Wilson, Richard D. (1948-2018)

WILSON, FOLLETT, HALL, SINNOCK, WALLACE, DEWELL, EBBENGA

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 5/18/2021 at 17:36:24

Richard D. Wilson
April 7, 1948 - September 17, 2018

Richard “Rick” D. Wilson of Bellevue, Nebraska, passed into the arms of Jesus on Monday, September 17, 2018, after battling ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig Disease.

Richard was born April 7, 1948, in Storm Lake, Iowa, to Frank K. and Ruth L. (Follett) Wilson. He graduated from Storm Lake High School in 1966. In 1971, he completed a BA in German and Spanish at the University of Iowa, and later earned an MBA from University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1981.

Living in Sedalia, Missouri, from 1972 to 1975, Rick worked for the Sedalia Public Schools, coached Little League Minors, and belonged to the Central Missouri Amateur Radio Club. After moving to Roeland Park, Kansas, he worked for Wilcox Electric and Commenco in Kansas City. In 1979, he met and married his first wife, Barbara Jo Hall, in Fairway, Kansas, while working on his MBA at UMKC.

In 1981, Rick and Barbara moved to Quincy, Illinois, where Maria was born in 1981 and Molly in 1983. Employed by Quintron/Glenayre Electronics, Rick worked in engineering, accounting, and technical authoring. A member of Vermont Street United Methodist Church in Quincy, he taught Sunday School there for seventeen years. Active as a volunteer in Uptown Toastmasters, the Western Illinois Amateur Radio Club, the Quincy Community Theater, he, also, served on the Board of Directors of the Quincy Area Youth Chorus and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association. After Rick’s wife, Barbara, died of cancer in 1993, he met and married Mary Anne Sinnock of Hannibal, Missouri.

In 2003, Rick accepted a position as a Department of the Air Force civilian worker at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska. He worked there until he retired in 2017, taking photographs, making illustrations, and writing articles for Offutt AFB. There, he dealt with governors, US senators, and numerous generals and admirals. Rick, also, had the honor of meeting several renowned military heroes including a Tuskegee airman. A member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Papillion, Nebraska, he taught Sunday school for thirteen years, influencing the lives of many second and third graders. He found teaching children his most fulfilling activity. An active member of the Bellevue Amateur Radio Club, he edited the club’s newsletter for many years.

Rick enjoyed several hobbies including bicycling, reading, and amateur radio. His ham radio friends knew him as Whiskey Zero Kilo Tango. An avid VHF enthusiast, he enjoyed teaching radio classes to beginners. A life member of ARRL, the national organization for radio amateurs, he had been a licensed amateur radio operator for more than fifty years. In addition, he enjoyed riding the bicycle trails in the greater Omaha area and loved science fiction.

Rick is survived by his wife of 18 years, Mary Anne (Sinnock) Wilson, of Bellevue, Nebraska; his daughters, Maria E. (Ben) Wallace, of Omaha, Nebraska, and Molly Jo (Matt) Dewell, of Bellevue, Nebraska; his granddaughters, Addison Rosalie Dewell and Quinn Emily Dewell, of Bellevue, Nebraska; his brothers, Donald A. Wilson, of Lake Zurich, Illinois, Robert L. Wilson, of Storm Lake, Iowa, and Tim S. Wilson, of Indianola, Iowa; and his brother-in-law, Jim Ebbenga, of Wadsworth, Ohio, as well as by numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his first wife and the mother of his children, Barbara Jo (Hall) Wilson, (1945-1993); his parents, Frank K. Wilson (1908-1982) and Ruth L. (Follett) Wilson (1918-1975); and his sister, Rosalie J. Ebbenga (1941-1977).

A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, September 29, 2018, at 10:30 A.M. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Papillion, Nebraska. At Rick’s request, attendees are encouraged to wear a silly tie. For those who do not have a silly tie, one will be provided from Rick’s collection. Visitation is scheduled for Friday 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. at the John A. Gentleman Mortuaries Bellevue Chapel.

Memorials have been suggested to ALS Association, Omaha, Nebraska; ALS in the Heartland, Omaha, Nebraska; or St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.

John A. Gentleman Mortuaries and Crematory, Omaha, Nebraska.

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