William Edward Wilkerson died peacefully at Summers County Health Center on October 5, 2025. He was born January 30, 1944 to Morris and Christine Wilkerson of Rural Retreat VA, one of 9 children. He is survived by 2 sisters, Vera Ellen and Regina Wilkerson. He is also survived by wife of 54 years, Retha, and children Amy (Scott Wisniowski), Benjamin, Sara (Mike Logan), and Devin (Marybeth.) He is also survived by 3 grandchildren, Adyn, Audrey, and Chase Wilkerson, and numerous nephews and nieces. Bill was raised on a dairy farm and bred show cattle, for which he won awards. After graduating Rural Retreat High School he went on to work for Southern States, but then joined the US Coast Guard during the time of the Vietnam war. As he told it, he wanted to save lives not take lives. After serving honorably for 4 years, he worked for a time for GE, and then on to the US postal service, starting in Richmond VA. It was at the post office job that he met his future wife, Retha Lilly whom he married in 1971. In 1973 the couple and their young daughter moved to Lerona to help her then widowed mother on her dairy farm, later beef cattle farm. He transferred to the postal service in Princeton WV, from where he retired after 36 years of service, while simultaneously working on the farm. After retiring from the post office he worked for several years with Devin at Raleigh Tile in Princeton. Bill was introduced to a study of the Bible by Retha, and was baptized in 1974. He was a faithful member of the Princeton Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, where he served as a ministerial servant. He loved helping the brothers and sisters in the congregation, and often had a word of cheer or teasing to uplift others. Many who knew him have remarked what a kind man he was, and what a hard worker he was. He will be remembered with love and joy by all of his family, and all look forward to the time we'll see him again in the resurrection. Memorial Services will be held Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 3:30 PM at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1400 Old Bluefield Road, Princeton. Online condolences may be shared with the family via www.memorialfd.com . The Wilkerson family is being served by the Memorial Funeral Directory and Cremation Center on the Athens Road in Princeton.