David Herbert Wilson

Now Mom and Dad are reunited in heaven. When Dad was lucid, he was sorry that their illnesses kept them apart in their last days. This picture shows the beginning of their happiest days. Beginnings and endings are hard, but it is what happens in the middle that counts.

David H. Wilson was born March 14, 1929 in Crescent City, Florida, to Herbert and Alma Wilson. He died September 23, 2018 at the age of 89. He grew up with a love of the outdoors and all kinds of Florida native animals. His best friend growing up was Carroll Hord, who shared his love of native animals, including turtles and alligators. Carroll and D ( as Carroll called him) went fishing every day.

David Wilson was working for the City of Memphis in the Vehicle Maintenance Department when he retired. Prior to working for the City of Memphis, he worked various jobs in Memphis including doing accounting for a real-estate firm.

After work and on the weekends, he liked to go to yard sales, house sales, estate sales and auctions where he purchased many interesting items. Then he began setting up at the local flea market on Saturday to resell these items. After he retired, he bought and sold odd items all the time. He eventually quit selling and amassed quite a nice collection of unusual and rare items. His family is eternally grateful to Ken Robinson Estate Sales and his team, who cleared their house and conducted his living estate sale in 2017.

David Wilson served in the United States Army and the Merchant Marines as a young man. In 1953, he married Donna Jean Ring, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They met at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and friends say it was love at first sight. After their marriage, they moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where David owned a Putt Putt Golf Course. Ultimately, they moved to Memphis where initially David owned a pool hall on Beale Street.

In 1954, their first daughter, Linda Ann, was born and, in 1957, their second daughter, Barbara Jean, was born. Barbara (Bobbie) Jean Wilson passed away in 2001 and David's wife, Donna Ring Wilson, passed away in 2017. Until December of 2015, David and Donna lived independently in their mid-town home near the Memphis Zoo and Snowden School. They loved their neighborhood and had many friends there. When his girls were little, David would take them to the Zoo on Sunday and for walks in the Overton Park Forest. He taught them about turtles, snakes, and skinks and instilled in them a love for the outdoors. David kept about fifteen box turtles as pets in a large pen in his backyard. These turtles knew him and would come out to greet him as he approached the pen while tapping a spoon against a can of dog food. These turtles all had names, like Qui Qui, Big Mama, Queenie, etc. David also loved cats - there were several over the years - Smokey, Skinny Daddy, Fat Daddy, Red and Blue. His favorite dinner used to be Jack Pirtle's chicken - a 2 pc white meat dinner box with a medium sweet tea, and coconut cake from the Kroger bakery for dessert. His favorite song was Marty Robbin's Don't Worry About Me and Elvis was his favorite entertainer.

If David could give any advice now, he would tell you to buy something interesting or maybe valuable and sell it for more and to do this over and over again. He would tell you to live simply, way below your means, and to always put money in your savings account before anything else. He was always buying and selling and working a deal even in the mental confusion of his last days.

We want to thank the caregivers and therapy providers at Signature HealthCare on Primacy, past and present, for their professional care, patience and love shown to "Mr. Wilson." Dad lived there for almost three years. In particular, we thank Marquis and Mary in Restorative Care. They could always get him to walk, eat and do other things to make his life better when the rest of us couldn't. Marquis and Mary were always loving and kind in difficult situations, as were several other CNAs and nurses on the care team staff. Other staff, including the housekeeping staff, maintenance staff, dietary staff and activities staff, social workers and administrative staff, did whatever they could to keep Dad happy. Dad was always comfortable at Signature Healthcare on Primacy. Everyone took exceptional care of Dad at Signature Healthcare on Primacy and treated him with extreme kindness and respect and we appreciate you all so much. Thank you.

David Wilson, or DH as his mother and siblings called him, is pre-deceased by his wife, Donna, and his daughter, Bobbie; his sister Louise Wilson Jarvis and her husband, Dr. Charles Jarvis; his brother, James Eugene Wilson, and sister, Margaret Wilson, as well as his parents Herbert and Alma Wilson and his nephew, Dr. Robert Jarvis. His brothers and sisters-in-law, August and Viola Ring, and James and Marge Ring also left this earth before him. His best friend, Thomas Carroll Hord of Crescent City, Florida, died prior to him and he missed him terribly.

David Wilson is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Steve Baggett, nieces and nephews and their families, Anne Miller, Susan Rau, Tara Phillips and Bryant Ring. David's love of all things outdoors, petrified wood and American Indian artifacts survives him in Bryant, who bonded early with his uncle and continues to love the outdoors in Florida.

Services will be Friday at 2:00 p.m. at Family Funeral Care with burial to follow in the Bartlett Ellendale Cemetery. Dad would appreciate memorials to the Memphis Zoological Society or House of Mews.