting average his senior year and was All-County. Bill and Pat named their two sons, Dean & Ted, after baseball players, Jerome Herman (Dizzy Dean) and Ted Williams. Their youngest son, Davis “Pepper”, was named after Bill’s father, Culpepper. Dedicated to his family and friends, Bill was extremely generous, strong, and a hard working man, working everyday up until his last days. His words of wisdom were to “plan your work, and work your plan”. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 70 years, Patricia Grace Meredith; children, William Meredith Jr. of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Dean Meredith of Boynton Beach, FL, Theodore Meredith of Alva, FL, and Pepper Meredith of Parkland, FL. Due to Covid restrictions, a Funeral Service will be held for immediate family members on Saturday, September 26th at the Akin-Davis Funeral Home in LaBelle, FL. A celebration of life will take place in LaBelle tentatively scheduled for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Further details forthcoming.