Richard Grady Wilbanks

Richard Grady Wilbanks, 81, of Smyrna GA, passed away on Sunday, January 15th, 2023. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend.

Richard was born to Edith and Milton Wilbanks in Oklahoma City on February 21, 1941. As a young child, he moved to Sarasota, FL. with his family. He graduated from Sarasota High School in 1959 where he played the trumpet in the school band and performed on the double trapeze with the Ringling Circus Team. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963 from Florida State University College of Arts and Sciences.

After college, Richard went to work for Sears in Sarasota and was later transferred to Atlanta where he accepted an HR management position with Panasonic in 1971. He spent 30 years with Panasonic in various consumer electronics management positions, retiring in the early 2000’s.

Richard met Karen, his wife of 41 years, in Atlanta, GA in 1980. They were married in 1982, had one child, and lived in Atlanta their entire marriage.

Richard was a devoted member of Northwest Presbyterian Church for over 35 years. He held numerous leadership roles, sang in their choir, and performed in many musicals with the Presbythespians. In retirement you could find him at church, reading books, traveling, singing to his favorite Neil Diamond songs, and walking his beloved dog Sugar and his favorite cat Chaz. Much of his recent years were also spent volunteering and traveling around the world with The Foundation for Hospital Art, one of his favorite organizations. He was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it. He was a constant source of love and support to his family and friends.

He is survived by his daughter Deborah Urso and grandson Grady; his daughter Tracie Diederich and grandson Finn; his daughter Cindy Coup and grandchildren Mathias, Anna, and Emma; his daughter Paige Todd (Sean) and granddaughter Morgan; and his son Christopher Wilbanks. He is also survived by his adopted daughter and grandson Nicole and Nathaniel Mathis. Richard was predeceased by his grandparents Fred and Grace Buell and his parents Milton and Edith.

Services will be held on Saturday, January 28th at 2:00 pm at Northwest Presbyterian Church, 4300 Northside Drive. Atlanta, GA. 30327

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the things closest to Richard’s heart: Northwest Presbyterian Church at nwpcatlanta.org or the Foundation for Hospital Art at https://www.hospitalart.org/?product=donate-now.