Jim Wilkins
Jim Wilkins, age 94 of Anna, died peacefully Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Anna.
He was born on May 13, 1931, in South Bend, IN, to James Richard and Lorell Wilkins. They immediately moved to Detroit, MI.
At high school age, after moving to live with his grandparents, Charley and Mary Knight, he graduated from Ullin High School in May, 1949.
He enlisted in the Army in January, 1951. He served in the 5th Army, 61st Engineer Construction Battalion and attained the rank of SFC. He was a member of the Army Honor Guard.
He spent one year assigned to the Air Force for the construction of an air strip at Pusan, Korea. He was discharged from the Army January, 1954, at Fort Hood, TX.
Jim married Sue Wilkins of Ullin in July of 1953. They were blessed with two sons, Dirk of Lawrence, KS and Scott of Anna; six grandchildren: Christopher (Vedrano) Wilkins, Todd (Marianna) Wilkins, Natalie (Garrett) Attig, all of Kansas; Olivia and Tess Wilkins of Anna and Kyle Schuster of Anna; nine great grandchildren; sister, Carole Wilkins-Dunkerson of Detroit, MI; other extended family and many friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents and one sister.
He attended Louisiana Baptist College, Pineville, LA, and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. He pastored churches in LA and MI for 14 years -- then 21 years in MO.
After volunteering for one year in Northern Ghana at a Southern Baptist hospital as their maintenance engineer in 1975-76, Jim and Sue were appointed in 1980 as Southern Baptist International missionaries to serve in West Africa - living in Liberia, Ghana, Mali, Togo, Burkina Faso and Nigeria over the next 16 years. Jim's assignment was Builder/Evangelist.
He led in the various types of construction, but his primary focus was construction of missionary homes. Other construction included a dental clinic, publication house, warehouses, guest houses, a residential compound of houses for missionaries. Aluminum houses for missionaries were built in four of those countries.
In every country where they lived, Jim pastored an English-speaking congregation. Jim and Sue retired in Aug., 1996, and moved to Jonesboro, IL.
Jim kept busy supply preaching in churches across SO IL. Jim was a member of the First Baptist Church. He did not hunt, nor fish, nor play golf. His fun, passion and fulfillment could only be done from the seat of a bulldozer, tractor or lawn mower.
Jim and Sue moved to Anna in 2005 and to the Illinois Veterans' Home in 2022. Their lives were filled with adventure and blessings.
Funeral service were on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at Mound City National Cemetery in Mound City. Graveside military honors were conducted by the National Guard Funeral Honor Team and area Veterans. Interment will follow.