Obituary of William D. Wilkinson

Concordville – William D. Wilkinson (Bill), 79, passed away on April 19th, at home with his family. Bill was born in Philadelphia on November 22, 1938. He grew up in Havertown and graduated from Haverford High School in 1956. He graduated from Wheaton College (IL) with a BA in 1961 and earned his MBA from Widener University in 1972. On August 12, 1961 he married Deanna Bruckner of Drexel Hill, who also attended Wheaton. After being stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska while on active duty in the Army from 1962-1964, Bill worked for Catalytic Construction Co. Bill and Dee moved to Concordville in 1967 and began their family. In 1970 he began working for Walter Cosinuke Associates, managing both regional and international construction projects in places such as Algeria, Argentina and Indonesia. From 1987 to 1999 he worked for the University of Pennsylvania and oversaw many renovations and restorations of their historic buildings such as College Hall and the Furness Library. He spent three years doing construction management for the Marple Newtown School District, until surgery in 2001 to remove a spinal cord tumor led to an early retirement. While travel for work often took him away for weeks at a time, when Bill was home, he loved time with his family especially skiing, biking, and camping. Each summer he and Dee volunteered at a camp on Cape Cod. During his years at Wheaton he played soccer and was passionate about the sport. His passion led him to help establish the soccer program at BYC and he spent countless Saturday mornings coaching area boys in the sport that he loved. He was both an Elder and Sunday School teacher at Media Presbyterian Church and then at Concord Liberty Presbyterian Church. He and Dee also led youth groups at both churches. He served on the Garnet Valley School Board from 1993 to 2011. He applied his knowledge of construction management to many of the building projects the district tackled during its rapid growth. He also served from 2008 to 2011 on the Delaware County Intermediate Unit Board of Directors. After his retirement, he focused on his school board work, enjoyed spending time in Maine with his children and grandchildren, and leading prayer times at Concord Liberty. He also attended several men's Bible studies and golfed regularly with a group of friends until his health declined. He continued to enjoy his visits with family and friends up until the time of his passing. Bill is survived by his wife of 56 years, Dee, his daughter Luise, his son David, daughter-in-law Bethany, and four grandchildren: Noah, Elias, Simon, and Ella; and his sister Jane Woodward. A Memorial Service will be held at Concord Liberty Church, 256 Bethel Road, Glen Mills, PA on Saturday, April 28 at 11 AM. Friends may call from 9:00 to 11:00 at the church prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Chop Point Camp, 420 Chopps Point Road, Woolwich, ME 04579.