Obituary of John Wilkins

John Dallas Wilkins was born March 22, 1920 to Milo and Ella Mae Wilkins in Marshall, Texas died peacefully January 14, 2011. Upon the death of his father at age 10, John and his identical twin, Bill, moved to Tulsa with their mother to be near several aunts and a horde of cousins. In 1941 John and Bill enlisted as part of the 45th Artillery Division. On December 7, 1941 they were on leave and were bowling in Tulsa when word came that all leave had been cancelled. Bill tragically died in a Jeep accident returning to base. Following OCS training, John moved to the 82nd Airborne where he trained as a paratrooper. After parachuting into France, John was wounded in Italy and returned stateside for rehab before being honorably discharged. On a visit to Tulsa John met Patricia Anne Hale. They were married December 22, 1945. John worked in accounting at Home Federal Bank, then at Gulf Oil before branching out on his own as a general contractor of quality residential and commercial properties. John was an avid tennis player and was also known to many a woman as the best dancer ever. John is survived by his son William Hale Wilkins, daughter-in-law Cecilia Wilkins, his daughter Judith Anne Wilkins, his grandsons Will Wilkins and fiancé Melissa McEachern and David Wilkins and his wife Melissa Wilkins, close friend Barbara Parnell, cousins Alberta Baker, Kitty Mullins and David Dunning, and by Sammie and Mattie. Memorial celebration will be at Ninde Brookside Chapel, 3841 S. Peoria. John's family knows John would appreciate donations to PAWS of Tulsa, P.O. Box 14038, Tulsa, 74159 or Tulsa Habitat for Humanity, 6235 E. 13th Street, Tulsa, 74112.