September 19, 1960 – April 3, 2026
With hearts full of love and gratitude, the family of Robert Wayne Wilson—known to all who cherished him as “Happy” or “Hap”—announces his peaceful passing on April 3, 2026, at the age of 65, in Goodyear, Arizona.
Happy came into this world on September 19, 1960, in Des Moines, Iowa, a gift to his parents, Jasper D. Wilson and Darlene H. Wilson. It was his beloved grandmother, Oakley Wilson, who first saw what everyone around him would come to know: that this man carried a light in him that drew people close. She gave him the nickname “Happy,” and it fit him perfectly—because wherever he went, people felt welcomed, seen, and loved.
Happy grew up with his roots planted deep in simple, beautiful things. He rode horses to school, helped his dad run cattle, and carried those memories like treasures throughout his entire life, sharing them freely with anyone who would listen. He graduated from Des Moines Technical High School and later earned his degree from Brookline College as a medical assistant. Answering a call to serve something greater than himself, Happy went on to give twenty proud years to the United States Army as a Cannon Crew member. After his honorable service, he continued building a life of purpose at Luke Air Force Base, where he poured his heart into his work as a chef before retiring.
But what truly defined Happy’s life was never a title or an achievement—it was people. He lived by the belief that everyone he loved was family, and he meant it with every fiber of his being. He had a gift for gathering people in, for making them feel they belonged, and for loving them with a steadiness that never wavered.
One of the crowning accomplishments of Happy’s remarkable life came on January 15, 2001, when he chose sobriety—a decision he honored every single day for 25 years. He didn’t keep that victory to himself; he turned it into a lantern for others, walking alongside those fighting their own battles toward recovery. That is the kind of man he was.
When he wasn’t pouring into the people he loved, Happy found deep joy in the work of his hands. He could rebuild an engine, restore a classic car to its former glory, and command a motorcycle or Trike with the ease of someone completely in his element. He was a man who knew how to make things—and how to make them beautiful again.
Yet above every accomplishment, every adventure, and every proud moment, what Happy held most dear was simply being there. Being present for his family and friends. Being the person they could count on. And most of all, being Grandpa—a role he treasured beyond words.
Happy is lovingly survived by his wife, Teresa Szczepaniak; his daughters, Ashisha Moran (David), Julia Ralston (Matt), and Marina Safa (Joey); his sons, Christopher Szczepaniak and Michael Szczepaniak (Jen); his sisters, Angela Allen, Tanya Lowery, Jeanetta Daniels, and Katherine Carter; his brothers, Richard Daniels and Gilbert Woods Jr.; his beloved grandsons, Vernon Onick III, Jerry Bell III, Archer Ralston, and Mason Ralston; and his precious granddaughters, Ava Szczepaniak and Olivia Safa.
He was welcomed into eternity by those who went before him: his father, Jasper D. Wilson; his mother, Darlene H. Woods; his brothers, Jasper D. Wilson II and Michael Daniels; his grandparents, Thomas Clay, Helen Clay, Jasper Wilson Sr., and his nickname-giving grandmother, Oakley Wilson; his sisters, Sandra McGee and Rene Gatewood; and his brother, Desi Woods.
To know Happy was to understand what it means to be truly, unconditionally loved. He was a husband, a father, a brother, a grandfather, a friend—and in every sense of the word that matters most, he was family. That warmth, that light, that laugh—it doesn’t leave the world just because he has. It lives on in every single person he ever made feel like they belonged.
Rest easy, Hap. You did good. ”
