James Michael Wilson

1952 - 2023

James Michael Wilson
January 9, 1952 - January 22, 2023
James Michael Wilson died peacefully on January 22, 2023 at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City due to complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 71.
Michael was born on January 9, 1952 in St. Louis, MO, to Louis and Elizabeth Chapman Wilson of St. Louis, MO, and grew up in Webster Groves, MO. He was especially close to his grandmother, Mae Chapman, who helped raise him following the loss of his mother at the age of eight. Michael attended Barat Hall School before graduating from St. Louis University High School in 1970. Like his father and elder brother, John, Michael attended Georgetown University in Washington, DC, graduating in 1974, before pursuing an MBA at Babson College in Wellesley MA. Some of Michael's fondest memories and closest friendships were forged at Georgetown, and much to his pleasure, his two sons, James and Charlie, attended Georgetown. Michael lived in New York City for several years in his 20s, before moving to San Francisco where he worked, first in real estate lending, and ultimately as a real estate developer. Michael spent the lion's share of his career at the Mozart Development Company in Palo Alto, CA, where he focused on developing commercial real estate in Silicon Valley.
Michael and his wife, Frances Heald Wilson, were married in 1984 in San Francisco and London. He remained devoted to his wife and three children until his death in January. A passionate chef and a fixture at Southern Marin's famers markets, Michael was a master of hosting the perfect Sunday lunch for his friends and family. Although not a hobbyist by nature, Michael, nevertheless, had genuine passions, including cooking, opera, art, and most of all travel. Much of Michael's last two decades were spent traveling the world with family and friends, and his sense of adventure was remarkably unbridled. From Bhutan to Burma, and Uzbekistan to Zambia, Michael would hop on a plane anywhere he could find a unique experience and a stiff drink (he especially enjoyed a wintery trip to Russia one Christmas for that combined reason). Michael spent much of his retirement living in Tiburon and St. Helena, CA.
Michael is survived by his wife, Frances; sons, James and Charlie; daughter, Francesca; brother, Louis; sister, Susie; and brother, John.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated for Michael at St. Dominic's Church in San Francisco on March 15 at 10:00am.
A gift in Michael's memory can be made to Mission Dolores Academy, San Francisco.