Richard Lee Wilkerson

Greensboro-Mr. Richard Lee Wilkerson died Tuesday, October 29, 2013. A celebration of his life will be held at 2 PM on Sunday, November 3, at Lindley Park Baptist Church with Reverend Scott Orr and Dr. Ray Benfield officiating. Interment, with Masonic Rites, will be at Westminster Gardens. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 PM on Saturday, November 2, at Hanes Lineberry Sedgefield Chapel.

He was born to William “Jack” and Viola Brown Wilkerson on August 30, 1933 in Hematite, VA. He attended Dunlop High School in Hematite and was a graduate of Siebel Institute of Technology specializing in the Science of Bread and Cake Baking. In 1973, he partnered with Bill Schumaker as owners and operators of Florida Bakery. He retired from the bakery in 1992.

During his senior year at Dunlop he persistently pursued the affections of Charlotte Lorraine Hoke. In 1953 they were married and have enjoyed sixty years of supporting and raising a family, traveling together throughout the United States and spending time with their grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was a 32 degree Mason, a life time member of Gate City Lodge # 694, and a member of Revolution Lodge # 552, KCCH Scottish Rites, Oasis Shriners and Greensboro Shrine Club. For 49 years Richard has been an active parishioner of Lindley Park Baptist Church.

His neighbors will remember him as a man they could call upon for help. He rode his John Deere tractor around the neighborhood, plowing gardens and serving as the local lumberjack when a tree needed taken down. He loved to woodwork as a hobby and sharing the bounty of his garden. Always the baker he didn’t hesitate to take a tasty, sugary treat even to the doctor’s office. He was a generous man who not only helped those he knew, but strangers he met as well. His sensitivity to the needs of others and the assistance he gave, large or small, will be remembered as a characteristic that defined the man. His children will remember Christmas morning breakfasts he prepared, always being a planner, taking his granddaughters on shopping and lunch excursions, and baking breads and cakes for his grandson, Eric.

He is survived by his wife, Lorraine Hoke Wilkerson of the home; three children, Ruby Johnson (Gordon) of Stokesdale, Michael Wilkerson (Debbie) and Bentley Wilkerson both of Greensboro; three grandchildren, Karen Wilkerson (Nick Coughlin) of Jamestown, Samantha Wilkerson and Eric Wilkerson both of Greensboro; two great grandchildren, Jacob and Maiya Coughlin of Jamestown; two brothers, Bobby Wilkerson of Covington, VA and Earl Wilkerson of Florida; and one sister, Betty Jean Alfred (Eddie Ray) of San Antonio, TX. He is preceded in death by two brothers, Billy and Leon Wilkerson.

The family would like to thank Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro and Drs. Stephen South, Carl Gessner and Bradley Sherill. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Mr. Wilkerson’s memory to Lindley Park Baptist Church, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or Shriner’s Hospital. On line condolences may be made at www.haneslineberryfuneralhomes.com.