 URBANA – Curt Wilson, 82, of Urbana passed away Friday, February 6, 2009, after being hit by a car Thursday morning in a crosswalk on University Avenue in front of Carle Clinic. Curt, who was known for his generosity and concern for others throughout his life, continued to be generous in death by providing organs that others might live. A memorial service and celebration of Curt's life will be offered at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, at Community United Church of Christ, 805 S. Sixth St., Champaign. Curt is survived by his wife, Janice; their children, Margaret Wilson of Nulato, Alaska, Sister Mary Pierre Jean Wilson of Denver, David Wilson of Bloomington, Minn., and his wife, Nancy, and their sons, Alexander and Andrew, Kay Hatlestad of Maplewood, Minn., and her husband, John, and their children, Karen and Mark; and his brother, Tom Wilson of Napa, Calif. and his wife, Dolores; as well as numerous cousins. Curtis Marshall Wilson was born Sept. 11, 1926, in Stillwater, Minn., to Henry and Irma Curtis Wilson. He married Janice McGladrey on Sept. 6, 1952, in Minneapolis; they had been married 56 years at the time of his death. Curt served two years in the Merchant Marines during World War II. He received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Minnesota in 1948 and 1951, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1954. He taught at Rutgers University for five years in Plant Physiology before coming to the University of Illinois in 1959 as a professor of Agronomy and USDA researcher, where he spent much of his career studying corn protein. He spent sabbatical years in 1966 at Brookhaven National Lab in New York and in 1979 at Rothamstead Agricultural Research Station in Harpenden, England. He worked four years at the USDA lab in Peoria before retiring and returning to Urbana with Jan in 1991. Curt was active for over 40 years at the Community UCC, including serving on the church council, as moderator, as church historian, on the stewardship committee and in many other roles. He helped start the Urbana Girls Softball League in the 1960s. Curt was active in the Audubon Society, Crop Walk, International Exchange Club, Clark-Lindsey Village and Squanto Survivors. One of Curt's great loves was nature and the outdoors. He was very active as Scoutmaster in Boy Scouts for many years, was an avid birdwatcher with hundreds of birds on his life list, took many camping trips over the years with family and was a lifelong gardener. Canoeing remains a family tradition based on his early years in Stillwater, Minn. The love that Curt and Jan had for history, cultures and religious studies led them to host international students for many years at the UI and Bradley University as well as make many international trips to six continents, including Church World Service mission trips to Chiapas, Mexico, and India. In fact, Curt and Janice were going to Carle to check immunizations before a planned trip Feb. 11 to Egypt and Jordan when Curt's accident occurred. Donations may be made to the Crop Walk (Church World Service), Audubon Society or Community UCC. Condolences may be offered at www.renner-wikoffchapel.com.
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