Photo courtesy of Alexander Funeral Home, Inc. - Charlotte
Sep 13, 1943 - Jul 14, 2023
Oh! I´m so sorry to read this. Gordon was my boss at Avon years ago and we stayed in touch. He was the kindest and most gentle of men. A true treasure. My deepest sympathies.
Carole Rosner
December 18, 2023 | Work
Gordon was such a delightful and loved classmate who will be missed so much. I will never forget the memorable times that we experienced as classmates at West Charlotte Senior High School - Class of 1961. He was a kind and gracious person. I pray that the family will know how much he was respected and loved by his classmates. I pray for the family to heal by God's Grace.
Oraphila (Fe Fe) Erwin
July 22, 2023 | Charlotte, NC | Classmate
May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.
Helen Watts
July 19, 2023 | Charlotte, NC | Acquaintance
Gordon M. Wilkins, Jr. (September 13, 1943 to July 14, 2023) made a peacefultransition to his eternal rest surrounded by family after experiencing complicationsfrom emergency surgery.
Gordon M. Wilkins, Jr. was the eldest son born to the late Dr. Gordon M. Wilkins andDorothy Dixon Wilkins of Charlotte, North Carolina. He was the nephew of the lateJefferson and Purry Grigsby of Charlotte. He attended West Charlotte High Schoolwhere he graduated with honors in 1961. Despite the Jim Crow segregation, Gordondeveloped a vision of a more equitable and integrated society. While in high school,he was co-founder of the Charlotte Youth Congress which was the first interracialyouth group in Charlotte. He broke with family tradition by not attending one ofthe Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Instead, he pioneered his way byearning an academic scholarship to Whittier College in Whittier California. Gordongraduated in 1965 with a BS in Biochemistry and BA in Political Science.
Gordon was the recipient of an academic fellowship to Columbia University in NewYork City. He graduated from Columbia with a MBA in 1973. He continued hisadvanced business education by earning an Executive MBA from Michigan StateUniversity. Gordon had a successful career as an Executive at Avon Products, Incwhere he was a Senior Purchasing Agent and traveled internationally for thecompany. Gordon was predeceased by his life partner Ambassador Francis V.Vendrell, together they lived between their homes in New York, London andBarcelona. Throughout their fifty-three-year relationship, they enjoyed traveling toexplore culture and history throughout the world.
Gordon is survived by his siblings, Elizabeth W. Morris, Malcolm D. Wilkins andMichael G. Wilkins of Charlotte, and several nieces, nephews, cousins and a host ofnational and international friends. Gordon is predeceased by his younger sisterSharon Wilkins Forlemu and her husband Felix Forlemu. He will be laid to rest at theYork Memorial Park in Charlotte, North Carolina where there will be a gravesiteservice on Thursday July 20, 2023 at 12:00 noon. As per Gordon Wilkins’ wishes inlieu of flowers, gifts can be made in the memory of Dorothy Dixon Wilkins to theAmerican Cancer Society.
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