Marian Louise Wilkerson

Marian Louise "Lou" Wilkerson, 89, passed away on Sunday, October, 1, 2023. Born on January 14, 1934, she was the first child of the late Owen Dean Michael and Marian Gertrude "Chely" Michael; she was also preceded in death many years ago by her sister, Janice.

Her family was not well off, but she always said she was spoiled, especially by her Aunt Lizzy and Uncle Jeter. Jeter was the Fire Chief, and she always talked about him taking her to the circus when the elephants were helping to set up the big tents. She also loved their daughter, Dorothy, who was more like a sister to her. Dorothy's daughter, Pam, was born on the same day as Lou's son, Dean. She called them twins from different mothers and remained close to Pam.

She married William Clyde "Bill" Wilkerson in 1952. They had two sons, Dean and David. She often talked about how Bill didn't want her to work because he didn't want his kids raised by strangers, and she raised them well.

She loved a good debate, and she always had a story. She talked about how she shopped for a husband and was looking for tall, dark and handsome but was lucky to find Bill who was not tall or dark, but was handsome and perfect. She also said you don't just marry a spouse, but you marry into a new family. She loved Bill's family and continued to stay close to them over the years, including his parents, Bessie and Clyde; his sisters, Esther Charvat and Melva (Gene) Bass; and his cousin, Pat Lundquist; as well as all of their children.

Bill, an engineer and musician, tragically died in 1983 at the age of 51 in a work accident.

Dean married Becky and adopted her daughter, Mindy, giving Lou her first granddaughter. Lou loved Mindy and spent much time with her. Tragically, Mindy died at age 16 in a car accident.

David married Rita and they had three sons and a daughter, giving Lou four grandchildren that she enjoyed very much; Brian David Wilkerson, Thomas James Wilkerson, Michael Dean Wilkerson, and Rachel Marie Wilkerson will miss Grandma Lou very much.

Brian and his wife, Yoe Chen, gave Lou her first great-grandson named Winston Owen Wilkerson (born March 22, 2022). She was able to spend time with Winston over the Christmas holiday and also recently saw him at the nursing home.

After Bill died, Lou was despondent, but her friends talked her into joining the Square Dance Club, which gave her much enjoyment and many friends. She also began to travel with the square dance group both in the US and internationally. She took big trips to Alaska, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, California, Australia, England, Ireland and Scotland, China, Germany and Austria, and Hawaii. One of her favorite things she did was to square dance on the Great Wall of China.

Lou had more heartbreak when her oldest son, Dean, died in June of 2010 after a long battle with throat cancer. After Dean's passing, she moved to a nice townhouse in New Market, Maryland to be close to David and Rita and their family. She lived well on her own, continuing to drive and enjoyed her life.

In 2019, her health suffered with a diagnosis of chronic leukemia. Before treatment could start, she fell and broke her hip due to weakness from the disease. A hip repair and amazing medicines helped her recover fully, and she was able to live a fulfilling life in a great assisted living facility near to Dave and Rita. Four years later, the leukemia returned and eventually contributed to her death.

She will be greatly missed by her family but was sure she would be united in heaven with the love of her life, Bill, and others that have passed before her, especially her son, Dean, and her granddaughter, Mindy.

A graveside service will be held at Appomattox Cemetery on Monday, October 9, 2023 at 2:00pm.