Dr. Lawrence Arthur Wilson

Suddenly, and unexpectedly Dr. Lawrence (Larry) Arthur Wilson passed away of a heart attack Sunday May 29, 2011. Larry was devoted and loving husband and father with a passion for life and life experiences. His true passion was his wife of fifty-nine years, Lee. Lee was his high school sweetheart and the love and focus of his life. Their marriage was a very special relationship, something out of a storybook. He is survived by his wife Lee, three children: Laurie Welter, Larry Wilson and Linda Carter, six grandchildren: Robin, Michelle, Amber, Britany, Kevin and Courtney and four great grandchildren. Larry was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1932 but was raised in Euclid, Ohio. He and the family moved to Atlanta in 1964 where he was employed by Lockheed Georgia Company (now Lockheed Martin). Dr. Wilson started as a senior engineer but retired after 25 years as the director of Product Assurance and Safety, responsible for the safety and quality assurance of Lockheed's aircraft programs: C-130, C-141, Jetstar and C-5. He was a recognized expert in quality assurance systems and major consultant and organizer of many industry standards including the ISO9000 systems. Upon retirement Larry became a consultant in the field of Quality Assurance. Larry's passion was geography, history, travel and nature. He came from humble beginnings, his father Arthur, an immigrant from England and his mother Agnes (Nan) an immigrant from Scotland. He greatly valued education and worked his way through college receiving degrees from Kent State University and finally a PhD in radiation ecology from Emory University in 1968. His research allowed him to participate in pioneering research at Oakridge Laboratories and on NASA's Biolab programs. His love of the world, led him around the world on many adventures. First he camped throughout the United States (visiting all fifty states) then throughout the world. He and his wife Lee would end up visiting almost 140 different countries and all the continents. Adventures included almost thirty trips to Africa, visiting China to see the pandas, Antarctica, Alaska to brown bears, polar bears in Churchill, Tigers of India, the Amazon, the great wildebeest migration, and recently the treasures of ancient Persia Iran. Upon turning sixty-five he and his son climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and then after reaching seventy, he did it again. His other passion was photography and exercise. He loved to take photos and often described his travels as a great trip, "I got some wonderful shots of a leopard kill." He also enjoyed exercise and sports. His teams were also Ohio State and the Falcons. A good year was if Ohio beat Michigan. Larry enjoyed and lived life to the fullest and when asked how he was feeling would always quickly respond with "terrific". His energy, stories and humor will be sorely missed. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in his honor to the American Heart Association (americanheart.org) or save the big cats (animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/big-cats/cause-an-uproar/take-action. Funeral Services for Mr. Wilson will be held Friday, June 3, 2011 at 10am in the chapel of H.M. Patterson-Oglethorpe Hill with Reverend Greg Pocock officiating. The family will receive friends Friday morning from 9am until hour of the service. Interment will follow in Arlington Memorial Park.