William Jefferson Blythe Jr. lost control of his 1942 Buick on U.S. Route 60 outside of Sikeston, Missouri, after one of his car's tires blew out. He survived the accident after being thrown from the car, but drowned in a drainage ditch as he tried to pull his way out of the three feet (1 meter) of water in the ditch. Three months later, Blythe's widow, Virginia, gave birth to their son, whom she named William Jefferson Blythe III in honor of his father and grandfather. In 1950, Blythe's widow married Roger Clinton Sr.; 12 years later, Blythe's posthumous son legally adopted his stepfather's
William Jefferson Blythe Jr. marriages until decades later when "The Washington Post" ran an extensive story in 1993, based on birth and marriage registry records, to mark Father's Day. Blythe was a traveling heavy equipment salesman for most of his brief career. It was while he worked as a travelling salesman that he met and married all his four wives. Some time after his fourth wedding, which happened in September 1943, Blythe shipped out for military service during World War II. He was stationed in Egypt and Italy. He worked in a motor pool, repairing jeeps and tanks. After the war ended, Blythe returned