Donald M. Wilkinson Jr.

1938 - 2020
Donald M. Wilkinson Jr., proud father and citizen soldier, died peacefully at his home in New York City on April 13, 2020. He was 82.

Donny, as old friends called him, was raised and educated in his home state of Virginia before moving north and living most of his years in New York. Known for his intellect, wit, gentility and kindness, he embodied the best attributes of where he was from and where he made his life. Indeed, he named all his dogs after counties in Virginia despite living in Manhattan for fifty years. He enjoyed a long and successful career as an entrepreneur in the investment business and played prominent roles at the educational institutions that formed him as a younger man. Later in life, he dedicated himself to his passion for naval history, authoring a biography of Captain John Wilkinson.

Born on January 27, 1938, in Richmond, he attended Virginia Military Institute (VMI), graduating in 1961. After serving two years in the U.S. Army, he enrolled at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, graduating in 1966. In 1972, he founded a successful asset management firm where he worked until retirement in 2016.

During his last year at VMI he met Lucinda (Luly) Moles Pina, a Spanish exchange student attending nearby Mary Baldwin College, on a blind date. They wed in 1963 and raised four children and three Labs (Powhatan, Augusta and Amelia). Together they built his true legacy, the love of family, and nurtured a tradition of extended family gatherings home and abroad that are the stuff of legend. Luly passed in 2000.

Donny believed strongly in the value of education. He served in key roles at VMI, including an appointment to the Board of Visitors, and was recognized for his long record of service upon receiving the Distinguished Service Award in 2010. At the Darden School, he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and in 2008, received the Charles C. Abbott Award.

In 2016, Donny married Elaine Audrey Werner. The couple split their time between New York and the Eastern Shore of Maryland (with Scotties Highland and Hanover and Lab, Rockbridge), and travelled the world sharing their passion for opera. Donny was lucky to have found love a second time.

Donny is survived by his wife, Elaine Audrey Werner Wilkinson; his son, Donald M. Wilkinson III; his daughter-in-law, Lauren D. Wilkinson; his son, Duncan A. C. Wilkinson; his daughter-in-law, Andrea L. Wilkinson; his son, Charles C. Wilkinson; his daughter-in-law, Sharleen Ernster; his daughter, Margot W. Kaye; and his son-in-law, Jason P. Kaye. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren: Donald M. Wilkinson IV, Ian J. Wilkinson, Linus D. Kaye, Bruce G. Wilkinson, Charles D. Wilkinson, Lucinda C. Kaye, Evelyn T. Wilkinson and Lucinda L. Wilkinson.

Services are planned for later in the year.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Virginia Historical Society or the The General J.H. Binford Peay III 1962 Endowment for Academic Excellence at VMI.