Joseph Rudolph Wilson Sr.

HAMPTON - Joseph Rudolph Wilson, Sr., 86, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, January 18, 2014 in Hampton, VA. A lifetime Hampton resident, he was the eldest son of the late William (Shine) and Pearl Williams Wilson. Rudy, as he was affectionately known, left high school to enlist in the Army during World War II and was stationed in Japan. After his honorable discharged from the Army, he returned to and graduated from Phenix High School. Rudy attended North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC on a football scholarship. He retired from the Veteran Administration Hospital as a power plant supervisor. Rudy was an avid golfer, won many golf tournaments and was a founding member of the Old Dominion Golf Club. He was a member of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Hampton, VA Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his grandson, Joseph Rudolph Wilson, III and his sister, Gwendolyn Moore. He leaves to cherish his memory, his high school sweetheart and devoted wife of 63 years, Ernestine T. Wilson; his two children, Runita (Harry) White and J. Rudolph (Elizabeth) Wilson, Jr.; his two grandchildren, Rachel Wilson and Joseph R. Wilson, IV, all of Hampton. He is also survived by his sisters, Bernice Austin and Janet Webb, Hampton, VA and Joyce (Ulmont) Nanton, San Antonio, TX and his brother, William Henry (Bonnie) Wilson, Hampton, VA and his in-laws, William (Lois) Thomas, Elaine (Samuel) Harris, Doris Quinerly, Robert Moore and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins. Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 24, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at Bethel A. M. E. Church, 96 W. Lincoln St, Hampton, VA. Viewing will begin at noon on Thursday, January 23, and the family will receive family and friends from 6-7 p.m. at Ronald C. Perkins Funeral Home, 251 Queen St, Hampton, VA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Bethel A.M.E. Church's Building Fund.