Robert Earl Wilson passed away on March 5, 2022, at 87 years of age, at home in Emmett, Idaho and surrounded by his wife and sons, following a short illness.
Robert was born August 1, 1934, in Childress, Texas to William Floyd Wilson and Eula Claudine (Reed) Wilson. He and his older brother, Thomas Ray, grew up knowing both the joys of rural life in the south, such as hunting and fishing with friends and cousins, as well as the hard work of life on a farm during the Great Depression. The Wilson family moved into the town of Childress, where the boys were joined by a sister, Phyllis Ruth. A few years later the family moved to Dove Creek, Colorado. Bob worked at a local filling station and played on the high school baseball team. He graduated from Dove Creek High School in June of 1952. Bob preserved many of the memories of his youth in two books, Stories and Lies About Growing Up Wilson (2016) and More Stories and Bigger Lies (2020).
In 1952, Bob began work in the uranium mines in Cottonwood Canyon outside of Blanding, Utah. After taking a year off to attend Southwestern Bible College in Waxahachie, Texas, in 1954 Bob returned to work in the uranium mining industry. He took a job hauling uranium ore with Carmichael & Thompson, owned by Millard Carmichael and Grady Thompson, two of his future wife’s uncles. Bob made his first trip to Alaska in 1956, a place he loved and later made his home. He was drafted into the army in 1956 and was stationed at Camp Hanford in Washington, where he served in the Anti-Aircraft Artillery unit. He was honorably discharged in 1959. He studied at Mesa College and the University of Denver before returning to work hauling ore in Utah.
On July 15, 1960, Bob married the love of his life, Sharon Sue Carmichael, in Blanding, Utah. They moved to Denver in 1961, where Bob worked at the Brown Palace Hotel and enrolled at the University of Denver, completing a BSBA in Accounting in 1966. He began employment in the Forest Service in 1963 and worked for the agency in both Alaska and Washington, DC until his retirement in 1994. Bob and Sharon had two sons, Gary and Michael.
Bob and Sharon moved their young family to Juneau, Alaska in 1973 where they lived, except for a stint in Washington, DC, until 2004. Bob enjoyed fishing, his boats, and the rugged beauty and wildlife of Alaska. Especially memorable for him was a five-hundred-mile boating and camping trip on the Yukon in 1997. When Bob retired from the Forest Service in 1994, he took up what he described as a job with the best benefits he had ever had – being ‘executive babysitter’ for grandson Tyler and, later, also Troy. Bob and Sharon moved to Emmett, Idaho in 2004, where he lived until his death.
Robert – Bob, brother, husband, Dad, Pop, Ye Old Unk – will be remembered as a man of quiet faith whose life was an example of caring for others, gratitude, generosity, and integrity. He will be missed and loved always for his unconditional love, quick wit and sense of humor, ability to spin a great story, wise advice, remarkable knowledge about historical topics of interest to him, and unassuming ways.
Robert was preceded in death by his parents William Floyd and Eula Wilson, his sister Floydene who died in infancy, and his brother Thomas. He is survived by his wife Sharon of Emmett, Idaho, sons Gary Wilson and wife Bonnie of Star, Idaho and J Michael Wilson and wife Michael Gorsuch of Snohomish, Washington, grandchildren Tyler Wilson and wife Charity, Troy Wilson and wife Cassandra, Brooke Wilson, Paige Wilson, Devon Wilson-Gorsuch, Reese Wilson-Gorsuch, Terran Wilson-Gorsuch, great grandchildren Briella Wilson and Adeline Wilson, and by eight nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Diabetic Alert Dogs of America, an organization that trains dogs to provide independence and lifesaving abilities to persons with severe diabetes. https://www.diabeticalertdogsofamerica.com/
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