Meriel Wilkinson

Meriel Ellen Gee Wilkinson, 91, beloved and beautiful mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend passed away on Monday, March 20th, 2017 at Coble Creek Health Care in Twin Lakes Community.
Meriel was born on June 22, 1925 in Ypsilanti, Michigan to Helen Easton and Russell Lowell Gee. Her family moved to Painesville and then Cleveland Hts., Ohio, where she attended Roxboro Elementary and Cleveland Hts. High Schools. She was a member of the National Honor Society and the class of 1943. As a pre-med major at Western Reserve University she earned a BA in Biology with an English minor in 1947. In 1948 she married James Howard Wilkinson. They remained a remarkable team until his death in August 2004. Together they had three children Sarah, Anne, and James, and lived in Chagrin Falls, Ohio until 2002, when they moved to Twin Lakes Community in Burlington, North Carolina.
Meriel was a fun-loving, intelligent, and loving person who had many interests and talents. She enjoyed the outdoors and delighted in showing her children its wonders, both in the woods behind their home and in the places the family visited while camping during summer vacations. She was an avid gardener and animal lover. For many years she was active in her church, St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Bentleyville Ohio. As the daughter of a professional musician, she was an accomplished pianist and sang in the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus as a young adult. She and Jim shared a love for music, and their home literally resounded with it. From childhood she loved to draw and paint. Meriel was a voracious reader, of literature and at least two newspapers every day. Her interests included art and antiques, travel, medical research, politics, finance, history, and the natural world. She was always clipping articles to share with friends, family, and others. She kindled and supported the interests of her children and was generous with her time and resources to those less fortunate. She served as a Girl Scout leader for 15 years, and her leadership through service inspired many young women. She also served on the Geauga County Board of Mental Health and supported the Kenston High School Band through her volunteering at the booster club's store, The Lucky Find, in Bainbridge Township.
Mrs. Wilkinson was predeceased by her parents, brother, and husband. She leaves behind to cherish her memory her children: Sarah W. Kemp (Leon) of Bellevue, WA, Anne E. Wilkinson (Michael Sanford) of Burlington, NC and James H. Wilkinson, Jr. of Pittsburgh, PA.; her grandchildren: James R. Wilkinson (Natalie) of Windermere, FL, Peter J. Wilkinson, Joshua P. Wilkinson(Casey), and Noah C. Wilkinson of Pittsburgh, PA, and Emily E. Sanford of Durham, NC.; great-grandsons Isaac and Logan Wilkinson, many nieces and nephews, and many dear friends, including the wonderful caregivers at Twin Lakes Community and from Hospice of Alamance/Caswell Counties. She will always be remembered for her wonderful smile, bright blue eyes, and dry sense of humor. She will be missed terribly by her loved ones, but will now rest in eternal peace with her Lord.
A celebration of Meriel's life will be held on Saturday, May 6th in Foley Chapel at Twin Lakes Community at 2:00 pm. A reception will follow the service in the Peppertree dining room in Coble Creek Health Care at Twin Lakes. There will be a private burial service for the
family in the columbarium at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Greensboro, NC. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Alamance-Caswell or the Auxilliary of Twin Lakes Community in Burlington, NC.

Previous Events