Ozzie Jay Wilkinson, 63, of Hebron, departed this life on Friday, November 18, 2022, at his home surrounded by family and friends. Born in Salisbury, Maryland, he was the son of Oswald Lee Wilkinson of Hebron and the late June White Wilkinson.
Ozzie attended Mardela High School until age 17 when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and honorably served for four years. In 1986, he joined the U.S. Navy where he earned two Navy Achievement Medals and served in Desert Storm. He was honorably discharged in 1994. Upon discharge, he worked for Perdue Farms for several years in the maintenance and IT departments. During that time, he attended Wor-Wic Community College and earned an Associate’s Degree in Computer Science in 2006. For the past 16 years, he has worked for the State of Maryland on the J. Millard Tawes buoy tender in Crisfield. He was delighted to have a job on the water.
Ozzie was a member of St. Paul’s UMC/The Uprising and American Legion Post 237, both in Hebron.
Ozzie loved duck hunting, but mostly just sitting on the marsh where he felt close to God. He was a collector of many things, and loved going to yard sales, flea markets and auctions. He also had a passion for The Hebron Train Depot where he served as President and spent countless hours restoring the building since 2007. He could fix and fabricate almost anything and was always helping someone. He was an avid carver and annually donated one of his replica ducking boats for the Ducks Unlimited auction. Ozzie had a heart for the homeless, widows, and those in need. He orchestrated the food pantry at St. Paul’s UMC/The Uprising for many years.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 33 years, Carol Anne Wilkinson; two children, Andrew Ozzie Wilkinson and Abigail Marie Wilkinson; two siblings, Debra Baker and her husband, Jim, of Hebron, and Craig Wilkinson and his wife, Sheri, of Delmar; mother-in-law, Judy Gilliss, of Sharptown; three sisters-in-law, Janice Ilczuk of Salisbury, Sharon Melone of Seaford, and Vicki Campbell of Milford, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, two aunts, an uncle and numerous cousins.
In addition to his mother, he was also preceded in death by his brother, Barry Lynn Wilkinson, and his sister, Cynthia Ann Evans.
A celebration of life will be held on Friday, November 25, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. at the Firemen’s Memorial Building in Sharptown, MD, with visitation one hour prior thereto.
The family would like to express their appreciation for the care provided by Traci Church, DNP, Dr. Encarnita Santos-Tecson and her team at the VA Clinic in Cambridge, Dr. Michael Crouch and the staff of Coastal Hospice.
Contributions can be made in Ozzie’s memory to The Hebron Train Depot, P.O. Box 301, Hebron, MD 21830; The Christian Shelter, 334 Barclay Street, Salisbury, MD 21804; Epoch Dream Center, P.O. Box 218, Hebron, MD 21830; or Heroes Haven, P.O. Box 184, Sharptown, MD 21861.
Visit www.boundsfuneralhome.com to share stories and memories with the family.
