Michael Evans Mike Wilson of Wilson passed away Friday, Feb. 8, 2008, at the age of 65. He is survived by his wife, Patricia P. Wilson; son, Perry Lee Wilson; daughter, Natalie Evans Wilson Brownlow; daughter-in-law, Kimberly Davis Wilson; and son-in-law, Thomas James Tyne Brownlow. A graveside service for the family will be held Wednesday in Rivercrest Gardens at Marie, and a memorial service will be held on the City of Wilson Town Square at 2 p.m. the same day. Mike was a compassionate and caring family man who loved his wife and children more than anything else in the world. Second only to his family was his passion for trophy deer hunting. He had a never-ending and burning desire to help people, and he made a lasting impression on each and every individual with whom he came into contact. He will be dearly missed by all those he leaves behind. He attended high school at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn., and he graduated from The Citadel at Charleston, S.C., in 1965. He served in the United States Army in Korea and he achieved the rank of captain in air defense artillery prior to his honorable discharge in 1967. Mike was the son of the late Robert Edward Lee Wilson III and Patte Evans Wilson. He was the great-great-grandson of Robert Edward Lee Wilson, who founded Lee Wilson and Co. of Wilson in 1886. Following his tour of duty in the Army, Mike returned to Wilson to work at Lee Wilson and Co. He served as chairman and chief executive officer of Lee Wilson and Co. from 1987 to the present. Mike loved the state of Arkansas. Throughout his life, he became well known and highly respected for his philanthropy, his willingness to devote countless hours to charitable endeavors and for his passion for the advancement of education, both on a statewide and national level. He was elected mayor of the City of Wilson from 1986 to the present. During his life, Mike tirelessly served on and was a member of countless boards and committees in an effort to further education and economic development in Arkansas. Such boards, committees and memberships include: Lee Wilson and Co.; Delta Valley and Southern Railway; Kennemore-Wilson Insurance Agency LC; Wilson Realty and Development Co.; Entergy Arkansas Advisory Board; ASB Corp.; American State Bank; Arkansas Power and Light; Agricultural Risk Management Coop.; National Council on Economic Education; Council for Agricultural Research; National Cotton Council of America; Agricultural Council of Arkansas; Arkansas Council on Economic Education; Lyon College; Lyon College Capital Campaign; Arkansas School for Math, Sciences and Arts; Arkansas State University Capital Campaign; Arkansas State University; UAMS ù Arkansas Toxicology Symposium; UAMS Regional Programs Advisory Council; Arkansas Business Council; Arkansas Rice Research Board; University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service; State Advisory Committee; Arkansas Seed Council; Arkansas State Plant Board; Arkansas Advisory Council on Public Elementary and Secondary Education; Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame; The Arkansas Institute; Arkansas Northeastern College Foundation; Great River Economic Development Foundation; Mississippi County Farm Bureau; Mississippi County Hospitals; Osceola Port Authority; Mississippi County Community Foundation; Mississippi County MayorÆs Association; Mississippi County Medical Education Council (Med-Ed); South Mississippi County School District No. 57 School Board; Mississippi County Workforce Alliance; Cotton Boll Technical Institute; Democratic Central Committee ù Mississippi County; Mississippi County Election Commission; South Mississippi County Red Cross; Quorum Court District No. 12 ù Mississippi County; Mississippi County Resource Development Council; Mississippi County Road Committee; South Mississippi County Chamber of Commerce; University of Tennessee ù Memphis; Foundation for the Mid-South; Dorothy Snider Foundation; Forum on Cancer Research; Memphis Museum System; Lichterman Nature Center (Memphis); Memphis Health Industry Council; The Citadel Foundation; Enterprise Corporation of the Delta; ECD Investments; and the University of Virginia ù Arkansas Jefferson Scholarship Selection Committee. Because of MikeÆs passion for education, the family requests that, in lieu of flowers, any memorials be sent to Lyon College c/o Tim Bruner, P.O. Box 2317, 2300 Highland Road, Batesville 72503, or another educational institution or charity of the donorÆs choosing
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