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Arthur John Wilson

Obituary for Arthur John ("Jack") Wilson III of Charlotte, NC
June 9, 1939 - January 8, 2016

Arthur John “Jack” Wilson III was born June 9, 1939 in Old Hickory, TN to Rhoda Julia Lundy Wilson and Arthur John Wilson, Jr.  He died January 8, 2016 from pneumonia in the arms of his beloved wife Ginny Wright-Wilson after a courageous battle with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, complicated by Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Jack was an avid sailor, racing and spending many happy hours with his children and grandchildren on the Hudson River, the Potomac River, Chickamauga Lake, the Tennessee River, and the BVI’s.  He was also a gifted craftsman, and commemorated graduations, weddings, and other special occasions with finely made furniture for his children.

Jack was an incredible athlete, setting a new North Carolina state record for the 100 yard dash, in 1957, while running for Needham Broughton High School in Raleigh, NC.  Approaching graduation from Broughton, Jack was offered a full football scholarship to Duke University, where, after being red-shirted his Freshman year, he was a starting running back from 1958-1961. A highlight of his Duke Football career was winning the 1961 Cotton Bowl. The next year, he was elected by his teammates to be their captain for the 1961-62 team, leading them to the ACC Championship for 1962. While at Duke, he was selected to play in the 1961 East-West Shrine Game and the 1961 Hula Bowl. During his senior year, Jack was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, but felt called to go into  the ministry instead. An avid Iron Duke, he maintained close relationships and a special bond with his teammates and other athletes for the rest of his life, even those who went to Carolina.

Jack graduated from Duke University in 1961, from Duke Divinity School in 1965. He was then ordained as a Methodist minister and took his first pastoral appointment at Jenkins Memorial United Methodist Church in Raleigh. Soon, Jack was asked to serve as assistant chaplain at the Duke University Chapel, where he served a short time before being called to serve as assistant chaplain at the US Military Academy at West Point, NY, where he lived and raised his family until 1971. After receiving a second master’s degree in sacred theology in pastoral counseling at New York Theological Seminary, he served as chaplain resident at the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, DC. In 1973, he moved his family to Chattanooga, TN where he became chaplain at the Moccasin Bend Psychiatric Hospital, then Director of Pastoral Services for the Greenleaf Health Systems, Inc., then as Pastoral Counseling Program Director at Memorial Hospital, finally retiring in 2001, to spend more time sailing and making more beautiful furniture for his family and friends.

Jack had become an avid and accomplished sailor, racing and spending many happy hours with his children and grandchildren on the Hudson River, the Potomac River, winning many races on Chickamauga Lake and the Tennessee River, and taking time off to relax in the the BVI’s. He was also a gifted craftsman, and commemorated graduations, weddings, and other special occasions with finely made furniture for himself and his friends and children.

Jack loved Duke, good music, good art and any kind of adventure. One of his and Ginny’s favorite expressions was “we are off on another adventure!” They made an adventure out of any challenge, which made life more fun for the two of them.

Jack lived his entire life with passion. He was passionate about football from an early age when his grandfather gave him his first football. He was passionate about his family and friends, even those who were not “sports people”. He let people be who and how they are, never trying to change them. He had a droll sense of humor and an infectious laugh. He was fun, funny, intelligent and strong. He loved truly and purely, with no strings attached, no expectations. He accepted the changes in his life and body the last few years with amazing grace and good humor.

Jack was preceded in death by his first wife Kit McLeod Wilson, his high school sweetheart, whom he married in 1959 and took care of until her death from ALS in 1993. Jack’s beloved mother, Julia Lundy Wilson, also died in 2006.  

Jack is survived by his beloved wife Ginny Simms Wright-Wilson, a lifelong friend of Kit’s and of Jack’s since 1954, as well as a godmother to their daughter Julia. He is survived by his and Kit’s three children, Julia Wilson Hilton (Alton) of Montgomery AL, John McLeod Wilson (Marianne) of Birmingham AL, and Katharine Wilson Eyre (Bill) of Haverford PA, and Ginny’s children, Virginia Wright Belk (B.V. III) and Henry M. Wright, Jr., DDS (Suzanne), of Charlotte, NC, all of whom he cherished and who were devoted to him.

He had 9 grandchildren of his own, plus Ginny’s 6 grandchildren, for a total of 15: Christie Sutherland Bryan of Philadelphia, Mary Katharine Virginia Bryan of New York, Julia Ann Starke and Elizabeth Lundy Starke of Atlanta, Bolling Powell Starke IV of Tuscaloosa AL, Katharine Wilson Starke and Mary Neill Starke of Montgomery AL, John McLeod Wilson, Jr. and Samuel Timmons Wilson of Birmingham AL, Madison MacMillan Wright, Mackenzie Maffitt Wright, Marley Madeline Wright, Lindsay Nicole Strickland, Hannah Leslie Strickland, and Harrison Nash Belk of Charlotte NC. Jack had nicknames for all of his grandchildren and enjoyed teasing them with that delightful twinkle in his eye.

Source of Obituary: Carolina Funeral Services & Cremation Center.

https://www.carolinafuneral.com/notices/Arthur-WilsonIII





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