William Wilson

William H. Wilson, a Lawton attorney for 40 years, died at the age of 86 on December 25, 2008. He was active until he suffered a stroke at the end of October. Born in Nocona, Texas on November 24, 1922, he was a lawyer in private practice for 50 years and a rancher who raised cattle at his Texas property near Nocona. He is survived by one son, William Roger Wilson, of San Antonio, Texas, and by his granddaughter, Brianna Inkster of Saint Cloud, Minnesota, the mother of his two great-granddaughters, Kaya and Ellie Inkster. He was predeceased by his wife of 51 years, Grace Thompson Wilson and his daughter, Barbara Wilson Bezek. Mr. Wilson was a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a member of the Naval ROTC. Called to active duty in World War II, he served as Executive Officer aboard a minesweeper and saw duty on the East Coast and in the Pacific, where his vessel survived a number of attacks and two typhoons. His ship was one of the first vessels to enter Tokyo Bay following the Japanese surrender in 1945. He re-enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and taught officer candidate school at the U.S. Navy"™s OCS facility at Newport, Rhode Island. Thereafter, he taught evening OCS classes for 20 years, ultimately retiring from the United States Naval Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He worked for Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Tulsa, Oklahoma for a number of years while rearing a family and attending evening law school classes at the University of Tulsa, receiving his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1958. After living in Nocona and establishing his ranch there while practicing law at Ryan, Oklahoma, he moved to Lawton in 1968 and opened a law practice. He was a member of the Comanche County Bar Association and of the Western Hills Church of Christ in Lawton. Mr. Wilson"™s family thanks the staff at the Cedar Crest Nursing Home for the tender care he received during the last weeks of his life. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2009, at the Western Hills Church of Christ located at 1108 N.W. 53rd Street in Lawton, Oklahoma To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of William Wilson please visit our Sympathy Store.