Dean Wilson

Dean Wilson, a long-time resident of Mint Hill, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Dec. 21. He was 80 years old, and the husband of Betty Wilson, who was retired from the Bain Elementary School cafeteria. He had worked as a truck mechanic at Carroll’s Alignment in Charlotte for 40 years before he retired in 2001.

Dean was the son of Dolph and Della Wilson of Yancey County. He was a graduate of Micaville High School. He met his wife, Betty, daughter of the late Joe and Thelma Sherertz. They were married at South Estatoe Baptist Church on Nov. 23, 1961.

Dean and Betty were long-time, active members of Mint Hill Baptist Church and Cornerstone Baptist Church. He enjoyed volunteering with the ministry that assisted older church members, as well as with the Boy Scouts with his son.

Dean was known for his love of antique cars, NASCAR racing, antique tractor restoration, and finding deals at auctions. He was an avid gardener, and loved his 15-year-old boxer, Mack. Dean also enjoyed cutting down trees with his chainsaw, working in his yard on his tractor, and he could fix anything. He loved to buy old tractors and restore them to their original beauty and charm.

For 40 years, Dean commuted to uptown Charlotte — mostly in a black 1968 Ford pickup truck lovingly known as “Old Blackie.” He was a front-end alignment specialist for 18-wheel trucks at Carroll’s Alignment Service. He worked there with a fun group of guys and they enjoyed playing practical jokes on each other. Dean’s wife, Betty, lovingly packed his lunch every day, carefully labeling each item in his lunch box and even removing the seeds from his pre-cut watermelon.

After retirement, Dean enjoyed spending time in his large garden in the summers, and working in his shop near a wood stove in the winters. He was known for growing amazing tomatoes, okra, squash, cucumbers and green beans. In his shop, he had every kind of tool imaginable so that he could fix cars, tractors, lawn mowers, chain saws, and other small engines. He was an expert mechanic and restored numerous tractors, a Ford Bronco, and his favorite car — a ’40 Ford. Dean also enjoyed spending time in the mountains working on beautifying the lands of his old home place. He loved to be with his 15-year-old boxer, Mack, whether in the yard, riding in his golf cart, or sitting by the fire on a cold day. He liked to spend time with his family, and especially enjoyed reunions at his home place in Yancey County.

Dean was a huge fan of country music but loved all kinds of music including gospel and bluegrass. Some of his favorite artists were Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Keith Whitley, Vern Gosden and Merle Haggard. His favorite songs were too many to list, but he loved the “old” country music, and hated the new stuff.

He always watched the Grand Ole Opry, and enjoyed other TV shows such as Pickers, Judge Judy, the news, and NASCAR races. One of his favorite NASCAR legends was Junior Johnson, who passed away the day before he did. Dean enjoyed reading biographies about these people.

His son, Terrell, liked to spend time with him in the mountains, as well as in the garden. They spent many hours working on their mountain place together. They enjoyed the hobby of beekeeping as well, making lots of jars of honey for family and friends. They liked to attend auctions together, looking for treasures that could, in turn, be sold for a higher price. They liked to stop for burgers and milkshakes while out and about. Dean also loved sausage gravy biscuits from Bojangles.

His daughter, Teresa, loved to go on walks with him, as well as spend time talking about “life.” She enjoyed cutting his hair and watching Pickers with him.

Surviving are his wife of 58 years, Betty Wilson; his son, Terrell Dean Wilson; and his daughter, Teresa Farmer-Clark — all of Mint Hill. He also had eight grandchildren — Callie Burkhart (Shane), Savannah Wilson, Quinten Farmer (Libby), Caleb Farmer, Toni Clark, Reghan Clark, and Anthony Clark. He was preceded in death by his grandson, Christian Farmer. Dean was known as “Papaw” and was very proud of his children and grandchildren. They liked to take him his favorite peach milkshakes from Chick-fil-a.

Dean is survived by two brothers, Dennis Wilson of Busick, and Coy Wilson of Marion; and a sister, Sarah Bartlett of St Augustine. He was preceded in death by other brothers and sisters: Raymond, Clara, Arthur, Alice, Sally, Ruby, Belvie, Dan, Arthur, Bill, and Woodfin.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the following charities:

1. HOSPICE & Palliative Care of the Charlotte Region (www.hpccr.org)

2. My Neighbors, P.O. Box 686, Burnsville, NC 28714 (www.myneighbors.cc) — a nonprofit organization serving the elderly, allowing them to live in their homes for as long as practical

Condolences may be offered online at www.mcewenminthillchapel.com.