|
Donavon Gregory "Don" Wilkerson |
|
|
Firebird Pilot: 1963-1967 |
|
|
Don Wilkerson at Sondrestrom AB, Greenland, in March of 1966. (Photo courtesy of Gerald Harris) |
Captain Donavon G. "Don" Wilkerson, 62, of Kansas City, Missouri, passed away Wednesday, May 16, 2001, at North Kansas City Hospital. Don was born December 30, 1938, in Cordell, Oklahoma. He was graduated from Sapulpa High School in 1957, and was a graduate of the University of Tulsa. He served as an Air Force pilot in the 17th Troop Carrier Squadron during the Vietnam War, and spent 31 1/2 years with Northwest Airlines as a commercial airline pilot. Don was an author and historian of Colt firearms and had written ten books related to the subject. He was an Endowment Life Member of the National Rifle Association and past president of the Colt Collectors' Association. |
|
He is survived by his wife of forty years, Carol K. Wilkerson, at home; his parents, Earl and Marion Wilkerson of Tulsa; his children, Jeffrey Wilkerson and Cody Wilkerson and his wife, Renee, all of Lakeville, Minn., and Tyler Wilkerson of Round Rock, Texas; a sister, Ann Wilkerson of Tulsa; and one grandson, Gavin Donavon Wilkerson of Lakeville. Memorial services are set for 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 1, 2001, at New Haven United Methodist Church, located at 56th and New Haven in Tulsa. Memorial contributions may be made to the Autism Research Institute, 4182 Adams Ave., San Diego, CA 92116; Make-A-Wish Foundations, P.O. Box 29119, Phoenix, AZ 85038; or to the New Haven United Methodist Church Endowment Fund, 56th and New Haven, Tulsa, OK 74135. |
|
