Colin Alma Wilmore

Colin Alma Wilmore, 30, musician, father, son, brother, writer, survivor, dreamer, autism advocate and CNA, passed away on May 10, 2019. Colin was a joyful, beautiful, delightful child, who brought light and life into every moment of our lives from the moment he was born. He was precocious and quick, funny and quirky, sweet and observant. His intelligence and unique powers of observation delighted us endlessly, and his childhood antics and amusing locutions always ensured a constant supply of laughter in our household. He and his father enjoyed spending hours drawing pictures of the "Man with One Tooth" and making up stories about him and his Frankenstein-like brother. All of this comes back to amuse and comfort us now. We are told that God gave us memories in order that we might have roses in December.

At age six, Colin became a big brother when one-year-old Vanessa became his baby sister. We had many happy years together as a family and we know that he loved us as much as we loved him. He was also a father and adored his little girl, Rhapsody Grace (Sadie). She was the light of his life and the best thing that ever happened to him. As an adult, Colin loved working with people with disabilities and was a gifted, loving caregiver. However, it was, difficult for him because his reach would so often exceed his grasp, resulting in frequent episodes of frustration and burnout. Later, Colin worked as the assistant manager for Mead’s Corner coffee shop in Wichita, Kansas. He was kind-hearted and gifted with an unusually sensitive and generous soul. He always empathized with the emotional struggles and pain that others were experiencing. He often joked about his "Superman Complex," and even carried a small figurine of Superman hanging on his keychain. He always did whatever he could to assist those in need: the homeless, his friends in recovery, the marginalized and forgotten, and others who had become shipwrecked amid the storms of life. (In the words of Christ, as recorded in Matthew's Gospel, "inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.") He was a fiercely loyal friend. He served others through his music, which was part and parcel of both his soul and his DNA. In the course of his altogether too-short lifetime, Colin wrote over 3,000 songs. We are grateful to have videos of some of those songs, which will forever be precious to us, and doubtless to others as well. Colin was known, on many occasions, to take his guitar to the Keeper of the Plains statue in Wichita to sing and play for the homeless people there. But unfortunately, our sweet, amazing son also suffered from bipolar disorder for many years and chose to self-medicate with illegal drugs. He battled his addiction for many years, but still managed to experience long periods of relative stability, happiness, and sobriety.

He is preceded in death by his great-grandparents Charles W. Wilmore, Sr. and wife Ruby (Lentz); maternal grandparents Alma M. Hansen and wife Eulala; paternal grandmother Jean Wilmore; aunts Arlene Hansen and Joyce “Dodie” Hansen; uncles Lane Hansen and Allen Tinsley; cousin Michael Tinsley; and many other loved ones, as well as numerous friends who had fallen victim to the same afflictions he suffered. Left to cherish his memory are his parents Garry and Sheila (Hansen) Wilmore; sister Vanessa Wilmore; daughter Rhapsody Grace Polzella-Wilmore; aunts Carolyn “Con” Tinsley, Sue (Dave) Gange, Sheila (Clark) Blight, Valerie (Steve) Burton, Sylvia Reed, and Susan (Doug) Dillman; uncles Steve (Kim) Hansen, Michael (Tonya) Wilmore, Shaughn Moore, James (Sunny) Moore, Joseph (Cathey) Moore; numerous nieces and nephews, many cousins, including Isaac Gange, to whom he was especially close; a legion of friends and companions in the recovery and music communities; and special friends Alex and Nadia. He is also survived by his paternal grandfather, Charles W. Wilmore, Jr.

A celebration of Colin’s Life will be held Thursday, May 16, 2019 at Grace Revolution Church, 812 S. Oliver, Wichita, KS 67218 from 6:30pm-8:30pm. In addition, there will be a Memorial Service May 18, 2019 at 1:00 pm at the Peralta Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2252 W. Mesquite St., Chandler, AZ 85224. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Union Rescue Mission, 2800 N. Hillside St., Wichita, KS 67219 or Autism Awareness Association, 4031 E. Harry St., Wichita, KS 67218.

Colin, like his father, loved Dante. We are confident that one or more Virgils, including family members who preceded him in death, have by now met him in the dark wood and will henceforth be his guides on the journey into paradise.

We will be together again, Colin; until then, remember that we love you. Watch over us and have fun playing your music with the angels. We know that heaven, for you, would not be heaven without an ample supply of guitars, which we therefore assume are readily available to you now for the asking.