John A. Wilson Sr.

1921 - 2010

John A. Wilson, Sr.
John Allen Wilson, 89, of Asheville, NC, passed away on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2010 at the Pisgah Manor Nursing Home, Candler, NC.
Born on January 5, 1921 in Keene, TX, he moved with his parents to Burma before he was a year old. His parents were Seventh-day Adventist missionaries in Burma for many years. In 1939, John graduated from Vincent Hill School and College in Mussoorie, India. After returning to the United States, he attended Southwestern Junior College in Keene, TX, where he sang in the college quartet, played the trumpet in the band and orchestra, and graduated in 1941 with an A.A. degree. After attending Union College in Lincoln, NE, he entered the U.S. Army Air Force in 1944 and received his honorable discharge in 1946 after World War II ended. He then enrolled at Southern Missionary College in Collegedale, TN, graduating in 1948 with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Eventually he became a Certified Public Accountant.
After working for Shell Oil Company for several years, John became a loyal and valued employee of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Marietta, GA. While there, he became known as "Mr. IBM" for overseeing their transition from punched card to electronic computing technologies. He always considered himself an accountant, although in reality he was much more than that. He left Lockheed in 1967 to follow his entrepreneurial dreams with his brother Eugene, during which time they built a computer services company that was many years ahead of its time, supporting high school guidance departments. In the early 1970s he was also instrumental in the formation of the Western Institute of Science and Technology in Waco, TX, where he oversaw the creation, again ahead of its time, of an online computer network supporting the administration and curricula of colleges. He returned to Lockheed in 1980 and retired in 1986.
In his early years in Georgia, John was a member of the Elks, and while he liked to play a little golf, his lifelong love was tennis. He also loved playing card and board games and was a whiz at Bingo. Other interests included model trains, cabinet-making, music, reading, and travel. He was proud to have designed and assisted in the building of three different houses during his life time.
A man of great strength, patience and humbleness, he leaves his family with many cherished memories, and will be dearly missed.
He is survived by his daughter, Jonita Wolfe and her husband Dale of Beverly Hills, FL; his son, Jere Wilson and his wife Kathleen of Terryville, CT, his son, John Wilson, Jr. of Houston TX; his daughter-in-law, Linda Wilson of Arlington, TX; his grandchildren, Donald, Debra, Samantha and Elizabeth, and his adopted grandchildren, Andrea, Kristie, and Heather. He also leaves his brothe,r Morris Wilson and his wife Joan of Candler, NC; his brother Eugene Bullock-Wilson and his wife Barbara, of Carmel, CA; and his sister-in-law Lois Wilson, of Hilton Head, SC. He was preceded in death by his wife Jerita (Dortch) Wilson, mother of his four children, his second wife Betty (Johnson) Wilson, his son Jeffrey Wilson, and his brother Harold Wilson.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John's name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, www.michaeljfox.org or 1-800-708-7644.

The on-line register is available at
www.grocefuneralhome.com.