William (Bill) Franklin Wilson, much loved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend went to his heavenly home on December 31, 2022 for all eternity.
Bill was born 4/29/1945 to Fred J and Lillian A Wilson in Wessington Springs, SD. He was number five in the lineup of six boys in the family.
Bill attended a country school and then the high school in town from where he graduated. He then went on to attend Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. During his college days, The US draft was in place. He decided to choose which military branch he wanted to serve in so enlisted in the US Navy. He spent nearly four years honorably serving our country. Most of his time was spent in Guam. It was during this time that he was given a book “The Cross and The Switchblade” by David Wilkerson which was a turning point for him. This drew him back to his christian upbringing and then his recommitment to follow Christ.
He met and married KarenJ.(Sandberg)Wilson in 1971. Together they had three children, Nathaniel of West Richland, Bethany (Wilson) Lawson of Redmond, OR and Benjamin Wilson of Peoria, AZ.
Bill loved woodworking and raising cattle. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in September 2017. He has had a courageous journey the past five plus years in dealing with this disease. He found great joy in the journey by reading scripture, praying, and spending time with family and friends.
He is survived by his wife of 51 plus years, Karen at the family home, Nathaniel, daughters Sydney and Kaylie, Bethany and Trevor, children McKinley, Elias, Jack, Adeline and Gavin, Benjamin and Samantha, children Erick and Mariah, their children Trasyn and Emberly, and Kameron and Cole.
Bill is also survived by three brothers and their spouses: Fred and Gloria, Loren and Betty, Dan and Sylvia.
His last desire here on earth was that everyone he spoke with would hear the wonderful news of salvation through Jesus Christ. It made no difference to him who a person was, what color their skin or ethnicity, only that they would have the opportunity to hear the “Good News.”
Bill will have a military service on Friday, February 24, 2023 at 1 p.m. at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, 21702 W. Espanola Road, Medical Lake, WA 99022 followed by a Celebration of Life service at the church in Moses Lake at 6378 Arnold Drive, Moses Lake, WA 98837 on February 25, 2023 at 1 p.m.
