You can learn a lot about a person and their familial relationships in an obituary.
Case in point is Clyde Wilson’s obit. Clyde is the father of Tim Wilson Sr. and grandfather to Tim Wilson Jr. Clyde Wilson passed away several years ago, on February 27, 2020 in Houston.
The obituary write up on Clyde, of course was very respectful and warm. (You can see it in full here: Clyde Wilson / Dignity Memorial.) It is also very revealing. As obits go, usually a very close family member will serve as the author. Often in consultation with other members of the family. You’d think that maybe a son, someone like Tim Wilson Sr., might write it up.
What’s significant about Clyde’s obit, however, is the noticeably underplayed and only once-mentioned reference to Tim Wilson Sr., Clyde’s son. And no mention of his paternal grandson and Tim Sr.’s son, Tim Wilson Jr.
Here’s how the list of the surviving members of Clyde Wilson’s family is written up, quoted verbatim from the obituary:
“Clyde is survived by his second wife, Alicia (Adair) Wilson and her daughter Ashley (Mace) Holmsten, her husband Walter “Russ” Holmsten II, and their children Hannah, Charlie, and Lorene and her son Brett Mace and his wife Jennifer (Kellough) Mace; his son, Joe Wilson, his wife Darien (Kubik) Wilson, and their children Zoe, Clark, and Rose of Highlands Ranch, CO and Georgetown, TX; his daughter, Janice Wilson-Coletta, her husband Vince Coletta, and their children Jenna, Carter, and Violet of Chalfont, PA; and his six brothers and sisters Ruth (Wilson) Winsor, Mary (Wilson) Bradley, Kathy (Wilson) Clinton and her husband P.M. Clinton, Henry Wilson and his wife Sharon (Smith) Wilson, Amy (Wilson) Von Blon and her husband Mike Von Blon, and Tim Wilson.”
(Our emphasis on the Tim Wilson name.)
Clyde’s son, Tim Wilson Sr. gets bottom billing here. He’s not even referred to as a son. Clyde’s other son and daughter — Joe and his family, including wife and children (Clyde’s grandchildren); Janice Wilson-Coletta and her husband and children) — are listed very prominently, and rightfully so. Literally everybody and their brother, sister, son, daughter, spouse, etc. is mentioned. And there’s poor Tim Wilson Sr. dragging up the rear. We can almost hear whoever wrote this obit begrudgingly say, “Alright, alright, I’ll put him in. See — at the very end, Tim Wilson. Okay?”
Wow. Tells you a lot, don’t you think? Tim Wilson Sr. — the very last name mentioned in a very long list of Clyde’s surviving family members. Seems like Tim Wilson Sr. was getting the middle finger not only from father, Clyde, but from the rest of the family, too. At least that’s the way we read it.
