John Douglas Wilson

John Douglas Wilson, aged 80, passed away peacefully at his home in Visalia, California on September 16, 2025. He was born on March 27, 1945, at Fort Rucker, Alabama, to Ferne Kerr Wilson and D.R. (Bud) Wilson. The family moved to Lemoore in 1946 and settled in Visalia in 1951. John was a proud resident of Visalia and was a 1963 graduate of Mount Whitney High School. He graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a major in mechanized agriculture in 1968 and was part of Cal Poly's ROTC. He served overseas as a Captain in the US Army Corps of Engineers from 1968-1971, and in the reserves until 1974.

John was an entrepreneur, and he spent his career as the owner of Laser Land Finishing starting in 1973, bringing laser technology to his earthmoving business on farms across the San Joaquin Valley.

John was beloved by a wide circle of close friends gained through his many hobbies and interests. He taught those he loved the art of leisure well spent, including piloting his twin engine Beechcraft Baron, flying RC gliders and airplanes with the Central Valley RC Soaring Club, donning a bow tie to fire the cannons for performances of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture with the Tulare County Symphony and the Kingsburg City Band, many decades of horse rides and parties with members of Los Rancheros Visitadores (Picadores Camp) and the Wutchumna Leather and Conviviality Club, and enjoying special places like Wilsonia and Cayucos. He was a potter, a planter of trees and poppies, a marksman, a fly fisherman, a skier, a fireside philosopher, and never met a dog he didn't like. He delighted in his relationships with friends and kept a busy social calendar till the end.

He is survived by his three children and their spouses, Elizabeth (Liz) and her husband Bennett Gibbs, Stephen and his wife Sarah Hutmacher Wilson, Katherine (Katie) and her husband Jason Padrick; three grandchildren, Jasper, Lucas (Luke), and Tucker (TJ) Gibbs; four beloved nieces and nephews and their children, a multitude of family and friends, and his dog, Jake. John is preceded in death by his parents, Ferne and Bud Wilson; his sisters Susanne (Bede) Roberts and Margaret Hyun, and brother-in-law Tahn Hyun.

His celebration of life will be held in Visalia at the Glider Field (Central Valley RC Soaring Club, 8400 Avenue 320, Visalia, CA 93291) on March 14, 2026 at 2pm, to coincide with his 81st birthday. John always threw the best parties, so let's send him off in style.

Donations in memory of John Douglas Wilson can be made to the Kings Guild of Valley Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 1251, Hanford, CA 93252-1251.