Donald W. Wilson

Funeral services for Donald Wayne Wilson will be held on Saturday, September 22, 2018 at 9am at Memorial Heights Baptist Church, 1500 W. Will Rogers Blvd., Claremore, OK. Burial will follow at Washington Cemetery, Claremore, OK. Visitation will be at MMS-Payne Funeral Home, 102 W. 5th St., Claremore, OK on Friday, September 21, 2018 between 1pm and 8pm. The family will be greeting friends and relatives between 6pm and 8pm.
Donald Wayne Wilson, 80, passed away on September 17, 2018 at his home in Claremore, OK. Don was born on December 25, 1937 in Chelsea, OK to Orval and Edith Victory Wilson. He grew up in Chelsea and graduated from Chelsea High School in 1955. Following high school he attended NEO A&M in Miami, OK on a baseball scholarship. He married his high school sweetheart, Mary Edna Best, then joined Amerada Petroleum in 1957 as a Chief Computer. Don and Mary lived in three different states and during that time their family grew to include three children. When it was time for their first child, Janet, to begin school, they moved the family back to Claremore.
In 1969 Amerada merged with Hess and Don was advised that he would need to relocate to New York. His desire to remain in the community he loved was the catalyst he needed to leave the security of his job and jump into the world of real estate. Over the next 50 years Don bought, sold, developed, appraised, remodeled and managed all types of real estate. Although he was active in many real estate related companies through the years, his true passion was real estate appraisal. He was an Oklahoma Certified General Appraiser and qualified as an expert witness in 21 Eastern Oklahoma counties. He loved to testify, mentor young appraisers and teach.
Don loved auctions and attended them regularly. If you found yourself traveling to an auction with Don you might find yourself towing an RV home, cradling a gun in your lap or making arrangements to return the next day to pick up the longhorn cattle he just bought. He took tremendous joy in the treasures he could own just by attending an auction.
Don was a man of many interests. He was an avid horseracing fan; his betting strategy was complicated and usually effective. He owned a restaurant and took great pleasure in the friendship he had with the employees and customers. He loved guns and appreciated people who shared that interest.
Don is survived by his daughters Janet Freeman of Tulsa, OK and Marla (Ron) Lillie of Claremore, OK; his brother Tom (Pat) Wilson of Chelsea, OK, sisters Ruth Skeans and Sharlene (Jim) Reagan of Claremore, OK; his grandchildren Alex Freeman, Matthew (Jenny) Wilson, Brian Rule, Jason (Julianne) Lillie, Gaila Smith, Ellie Lillie and Samuel (Anna) Lillie; seven great-grandchildren and many friends and extended family members.
Don was preceded in death by his parents Orval and Edith Wilson, sisters Janice Brewer and Vivian Cauthen and his son, Rodney Wilson.