Rosalyn Sarah Wilkinson
December 19, 1936 ~ April 2, 2022
Rosalyn Sarah Wilkinson was born December 19, 1936 in Sturgis, Michigan, to Gordon and Marie Schilz. She passed peacefully from this life on Saturday, April 2, 2022.
Rosalyn developed a love of travel early in her life. Her father was a geography professor who moved frequently for his career, taking his family with him. They resided in several U.S. states and spent Rosalyn’s teenage years living in Burma and Ethiopia. They also traveled extensively in Europe, India, Central Africa, and Afghanistan. Rosalyn returned from living abroad to go to college in the United States. She attended Albion College for two years and earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Oklahoma with a major in Public Relations and minors in English and Speech. She then earned a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of Missouri.
Rosalyn was proud of her career as Senior Staff Associate and Manager of Human Resources Development at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where she had several prestigious accomplishments. She created the Intern Productivity Program, the UB Healthy wellness program, a Toastmasters chapter, and the Retired Employee Volunteer Program. She was elected Chair of the Professional Staff Senate in 1993, won the University Personnel Association’s Creativity Award in 1991, and was named Who’s Who in American Women in 1988.
She and her late husband, Tom, were married for 45 years. They raised three children in Buffalo, NY, and then retired to their dream home in Lakewood Ranch, FL. They were happiest spending time together socializing, playing couples tennis, and traveling the world. Some of Rosalyn’s favorite memories with Tom included a sailing trip from the Chesapeake Bay to the Caribbean and touring the United States for two years in a recreational vehicle. Rosalyn was an avid and skilled bridge player. She enjoyed musical theater and Hallmark movies, and played in a fantasy football league. She especially loved watching Dallas Cowboys and OU Sooners football games.
Rosalyn is survived by her three children, Chris Wilkinson and his wife Stephanie (Falls Church, VA), Tedric Wilkinson (Richmond, VA), and Nachelle Wilkinson (Shady Side, MD); her grandsons, Hayden Wilkinson (Charlotte, NC) and RJ Caster (Jacksonville, FL); and her two sisters, Sylviagene Meneshian and her husband Hagop (Greenwich, CT) and Kathleen Klemz and her husband Charles (Fargo, ND). She is predeceased by her husband, Thomas Allan Wilkinson, and will be buried next to him at Arlington National Cemetery.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 9, 2022, at 11:15 a.m. at Money & King Funeral Home, www.moneyandking.com. For those unable to attend the memorial service in person, please see the livestream link below. Graveside burial service will follow at Arlington National Cemetery at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation, www.sjogrens.org.
Click Here to Livestream
Rosalyn developed a love of travel early in her life. Her father was a geography professor who moved frequently for his career, taking his family with him. They resided in several U.S. states and spent Rosalyn’s teenage years living in Burma and Ethiopia. They also traveled extensively in Europe, India, Central Africa, and Afghanistan. Rosalyn returned from living abroad to go to college in the United States. She attended Albion College for two years and earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Oklahoma with a major in Public Relations and minors in English and Speech. She then earned a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of Missouri.
Rosalyn was proud of her career as Senior Staff Associate and Manager of Human Resources Development at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where she had several prestigious accomplishments. She created the Intern Productivity Program, the UB Healthy wellness program, a Toastmasters chapter, and the Retired Employee Volunteer Program. She was elected Chair of the Professional Staff Senate in 1993, won the University Personnel Association’s Creativity Award in 1991, and was named Who’s Who in American Women in 1988.
She and her late husband, Tom, were married for 45 years. They raised three children in Buffalo, NY, and then retired to their dream home in Lakewood Ranch, FL. They were happiest spending time together socializing, playing couples tennis, and traveling the world. Some of Rosalyn’s favorite memories with Tom included a sailing trip from the Chesapeake Bay to the Caribbean and touring the United States for two years in a recreational vehicle. Rosalyn was an avid and skilled bridge player. She enjoyed musical theater and Hallmark movies, and played in a fantasy football league. She especially loved watching Dallas Cowboys and OU Sooners football games.
Rosalyn is survived by her three children, Chris Wilkinson and his wife Stephanie (Falls Church, VA), Tedric Wilkinson (Richmond, VA), and Nachelle Wilkinson (Shady Side, MD); her grandsons, Hayden Wilkinson (Charlotte, NC) and RJ Caster (Jacksonville, FL); and her two sisters, Sylviagene Meneshian and her husband Hagop (Greenwich, CT) and Kathleen Klemz and her husband Charles (Fargo, ND). She is predeceased by her husband, Thomas Allan Wilkinson, and will be buried next to him at Arlington National Cemetery.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 9, 2022, at 11:15 a.m. at Money & King Funeral Home, www.moneyandking.com. For those unable to attend the memorial service in person, please see the livestream link below. Graveside burial service will follow at Arlington National Cemetery at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation, www.sjogrens.org.
Click Here to Livestream
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My sister Rosalyn was 12 years older than me. When we were in Ethiopia, we went on a safari to Kenya. We took all of our water and all of the gasoline we would need, as there were no places to get those things. This was in the 1950s. We would set up camp and build a fire to keep out the wild animals and encircle the camp with high thorn bushes that we gathered. At night my mom and my sister would take turns keeping watch. (The servants that went with us would go to sleep on their watch) I have this picture in my head of my sister sitting in front of the fire with a shotgun, that she was supposed to fire if she spotted a hyena or lion, or another animal. Not many people know that her life included being a watchman at night and guardian of our camp. But it’s a true story, as I’m an eyewitness. Thanks for keeping us safe Rosalyn.