Amy Nell Wilkinson passed away peacefully in her son’s home on October 17, 2021. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Hillman Wilkinson. She is survived by her son, Dan, daughter-in-law, Denise, of Grosse Ile, and her grandchildren, Kari (Corey) Campbell, of Seattle, and Ryan Wilkinson, of Bath, MI. She is also survived by her older sister, Ruedean Fielder, and younger brother, Brice Ratterree, as well as a number of nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews.
Amy’s life journey began on September 10, 1927, at Brandon’s Mill, Kentucky, in Calloway County, Kentucky, born to Loyd T. and Susan J. Ratterree. Her early childhood years were spent in the Brandon’s Mill and East Shannon area, in what the family called Clubhouse Hollow down near the Tennessee River, where her father was caretaker of the clubhouse of Dr. Rainey T. Wells’ (then president of Murray State Teachers College, now Murray State University). When the Kentucky Dam was being built and families who lived upriver were being relocated, the family moved to New Concord, KY. Amy lived there through her high school years graduating from New Concord High School in 1945. Later the family moved to a farm near Hazel, KY.
She married Charles H. Wilkinson in 1948. They lived in various communities in Western Kentucky the first few years of their marriage—Murray, Princeton, Dawson Springs—and also Brownsville, TN. They moved to Royal Oak, MI in 1955, where their son, Dan, was born in 1956.
Amy was an active lay leader in Southern Baptist work throughout her life; especially in Michigan. She taught children and youth Sunday School classes, was a member of the Women’s Missionary Union, served as a church clerk in one church. Most notably, she served as President of the Women's Missionary Union for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan from 1975 till 1978. She also served as a member of the State Executive Board of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan and served in the Oakland Baptist Association and the Northland Baptist Association. She and Charles were involved in the early years of church planting in Michigan, starting in Southfield in the late 1960’s. In the 1970’s and 80’s, they were members of Columbia Ave. Baptist Church (Pontiac, MI). When they retired, they moved north near Cadillac, MI, and were involved in the Evergreen Baptist Church in Cadillac. She and Charles believed God had called them north as lay missionaries working in churches.
After her husband’s death, Amy moved to DeWitt where her son’s family lived. Most recently, she moved with her son and daughter-in-law to Grosse Ile so Dan and Denise could care for her as well as Denise’s parents.
She was very proud of her grandchildren’s accomplishments.
Services are being held privately.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are appreciated to Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of Michigan.
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