Wilbur (Will) D. Kirkwood

1932 - 2019

Wilbur D. Kirkwood, 86, of Townsend, Delaware, passed away peacefully on March 18, 2019.

Will, as he preferred to be called, was born on August 15, 1932 in Bel Air, Maryland. He graduated from Dublin School in 1949 and enlisted in the Navy in 1951.  He served aboard the Midway Ship, which is now docked and a museum in San Diego.  After an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1954, Will moved to Delaware where he worked at Delaware Power and Light at the Edgemoor and Delaware City power plants for 12 years.  He sold insurance for Mass Mutual and Sun Life and worked in real estate with Nick Gentile.  Will, never wanting to be bored with life, began training and driving harness horses in the early 1970’s racing at Brandywine, Dover, Harrington, Ocean City, Rosecroft, and Liberty Bell raceways.  For 10 years, Will worked for St. Andrew’s School teaching students how to build sets for school productions.  He found his greatest joy working on the family horse farm, Wilchar Farm.

Throughout his life, Will was a tireless and selfless volunteer in many organizations. He was the President of the Middletown Jaycees and served as the Delaware State President.  During his term as state President in 1968, he led the Delaware Jaycees to 5th in the nation.  In 1972, he founded the Middletown Chamber of Commerce and served as the Charter President for many years.  The chamber honors him each year by awarding a deserving member the Will Kirkwood President’s Award.  As a long-time member of the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend Rotary Club, Will served as the President from 1979-1980 and held many other roles within the organization.  He was a member of the Sergeant William Lloyd Nelson VFW Post 3792 and served as Quartermaster and then Commander for 6 years.  In the early 1990’s, Will joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary and served as Flotilla Captain.  He served as a board member for many years for the MOT Senior Center and the Everett Theatre.  He was very active in ACT, Inc., which was the group responsible for revitalizing the theater in the early 1980’s.  You could often find Will serving as the Master of Ceremonies for many groups and sharing his humor with everyone.  As a horseman, Will was a member of the United States Trotting Association.

Will is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Charlotte J. Kirkwood; his children Sharon (Bob) Wyatt, Stephanie (Doug) Wright, and Rene’ Nolan; his grandchildren Sharon (Ramon), Amy (Drew) Lyndsey (Nate), Alison (Chris), Samantha, Sara, Jena, and Zach; his great-grandchildren Alex, Matthew, Weston, Cody, and Paxton; and his brother Edwin L. Kirkwood, Jr. He was preceded in death by his parents Edwin L. and Estelle M. Kirkwood, his sister Laura Jane Morone, and his daughter Natalie.

Will was known as a devoted family man with a strong sense of humor. He loved taking long driving trips with Charlotte and Natalie.  He never met a stranger. 

Visitation will be Friday, March 22, 2019, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Daniels & Hutchison Funeral Home, 212 North Broad Street, Middletown, Delaware. A service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, 2019, at the funeral home.  Burial will follow in Massey, Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in remembrance of Will’s daughter Natalie to Easterseals, Camp Fairlee Manor, 61 Corporate Circle, New Castle, Delaware 19720.