Richard Wilcox

Obituary of Richard Wilcox Richard R. Wilcox, age 80, of The Villages, Florida, passed away on May 5 at Cornerstone Hospice in Sumpterville, Florida. He was born the son of Earle and Henrietta Wilcox, on December 31, 1929, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was married to Joann Bower on June 16, 1951, and she survives him. He attended Alma College and graduated with a B.A. from the University of Michigan. Upon graduation he was employed at DeLano Services, a printing company, in Allegan, Michigan. In 1960 he purchased The Reminder Shopping Guide in Goodrich Michigan. A few years later he converted the shopper to a newspaper and moved its offices to Ortonville, Michigan. In 1964 he ran for the position of Brandon Township Supervisor, and was elected by four votes. This began a political career that spanned 26 years. Four years later he was elected Oakland County Commissioner and held that position for 22 years before retiring. He was chairman of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for 10 years, and president of the National Association of Counties for 4 years. He was also a founding member of The Pontiac Stadium Authority, which built and governed The Pontiac Stadium. During that time span he was also president of Shopping Guides of Michigan. He owned or partially owned several publications including The County Line Reminder, The Modern Shopper, The Clare County Review and the Hamtramck Citizen. He retired to Bonita Bay, Florida in 1990, where he played golf (scoring three holes-in-one) and was active in many community organizations. Four years ago, he moved to The Villages. Richard was active in the United Methodist Church, Rotary International and The Jaycees. He was an avid sports fan, particularly enjoying University of Michigan football, where he held season tickets for nearly 50 years. Richard is survived by his wife Joann; five children, Richard Michael of Clare, Sandra Wagner (Tim) of Climax, Marcia White (Artis) of Lansing, James Wilcox (Mary) of Ortonville and Susan Delp (Michael) of Clearwater, Florida. He had one surviving sister, Lillian, of Ypsilanti. He has eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Memorial services celebrating Richard's life will take place on May 15, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. at the Sherman-Wilk Funeral Home in Ortonville. Burial will be in the Ortonville Cemetery. A reception will follow at the Ortonville Montessori School, 260 M-15, in Ortonville. Memorial contributions may be made to The Alzheimer's Organization at: http://act.alz.org/goto/Richard.Wilcox or the Richard Wilcox Scholarship Fund at 260 M-15, Ortonville, MI 48462. Services Memorial services celebrating Richard's life will take place on May 15, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. at the Sherman-Wilk Funeral Home in Ortonville. Interment Burial will be in the Ortonville Cemetery. A reception will follow at the Ortonville Montessori School, 260 M-15, in Ortonville. Memorial Donations Memorial contributions may be made to The Alzheimer's Organization at: http://act.alz.org/goto/richard.wilcox or the Richard Wilcox Scholarship Fund at 260 M-15, Ortonville, Mi. 48462.

Richard Wilcox

December 31, 1929 - May 5, 2010