Clemson student killed in fall loved construction. His family wants to honor his legacy

Thomas Few loved building so much that the family of the late Clemson University student — who was pursuing a degree in construction science — has requested that donations to be made to a nonprofit that rebuilds homes for needy families.

Few died in an accidental fall from the roof of an off-campus house in Clemson early Sunday, police have said. The 20-year-old was a rising junior and construction science and management major at Clemson.

“Thomas was constantly smiling, and never failed to make everyone around him feel at home — loved and heard,” an obituary for Few reads. “...From hunting and fishing, to building tables and his infamous wooden ‘boat,’ to attending football games in Death Valley in Clemson and so many other activities, the joy of simply being with Thomas is a blessing we will never forget.”

In lieu of flowers, to honor Few, his family is asking that donations be made to Emmanuel’s Hammer, a nonprofit that rebuilds homes for families affected by disasters or other critical situations.

A 2017 graduate of A.C. Flora High School, Few was known by friends as “T-Few.”

“It’s honestly hard to put into words what T meant to not only myself, but to every individual he came across,” Evan Matthews, a former classmate of Few’s, told WLTX. “T was always smiling man, always. He was a jokester and ... genuinely loved baseball, fishing on the lake with his girlfriend, and, probably more than all of those things, he genuinely loved Clemson football.... We all loved Thomas. And we’ll all miss him.”

Clemson Police Chief Jimmy Dixon said Sunday that foul play was not suspected in Few’s death, which happened at a home just across Old Greenville Highway from the campus, but that alcohol may have been a contributing factor.

A friend of Few’s told Clemson police officers that he had been drinking and tried to jump from the stair railing on the home to the roof of the garage, according to a police report. The friend said that Few’s feet slipped when he reached the roof, causing him to fall backward off the roof and onto the concrete sidewalk.

Few was the nephew of Justice John Cannon Few of the S.C. Supreme Court, who expressed gratitude for the phone calls, social media posts and visits the family has received. He also referenced the death of Few’s younger brother Jennings, who was only 3.5 months old when he died in 2004.

“Those wounds-never healed-are all reopened now,” he said.

A memorial service for Few will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church in downtown Greenville. The family will receive friends after the service until 4:30 p.m. in the Orders Parlor.

“They’re doing about as well as you can expect, but they are strong and hanging in there,” Scott Davis, a longtime family friend, told The Greenville News. “We need prayers right now more than anything, just so they can continue to feel that strength and be built up though the prayer and love and helping them grieve through the process.”

This story was originally published July 2, 2019 at 3:13 PM.