Marion Lee Wilson

Marion went to be in the arms of his Heavenly Father on Monday, March 13, 2017, surrounded by his wife, son and daughter.

A Memorial Service for Marion will be at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at the Oakcrest Church of Christ, 1111 SW 89th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Marion was born on October 14, 1939 in Lawton Oklahoma, to Martin and Ruth Wilson. He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Carole Wilson; two children, Steve Wilson, Norman, Oklahoma, and his former wife Tammy Morris, Lori Bell and her husband Scott, Edmond, Oklahoma; three grandchildren and their spouses, Ashley Tyler and her husband Mike, Briana Hardy and her husband Homer, and Kennedy Bell; three great grandchildren, Ryan (who shares the same birthday as Marion), Anistyn and Graydyn Hardy; and his sweet rescue dog of more than 10 years, Rusty. He also leaves behind many other loved ones, including his very dear friends, Chris and Paula Spencer of Lawton. He was preceded in death by his parents and his two brothers.

Marion loved his family. He loved his wife Carole and was a great husband and provider. They loved to travel together, watch their favorite shows together and play with their grandkids together. He loved his children – he played outside with them, he taught them how to work inside the house and outside. He taught them how to shoot baskets, throw a baseball and toss a football. He taught them to love OU Sooner football; He taught them to love God, and their neighbor. Marion loved his mom, dad and brothers. Marion was with both of his parents when they passed, and when his younger brother got cancer, he took care of him until he passed.

Marion loved the outdoors. He loved to hunt quail, dove, pheasant and occasionally deer. Any chance he had he would go fishing in farm ponds of his friends. He could go out alone, or with someone else. Even if he didn’t catch anything, it was still his favorite thing to do. Marion also loved working outside. There was almost nothing better to him than a freshly mowed lawn in the summertime. He loved to garden, take on carpentry projects and if you asked him to build something, you can guaranty he would build it from scratch, and it would be the most beautiful, well-built thing you had ever seen. He built doghouses, storage sheds, an enclosed patio and much more. If you could name it, he could probably build it.

Marion loved to talk. He could talk to anyone, anywhere and before they parted ways, he had made a new friend. He was a storyteller. He would give so much detail to every story that it would feel like you too had the experience as well.

Marion loved to cook. He made the best fried chicken and chicken fried steak, and they were always on the menu for Sunday afternoon lunch. He always let everyone else fill their plates first, and he was always the last one done eating. He ate slowly so he could savor every bite of food.

In 1993, Marion was injured in a work-related accident, which left him with severe and painful spinal injuries. He fought hard for the next 23 years to live life as normal as possible. He used a cane for a while to walk, and eventually had to use a wheelchair most of the time. He rarely complained about the pain, he just pushed through each day. While it was painful to work in his yard and tinker with projects, he still did it as best he could. In late 2015 his health started failing and in early 2016 he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. As we would have expected, he fought hard for the next 11 months to get better and beat the disease, but his fragile body succumbed and he left this earth on March 13th to be with his Savior.

Marion was happy, friendly, kind, thoughtful, a gentleman, a wonderful husband and a wonderful dad. We will miss him so much, but we rejoice in the fact that he is completely healed now. No more pain, no more sorrow; he can walk, jump, even run, and we will see him again one day. Praise Jesus for that promise.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Oakcrest Church of Christ, your local church, or your favorite charity.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.advantagefunerals.com

Arrangements under the direction of Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services -South Chapel, Oklahoma City, OK.