Dr. Daniel Coyle Wilkerson Jr.

1922 - 2017

Dr. Daniel Coyle
Wilkerson Jr.
Quietly on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, Dan Wilkerson passed from this earth at the Arbors in Bedford, N.H., following a brief illness, just one month shy of his 95th birthday.
He was born Oct. 25, 1922, in Washington, D.C.
He was the son of Daniel C. Wilkerson Sr. and Edith Louise (Haycock) Wilkerson.
Growing up in Detroit, Mich., where his father was employed as an inventor and patent attorney for General Motors, Dan received his undergraduate and medical education at the University of Chicago and Wayne State University in Detroit.
He served in the U. S. Army Medical Corps from 1947 until to 1953, achieving the rank of Major before leaving the service to re-enter civilian life and begin private practice in surgery.
Dan resided and practiced medicine in Alta Vista, Bedford and Galax (early and middle 1960's), Va. and in the Baltimore-Annapolis, Md., areas.
As a surgeon, death became his enemy and he fought valiantly to keep every patient alive. It was his mission in life.
Dan had fond memories of the Galax area and its people.
Dan's first wife, Rea Raisig, died in 2010, and one of their sons, David Hunter Wilkerson, died in Vietnam in 1969.
Survivors include his third wife, Martha Upton Dodge Wilkerson of Amherst, N.H., and her family William and Elizabeth Craumer of Bedford, N.H.; several children, John Curtis Wilkerson of Salisbury, Md., Timothy Reid Wilkerson and his wife Robin of Kingsport, Tenn., Martha Wilkerson Johnson and her husband Robert of Vienna, Va., Sarah Wilkerson-Freeman of Memphis Tenn., and her husband Hershel, Daniel Shawcross Wilkerson of California and Galen Justice Wilkerson of Italy; his second wife, Carolyn A. Hocker of Pennsylvania; his brother, Thomas Delaney Wilkerson, PhD. and his wife Mary Gilbert (Palmer) Wilkerson of Utah; several grandchildren; step-grandchildren; and great-grandchildren whose lives were touched by his presence.
Dan possessed of a keen intellect and a passion for knowledge. An avid reader, his interests were vast. He closely followed current events, both nationally and internationally. He was fascinated by the natural world and enjoyed planting and watching things grow. He loved the ocean and was refreshed by it. He loved life and did not want to leave it behind.
He will be sorely missed by all who loved him.
Arrangements are being handled by the Davis Funeral Home, 1 Lock Street, Nashua, N.H.
A funeral service in his honor will be held at the Davis Funeral Home on Monday, Oct. 23, 2017, at 10 a.m. with burial following at the Groton Cemetery, 242 Hollis Street, Groton, Ma.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.