Donald Lynn Wilson

Don was born on September 14,1935 to William John and Mary Margaret Wilson in Ferndale, Michigan. Don and his older brother, Bill, grew up travelling between Detroit, Michigan and Florida. Their father built homes and had a business model to build a house, move the family into it, sell the old house, and then start building another. They were constantly moving. Their summers were spent in Michigan during construction months and winters in Florida to escape the cold northern winters. Don especially enjoyed being a member of his High School diving team; a love of water continued through much of his life. Don graduated school in Michigan and after school Don first joined the US Army for three years, where he served time in France. Later he joined the US Air Force (USAF) serving for twenty-five years.

His work with the USAF started in Okinawa, Japan working on nuclear arsenal maintenance and was then in Germany to continue as part of an American detachment supporting the Royal Air Force (RAF) at RAF Geilenkirchen. While at Geilenkirchen, Don met his wife, Margaret, who was teaching at the RAF base for the British Ministry of Defense. They met at the RAF gliding club on a snowy day but didn’t really connect until six months later where there is a bit of a family mystery (something to do a mud puddle).

Don and Margaret were married in Colchester, England on March 25, 1967, and they welcomed their first daughter Carolyn later that year. In 1968, Don moved his focus away from the Nuclear Arsenal to Computer Maintenance as he felt that would be a better long term career path with a young family. His training took place in Biloxi, Mississippi. Continuing the consistent moving associated with being a member of the USAF, Don was sent to Luke Air Force base in Glendale Arizona, where they welcomed their second daughter Isabel. Soon after Isabel’s birth, Don was assigned to Thailand for a year in support of the Vietnam War. Upon his return to the states, he was assigned to Homestead Air Force base in Florida. Don then received an assignment to England, which both he and Margaret had been wanting to be closer to her British family. The family moved to Central England for six years. His final station in the military was at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas. After the Air Force he continued in Computer Maintenance with the State of Texas and then Northrup Grumman, retiring in 2022.

Don had three great loves and hobbies. His family, gliding and after retirement, the stock market. While in England Don and Margaret were active with the gliding club where Carolyn and Isabel remember weekends hanging out at the gliding field while their parents and their friends took different flights and enjoyed time outdoors. After returning to the States, gliding slowly faded away, but the stock market analysis picked up. Don would love to talk to anyone and everyone about companies, stock metrics, and overall economic results, especially if they were technology stocks or pharmaceuticals. He was determined that his family, especially Margaret, would be well taken care of and took that passion and focus to manage a successful portfolio.

Don leaves behind his wife, Margaret, daughters Carolyn and Isabel, son-in law, Christian, and grandchildren Andrew and wife Amber, Claire and fiancé Jason, Adam and wife Sarah, and James.