Obituaries / LJWorld.com

Obituaries

Funeral Mass for James F. “Jim” Wilkerson, 78, Parsons, will be 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, with burial following at Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Mr. Wilkerson died Saturday, Dec. 25, 2010, at the Galichia Heart Hospital in Wichita.
He was born Feb. 15, 1932, in Wichita, the son of Perry Thomas and Laurina Anna Linnebur Wilkerson. His family moved to the Parsons area in 1944. He attended school in Parsons and graduated from the Labette County Community High School in Altamont in 1950.
Mr. Wilkerson joined the Army Reserve out of high school, where he obtained the rank of sergeant and applied for active service. Diabetes prevented his admission, and he was given an honorable discharge.
He has worked at the Katy Railroad, and worked in manufacturing and construction until the birth of his son in 1961, when he accepted a position with what is now Dayton Superior in Parsons. His duties ranged from welder to receiving officer until his retirement in 1995. Before his retirement, Mr. Wilkerson served as a member of the board of trustees for the Parsons Credit Union. He was also a 3rd degree Knight in the order of the Knights of Columbus.
He married Juanita W. Cox on Oct. 28, 1955, at the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Parsons. They celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2005. She survives of the home.
Other survivors include a son, Michael and wife Tamara, Lawrence; a sister, Carolyn Gouvion and husband Donald, Parsons; a grandson, Benjamin Thomas; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family members.
His parents preceded him in death.
The Knights of Columbus will recite the rosary at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, and the Parish will recite the rosary at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Carson-Wall Funeral Home in Parsons. The family will receive friends following the rosaries from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The family suggests memorials to the St. Patrick’s Church or to the American Heart Association, left at or sent in care of the funeral home, P.O. Box 942, Parsons, KS 67357.
Online condolences may be sent at www.wallfuneralservices.com or wooks@sbcglobal.net.