William Lee Wilkerson

William Lee “Bill” Wilkerson, 59, of Manchester, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, October 27, 2018, at Regional Medical Center. He was born on June 18, 1959, in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Herbert Lee and Mary Ellen (Teske) Wilkerson, and was raised and educated in Memphis.

After high school, Bill joined the United States Army for two tours of duty. He was a crew chief on a Chinook at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, during his first enlistment and served as a military police officer in Hanau, Germany, during his second tour of duty. On November 18, 1980, Bill was united in marriage to Casey Jo Donlin. Three children were born to this union. The couple divorced but reunited later in life.

Following his honorable discharge from the Army, Bill worked for 10 years for Boeing Airplane Company in Seattle, Washington. In 1994, he moved back to Memphis and started a landscaping business; he also worked with his dad in pest control. Later he worked for Fed-Ex for 10 years before taking early retirement. Bill moved backed to Manchester, Iowa, in October 2014 to be near family.

Bill enjoyed animals, listening to audio books, and visiting with people. He loved spending time with family, especially his grandchildren.

Survivors include his wife, Casey Jo of Manchester; three children, Nina (Joshua) Deeds of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Brittany (Brett) Fessler of Dundee, and Alex Wilkerson of Manchester; his mother, Mary Ellen Wilkerson of Southaven, Mississippi; and six grandchildren.

Bill was preceded in death by his father. 

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