Some people can’t go anywhere without their cellphones. Johnny Wilson was a little more old-fashioned.
He never went anywhere without a legal pad, and as new ideas made their way into his mind, onto the legal pad they would go. He never stopped making a list of things to do, and that’s how he would get through the day, said his son, John Wilson Jr.
“He always had a pad in his hand,” he said. “He would make lists of things he needed to think about or that needed to be done. Then he’d finish something, cross it off and say, ‘OK, what’s next?’ ”
But Wilson’s to-do lists weren’t his only organizational habits. He took an organized approach to everything he did, and he worked closely with nonprofits such as the Smyrna Habitat for Humanity and Rotary Club, using his skills to help others, his son said.
“He was doing things in his 80s to figure out how to make life better for others,” he said. “He loved organizing things for people and helping them succeed.”
John “Johnny” Wallace Wilson, of Smyrna, died Jan. 27 from complications of brain cancer at Halcyon Hospice, just five days after celebrating his 82nd birthday.
A celebration of life is scheduled at 10 a.m. Feb. 18 at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta. Georgia Funeral Care & Cremation Services was in charge of the cremation arrangements.
Wilson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The University of Alabama in the early 1980s. Throughout his career, he had his hand in everything from owning a tire recapping franchise to practicing and teaching real estate appraisal.
But his passion was his constant volunteer work. He worked tirelessly in the Smyrna Rotary Club, for which he served as president from 2001 – 2002. As a result of his hard work and dedication, he received an Outstanding Service Award and was named the Smyrna Rotarian of the Year in 2006.
After losing his beloved wife Betty to Alzheimer’s disease, Wilson started an Alzheimer’s fund in the Smyrna Club to help promote research into finding a cure for the disease. His fund eventually became part of the Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust, and was very dear to his heart, said friend and Rotary member David McGinnis.
“His wife suffered from Alzheimer’s, which caused him to research and explore the disease,” he said. “The more he researched, the more dedicated he became to helping others who had been affected by it.”
According to those who knew him, Wilson had a constant smile that partnered well with his positive personality. He was a true gentleman whose selflessness was unmatched, McGinnis said.
“The theme of the Rotary is service above self,” he said. “And he took that on wholeheartedly. He was always ready to help with whatever he could. That’s just him in a summary.”
In addition to his son, Wilson is survived by one daughter, Melinda Leigh Wilson of Smyrna; one brother, Milton Wilson of Bay Minette, Ala.; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
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