John Graham Wilkinson

John Wilkinson, devoted husband, dedicated community activist, and award winning Eastman Kodak employee, died peacefully in his home after a courageous battle with cancer on December 28, 2019. John was generous with his time and always thought of others first, never hesitating to do a favor or lend a helping hand. He displayed a remarkable ability to empathize with people, which made him a pleasure to be around, regardless of the situation. John easily made friends, who quickly discovered how thoughtful and intelligent he was. Never one to raise his voice in anger, John persuaded by tact and compromise, or humor and love, and these traits enabled him to be an exemplary team leader and someone to be admired. Forever loved and cherished by his life-time partner, David Davenport, John was also loved by David's family, who quickly adopted John as one of their own.

Born in Seattle WA, John was the only child of Sparks and Beulah Wilkinson. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1966, where he received a one-year scholarship to attend the University of Washington from the Kiwanis Club. John spent three years studying at the U.W. and was elected President of the local chapter of Phi Kappa Tau, before moving to Portland, OR, in 1969.

When he arrived in Portland, John volunteered to work as a studio camera operator and audio and floor director at KCTV. He also worked at the underground newspaper, the "Willamette Bridge," as a lay-out editor. While at the newspaper, he challenged the editorial staff when they refused to print a letter from a gay man seeking companionship. John was passionate about civil rights, and being a gay man, he felt strongly that a prejudice towards gays existed at the paper and in society as well. John soon set about correcting the situation by calling for the first Gay Liberation meeting ever held in Oregon. John has since been credited, by the Oregon Historical Society, for co-founding the Oregon Gay Liberation movement in 1970. John and co-founder Holly Hart were honored in 1995 by the placing of a plaque at the Centenary Wilbur Church in Portland, site of the first meetings.

In 1974 John began a decades long and distinguished career with Eastman Kodak. He won the Joseph F. Iadarola, Western Region, Service Excellence Award in 1990 and 2001, and was greatly admired and liked by co-workers and customers alike. John also fought for recognition of Domestic Partner Benefits by Eastman Kodak, which were eventually adopted by the company. John retired from Kodak in 2009.

In 1978, and John and David moved to San Francisco, where John became active in the Stop Aids Project, becoming a discussion group leader and serving on the board of directors for several years.

The couple returned to Seattle in 1987 to care for John's widowed, ailing mother, and soon John was involved in the struggle for gay and lesbian civil rights in his home town. In a matter of months, John was appointed to be a member of Mayor's Commission on Sexual Minorities, which later became the Commission for Lesbians and Gays. John served a little over two and half years, working on the Domestic Partnership Ordinance with Shelly Cohen. The ordinance was enacted and then challenged in 1990, and John became a member of the steering committee for the "No on 35," campaign, which formed to protect it. The campaign was successful and John was recognized for his efforts by Mayor Norm Rice.

1995 was a momentous year for John, as it was the beginning of a long and hard fought battle for marriage equality. After attending a business luncheon where Evan Wolfson gave an impassioned presentation on the national movement for gay marriage, John quickly began a grassroots effort to organize a local group devoted to the movement. In October of 1995, from the living room of his home in north Seattle, John and a group of dedicated men and women met to start the Legal Marriage Alliance of Washington.

The LMA primarily served as resource for people interested in the subject of gay marriage. Members provided out-reach to the gay, lesbian and straight community, lobbied government officials, and fought for and promoted the right for gay and lesbian couples to marry. John served as president of the LMA for the first three years, and despite numerous setbacks and disappointments over the next decade, witnessed in November 2012 the passage of Referendum 74, the Washington State ballot measure legalizing same-sex marriage. Then, on December 9, 2012, John and David, at a Seattle City Hall event hosted by Mayor Mike McGinn, became part of the group to be the first legally married gay and lesbian couples in the state.

Before he became ill, John loved to visit and explore the Methow Valley with his husband, staying at the Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop. The couple also enjoyed taking local day trips, where they would hike, rock hound, and John could engage in his hobby, photography. John was an accomplished amateur photographer and became an expert in the art of digital photography. John also enjoyed weight training and kept busy around the house on various projects, and he loved helping David care for their two cats, Pete and Sam.

John is survived by his husband, David Davenport, by John's in-laws, Mike and Cathy Davenport and their children, Tom Davenport and Elizabeth Hull Davenport and his cousin Vicki Wilkinson Culley. He is also survived by David's late brother's sons, Ashton Davenport and Derek Davenport, and by David's half-brothers, Tony Scaturro and Dan Scaturro.

Celebration of John's life will be held on February 8, 2020 at 2:00 PM at Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home in their Tribute Center 11111 Aurora Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98133, reception following in the adjacent celebration hall from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM.