William Bennie Hudson, known to most as Bill or Billy—and lovingly as “Willy” to his wife of 50 years—passed away on September 1, 2026, at the age of 74.

Bill was born on August 10, 1952, in Lincolnton, North Carolina, to the late Lillie Mae Jenkins Hudson and Clayton Hudson. His childhood took him well beyond his North Carolina beginnings. As a young boy, he spent a period of time living with his family in Venezuela before they returned to the United States and settled in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Growing up along the coast would leave its mark on Bill for the rest of his life. He helped his parents operate a pier in Myrtle Beach, and it was there that he developed a lifelong love for the ocean and fishing. The water became more than simply the backdrop of his childhood—it was a place he genuinely loved to be, and fishing remained one of the pleasures that connected him to those early years.

Bill was, above all else, a builder, a thinker, and a man whose mind never seemed to stop working.

Throughout his life, he owned and operated several businesses, including a sign business and a steel company. When the physical demands of that work became more than his body would allow, Bill did what came naturally to him—he reinvented himself. He became an electronics engineer and went on to operate one of the few manufacturing companies in the area involved in helping to develop medical devices.

He possessed the kind of mind that was always searching for the answer to the next problem. If something could be designed, built, repaired, improved, or simply figured out, Bill wanted to understand it. His body may have slowed him down over the years, but his mind never did. Even during the final weeks of his life, he was still thinking ahead and planning projects.

But there was another side to Bill that couldn't be measured by what he built or accomplished. He had a heart for people and tried to help nearly everyone he could, sometimes even those who didn't fully appreciate his kindness. If he saw someone struggling and believed there was something he could do to make things a little easier, more often than not, he did it.

During the devastating flooding of 1999, Bill put that instinct into action. When floodwaters made it difficult or impossible for people to reach their homes, he used his dump truck to carry people through the water and help them get where they needed to go. It was simply Bill's nature: if he had something that could help someone else—a piece of equipment, his knowledge, his time, or his own two hands—he was willing to use it.

His generosity wasn't dependent upon recognition or gratitude. Helping people was simply part of who Bill was.

Of all the things Bill built and accomplished during his lifetime, however, nothing compared to the love he had for his family.

Bill leaves behind his daughter, Bridget Diane Fowler, and her husband, Ronald; his grandchildren, Peyton Howell, Nicholas Howell (Allison), Landon Fowler (Corina), Dylan Fowler, and Ashley Fowler (Emilia); and his great-grandson, Noah Howell.

He loved his grandchildren deeply. After experiencing the unimaginable loss of his daughter, Angela, in 2001, his grandchildren became a saving grace in his life. In the midst of profound grief, they gave him joy, purpose, and a reason to keep looking forward. The love he had for them was immeasurable, and the place they held in his heart could never be replaced.

Bill knew both great love and great loss during his 74 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lillie Mae Jenkins Hudson and Clayton Hudson; infant siblings; his daughter, Angela Renee Hudson, who passed away in 2001; his beloved wife of 50 years, Judith Ann Altman Hudson, who passed away in 2021; and his second wife, Kathy McRae Hudson, who passed away in 2024.

Through all of those losses, Bill kept going. He kept thinking, creating, planning, helping others, and loving his family.

Bill's scientific and analytical mind shaped the way he viewed the world. For much of his life, matters of faith were difficult for him to understand or accept. But as his life drew to a close, something changed. In his final weeks, Bill allowed himself to slow down and humble himself before something he could not engineer, calculate, or fully explain, and he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

For those who loved him, there was something profoundly fitting about a man who spent a lifetime searching for answers finding, at the end of that life, peace in faith.

Bill's life cannot simply be measured by the businesses he built, the things he created, or the problems he solved. His story lives on in the people he helped, the family who loved him, and the countless pieces of himself he left behind.

His grandchildren once helped give him a reason to keep moving forward during one of the darkest periods of his life. Now they, his daughter, his great-grandson, and all those who loved him will carry forward the pieces of Bill that he leaves behind.

His hands built many things during his 74 years, his mind dreamed up countless more, and right until the end, Bill was still thinking about what he might build next.

May he now rest in the peace he found before going home.

A Graveside Service will be held at 10:00am Friday, September 11, 2026 at the Hillcrest Mausoleum.

Please sign a guestbook at Watsonfuneralservices.com

Watson Funeral Services and Crematory 2300 Hwy 378, Conway, SC is serving the family.