James Harry Wilson passed away on April 5, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona.  He was 98 years old.  Harry is survived by his son Paul Wilson and daughter-in-law Charlene Wilson (Florence, OR), daughter Janice Wilson-Hoffman and son-in-law Stuart Hoffman (Florence, AZ), son Stephen Wilson (Denver, CO), daughter Julie Wilson-Coskey and son-in-law Tom Coskey (Fairbanks, AK), and daughter JoAnne Wilson (Pacifica, CA).  His grand children include Owen Coskey, Justin and Julian Wilson, Miles and Schuyler Bauman-Wilson.  His great grand children include Max and Riley Wilson, and his great-great grand children include Atlas and Freyja Mae Wilson.

Harry was born on June 19, 1923 in Manila, Arkansas to Avery Basil Wilson and Ida Mae (Amsden) Wilson.  He was one of nine siblings.  During World War II, Harry served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, 66 ^th Airdrome Squadron, and both he and his brother Eugene Wilson participated in the D-Day landing at Normandy, France.  Meanwhile, while Harry and Eugene (and their brother Jess Wilson) served in the military while their older brother, sister and father worked in the munitions factories in the San Francisco Bay Area to help support the war effort.  As a World War II vet, Harry was asked to participate as a guest of honor in Yuma's Annual Veteran's Day Parade in 2019.

Following World War II, Harry utilized the GI Bill to train as a commercial pilot.  He also began training as an electrician and lineman in Northern California and eventually began his career as a lineman and crew chief for Portland General Electric Company (PGE) in their Hillsboro Oregon division.  He worked for PGE for a total of 36 years before retiring in 1985.

Harry married Frances Kathleen Cerkvenik, RN, in 1951 and they raised their five children in Hillsboro, Oregon until her death in 1988.  He then married Helen Clayton, of Courtney, BC, Canada where they built their home and traveled to Yuma annually until Helen's death in 1993.  He then befriended Jan Sprecher, of Eugene, Oregon where they lived while also making annual trips to Yuma.  They moved from Oregon to Yuma's Foothills area where they lived for several years until moving into Copper Place Assisted Living Center for the last 2 ^1/2 years.   Jan passed away in June, 2020 and Harry remained at Copper Place until his death.

Also preceding Harry in death are his parents, Ida Mae Amsden-Wilson (1946) and Avery B. Wilson (1954), his brothers Jess (1968), Bazzle (1975), Hubert (1994), and Eugene (2006), and his sisters Myrtle (____), Byrtle (1983), Goldie (1996) and Betty (2015), and his daughter-in-law Laura Bauman-Wilson (2012).

Burial services will be held on June 3, 2022 at 1:45 pm at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 333 SW Skyline Blvd. in Portland, Oregon where Harry will be interred next to Frances Cerkvenik Wilson and her sister Amelia Cerkvenik Haver.

Harry was always a supporter of Yuma's charitable organizations including The Crossroads Mission, The Humane Society of Yuma, The Yuma Food Bank and The Salvation Army of Yuma.  En lieu of flowers, donations can be made to any of these four local charities in his memory.  Correspondence may be sent to Jan Hoffman, 7584 W. Patriot Way, Florence, AZ 85132-6928 (email: janhoffman5@gmail.com ) to be shared with the family.