Ben Martin Gramling II

Ben Martin Gramling II, of Gramling, SC, passed away on August 29, 2026, surrounded by his family. Born on August 16, 1939, Mr. Gramling was the son of Henry Turpin Gramling and Clara Sapp Gramling.

Mr. Gramling was preceded in death by his parents and by two brothers, Benjamin Henry Gramling and Marion Rhett Gramling.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Gwendolyn Gaylor Gramling; by his two children, Ben Martin Gramling III (Robin) and Clara Gramling Chambers (Rufus); by his five grandchildren, Ben Martin Gramling IV (Kelly), Phillip Hayes Gramling (Laura), Robertson Lane Gramling (Caitlyn), Rufus Adair Chambers III (Sarah), and Gwendolyn Adair McFerren (Cole); and by his five great-grandchildren, Gwendolyn Lila Gramling, Ben Martin Gramling V, Frances Elizabeth Chambers, Evangeline Marie Gramling, and William Chambers McFerren.

He is also survived by his brother, John Thomas Gramling II (Ellen), and dozens of nephews, nieces, and cousins, many of whom loved and revered him as “Big Daddy,” “Papa Grande,” or just “Papa.”

He attended Chapman High School and Wofford College, where he earned a degree in Business and Economics, and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

On June 10, 1961, he married his high school sweetheart, Gwendolyn Gaylor. Their marriage of nearly seven decades was a legendary partnership, an inspiration to their children and grandchildren and a foundation of their community.

A pillar of family, faith, and industry, Mr. Gramling spent his whole life in the little hometown that bears his family’s name, and his life of selfless service was devoted to his family, his community, his church, his business, and his state – and also, it must be said, to the game of golf.

The fitting capstone of his long career came earlier this year, when he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto – South Carolina’s highest honor – by Governor Henry McMaster.

Mr. Gramling’s life was deeply entwined with the story of agriculture in South Carolina. He was born into a family of farming pioneers who played a major role in establishing the peach industry in the Upstate. His grandfather – the first Ben M. Gramling – planted some of the first peach trees in the state, and at one time the family farmed over 1,500 acres of peaches, apples, grapes, plums, nectarines, and pears.

In 1961, Mr. Gramling joined the family business. He never left it, serving for decades as President, Chairman, and Chairman Emeritus of Gramling Brothers. He worked closely with Clemson University scientists as they worked to improve the quality and yield of the peach and apple crop, and he made a particular contribution to South Carolina agriculture by starting one of the first commercial apple enterprises in the state.

Mr. Gramling also led the company as it diversified into real estate development, playing a key role in the development and management of two Upstate golf courses – a particularly appropriate role given his passionate devotion to the game!

He was committed to the flourishing of agriculture in the state, sitting on the Agriculture Commission of South Carolina for almost two decades until his retirement in 2025 – a service that he deeply cherished.

Mr. Gramling served as President of the South Carolina Apple Growers Association; Chairman of the South Carolina Migrant Commission; Chairman of Clemson University’s Advisory Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Life Sciences, and Natural Research; and Chairman of the Spartanburg County Peach Advisory Board. He also served on the South Carolina Peach Council, the Palmetto Agri-Business Council, the South Carolina Pesticide Advisory Committee, and the Advisory Board of the South Carolina Botanical Garden.

At the Federal level, Mr. Gramling was appointed to the Federal Commission on Agricultural Workers by Senator Strom Thurmond, serving until the Commission’s work was completed six years later.

Mr. Gramling also devoted nearly 60 years of service to the American Farm Bureau. At the national level of that organization, he served as Chairman of the AFB Labor Advisory Committee, and sat on the SCFB National Legislative Committee for 40 years, from its inception. At the regional level, he served for nearly 20 years on the Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance and Casualty Insurance boards. At the State level, he served 16 years as Vice-President of the SCFB Executive Committee, chaired the SCFB State Legislative Committee and Labour Advisory Board, sat on the Strategic Planning Committee, and spent nearly 40 years on the Federation, Service, and Mutual Insurance boards. At the local level, his service on the Spartanburg County Farm Bureau Board exceeded half a century.

In 1989, he received the South Carolina Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor awarded by the South Carolina Farm Bureau. Finally, as mentioned above, in January 2026 he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Governor McMaster.

But far greater than these accomplishments were his love and selfless service to his people and their place. A tall tree with very deep roots, he helped anchor the little hamlet of Gramling, SC, where his family have lived for seven generations, for all of his long life. He was also a man of deep Christian faith, and every Sunday for nearly nine decades, he and Gwen could be found in the same pew of Gramling Methodist Church, belting out their favorite hymns. Serving in every possible role available to a layman, Mr. Gramling – together with his wife – helped lead and steady that church, just as his father and grandfather had done.

But his greatest pride – and perhaps his greatest glory – was his family. He was utterly devoted to Gwen – the high school sweetheart he never ceased adoring – and she to him. Two children, five grandchildren, and a growing number of great-grandchildren are the fruit of Ben and Gwen’s loving, laughing, 65-year union.

To his family, he was “Papa” – a bubbling font of mischief, laughter and fun. Many of his family’s happiest moments were spent in the twinned glows of his crackling fire and very large television. He taught most of his descendants how to drive, many of them how to play golf, and – what is vastly more important – he showed all of them how to tell a good story.

It was thus deeply fitting that, only two weeks before his death, he heartily enjoyed the celebration of his eighty-seventh birthday, surrounded by all of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

In sum, Ben Martin Gramling II was a great but quiet leader, and a worthy steward of the legacy he received from his ancestors, safeguarding and growing that legacy so that he might hand it on in turn. Every member of his family – and many beyond it – owes him a debt that can never be repaid. The whole of his long life was a vivid example of how an upright, Christian man should live – and of what it means to be a gentleman.

The family will receive friends Wednesday, September 2, 2026 from 12:30-1:45 PM with a memorial service beginning at 2:00 PM at Gramling Methodist Church, 14941 Asheville Hwy, Gramling, SC 29348.

Interment is private and will precede the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Gramling Methodist Church Organ Fund, PO Box 58, Gramling, SC, 29348.