Bobby Wilson

Funeral Services for Bobby Carrol Wilson, age 97, of Monroe will be held at 2:00 P.M., Friday, December 30, 2022 in Feazel Chapel, West Monroe, LA. Visitation will be at 1:00 P.M. until time of service. Dr. Woods Watson will be officiating. Interment will follow at Kilpatrick’s Serenity Gardens, West Monroe, LA.

Wow, what a ride! Bobby was born on February 21, 1925 in West Monroe to Ruby and Robert Wilson. He loved growing up in West Monroe and was known in the neighborhood for his strength and toughness. If there was a fight or disagreement, they were all looking for Bobby. At the age of 16, he left home and enrolled at Louisiana Tech where he excelled on the baseball team. After his freshmen year, World War II broke out and he enlisted in the United States Marine Corp and was stationed in Santa Barbara, California. As a young man, this was his first experience away from home and he loved his time spent there but also related the hardships with the images of death.
Back home after the war, Bobby continued his education at LSU. He always recalled his time there as some of the best times in his life. He loved his fraternity, Lambda Chi and even persuaded one of his grandsons to join the same one. LSU football and baseball would become his passion and that is something that stayed with him until the end. He was always good at accessing the teams over the years and doing a little Lazy Boy coaching.
It was during these years that he met and married Beverly Ringwald, a beautiful young school teacher. No one was ever sure how he landed Beverly, but he told her on their first date that he would marry her and he somehow made that happen.
After graduation, he and Beverly moved back home. West Monroe High School had just opened its doors and that was where Bobby began his career in education, coaching and teaching. Many of his students and players remember him as a tough taskmaster and disciplinarian. Beverly also would join him there where she taught English for 35 years. They loved West Monroe High School, attended reunions and enjoyed going back to reminisce and tour the campus.
Bobby loved the Lord and his church. He was a lifelong member of First Baptist Church of West Monroe and bragged often that he was the oldest living member, which no one questioned. He taught a Men’s Senior Sunday school class for many years, and those men became some of his closest and most cherished friends. The tough, strict-minded man found the Lord, and he softened his heart. This was most visible with family and grandchildren, as he had the blessing of getting to know even his great grandchildren. For many years, his Saturday morning routine was volunteering at the Veterans Home. He would load up his car with bananas, candy and soft drinks and off he would go. It was noted by one of his grandchildren, who one Saturday accompanied him that he did not stop at all, not even at lights between his home and the Veterans Home. He was on a mission! He loved visiting with his fellow Veterans and often said that one day he might even move in.
Bobby was blessed with a strong body which helped him throughout his whole life. As he aged, he was dedicated to working out and loved going to the MAC with Beverly and Willie May and visiting with friends while getting attention and instruction from his trainer Johnanne, whom he loved.
It was often said that Bobby had his best quality of life in his later years which is somewhat unusual. Maybe it was because he was blessed with outstanding health and a wonderful guardian angel named Willie May Wilson. What a gift! They travelled to Las Vegas, Washington D.C. and took all kinds of fun trips, making concerts and sporting events. They even visited Santa Barbara to see one more time where he was stationed during the war. There is the saying that “It takes a village” and that village included not just family and caretakers but a host of friends that visited, brought food and supported Bobby. Bobby maintained his positive attitude which seemed to be contagious until the end, still looking to get up out of the bed and make one more Dairy Queen run. He was a true Marine with perseverance and determination to keep going.
Bobby was predeceased by his wife of 65 years Beverly, daughter Jan Wilson and brother Jack Wilson.
Survivors include his daughters and sons-in-law Lynn and James Moore of Monroe and Kris and Bill Pryor of Birmingham, Alabama, five grandchildren, James Moore III and his wife Arabella, Beverly Haydel and her husband Justin, Robert Moore, Caroline Johnson and her husband Power and Victoria Bloom and her husband Hamilton, four great grandchildren and sister-in-law Frankie Wilson.
Pallbearers will be Robert Moore, James W. Moore, III, Dr. Justin Haydel, William H. Pryor, Jr., Jamie White and Alan Williams.
A special thank you to Dr. Art Yarbrough for all of his support and compassion. The family also wants to thank his wonderful caregivers Roslyn Carter, Lilly Gee, Tameka Adams, Ashley Wilson, Don Smith and the staff at Louisiana Hospice and Palliative Care. Also, thank you to all of the staff at Podnuhs Barbeque on Hwy 165 and Jeff Liner and staff at the Creamery along with countless others who took the time to treat Bobby so special.

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