Michael Vincent Wilder

Mike Wilder of Centreville, Virginia passed away on November 12, 2012 on his 48th birthday. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Timothy Catholic Church, 13807 Poplar Road, Chantilly, Virginia 20151 on Friday, November 30, 2012 at 2 p.m. A reception will follow at Sonja's house: 13615 Weinstein Ct, Centreville. Mike grew up in Lake Ridge, VA and graduated from Woodbridge Senior HS in 1982. He attended undergraduate classes at George Mason University but didn't get serious about his studies until he met Sonja where they both worked on the same team at AT&T. He then transferred to Marymount University and received his Bachelor's degree in Communications while continuing to work at AT&T part-time. Through a program offered by AT&T, Mike got his Master's degree in Organizational Development from American University. Mike and Sonja met at AT&T in 1988. They were married in 1992. Rachel was born in 1996. Erica was born in 1998. Mike continued to work at AT&T until he transferred to Concert. He later joined Nextel Communications and was working as a Senior Manager when his illness occurred. Mike was diagnosed with a brain tumor in August 2002. He had surgery to remove the tumor on August 15, 2002. Through the years, he never fully recovered from the initial surgery and as a result of his injuries never worked again. He had several recurrences of the brain tumor. In June 2012, the tumor returned and was nearly as large as the initial tumor. The doctors determined that the only treatments they could offer this time were palliative. Mike's mom passed away in 2001. His dad passed away in 2008. His brother, Dave, lives in Lake Ridge, VA with his wife, Jane, and daughter Kristi. Mike touched many people's lives before and after his illness. He was adored by friends, co-workers, and caregivers. He had a quick wit and made funny comments right up until his last day.