Morehouse County Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....WILKERSON, MELVIN RAY SR. February 14, 2026 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: GINA BROWN http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00025.html#0006026 March 22, 2026, 8:07 am LEGACY FEBRUARY 2026 MELVIN RAY SR. WILKERSON Funeral services for Mr. Melvin Ray Wilkerson, Sr are scheduled for 2 PM Tuesday, February 17, 2026 in the chapel of Golden Funeral Home with Bro. Tim Post and Bro. Phillip McCready officiating. A time of visitation will be held Tuesday from 1 PM - 2 PM prior to the service. Mr. Wilkerson, a retiree of International Paper Company, passed away surrounded by his loving family on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at the age of eighty-two. He is survived by his wife of sixty-two years, Jan Wilkerson; sons, Ray Wilkerson and wife, Shay, and Wes Wilkerson and wife, Jamie; grandchildren, Ryan Wilkerson and wife, Sarah, Evan Wilkerson and wife, Victoria, Emma Wilkerson, Dalton Wilkerson, Harleigh Wilkerson, Bryin Wilkerson, Eli Ashcraft, Alisa Ashcraft; great grandchildren, Tristan Wilkerson, Camden Wilkerson, Gabriella Wilkerson, Colt Wilkerson, Rancyn Wilkerson, Bentleigh Wilkerson and numerous nieces, nephews, friends, and Ray's big sister Lisa Chain and her very special family. Mr. Wilkerson is preceded in death by his parents, Rufus and Beulah Wilkerson; brothers, Willis Wilkerson, Charles Wayne Wilkerson; and sister, Janette Williams. Serving the family as pallbearers will be Ray Wilkerson, Wes Wilkerson, Ryan Wilkerson, Evan Wilkerson, Bryin Wilkerson, and Tristan Wilkerson. Honorary pallbearers are Dalton Wilkerson, Eli Ashcraft, Camden Wilkerson, Colt Wilkerson, and Rancyn Wilkerson. The Wilkerson family would like to extend their heartfelt love and gratitude to Dr. Harry Hawthorn; the staff of the North East Louisiana Veterans Home; and to Craig West and the staff of Allegiance Hospice for their compassionate care and loving attention given to their loved one. Gratitude is also extended posthumously to Dr. Carter Cox, not only for the medical care he gave to Mr. Wilkerson, but also the many years of friendship as well. The following is a word of reflection from Mr. Melvin's son Ray: A man has many titles assigned to him in this life. To many, Melvin Wilkerson was a co-worker; to some, a friend. To the family, he was son, brother, nephew, uncle, son-in-law, and so on. To Ray and Wes, he was Daddy – not father, not Pop – he was Daddy. To the grandkids and great grandkids, he was "Paw." From his oldest grandchild to the youngest, he made lasting memories over the years, sharing life with them. To Mama, he was the love of her life, devoted to her as much as a man could be – devotion unmistakable and unwavering. Mama could count on him for anything, and she could get him to do just about anything she wanted. If ever there was a couple that became one when they married, as the Bible declares, it was them. They were rarely seen apart from one another. They were together from the supper table to the hay field and everywhere in between. Our neighbor Buddy Montgomery used to say that you couldn't tell who was driving when they were in a vehicle together. They had a love for each other that is rarely seen today. Daddy's cousins say that he joined the Air Force because Mamaw told him he had to get out and get a job. He told them that he was too lazy to get a job, so he joined the Air Force! While that may be true, we never witnessed his laziness. He taught us from a very young age to work. From gardening to cutting firewood, clearing land for cattle pasture, to putting hay in the barn every summer, he never stopped and didn't let up on us, either. After Wes and I got married and moved out of the house, Daddy had natural gas logs put in the fireplace, and he sold all his cows. We used to pick at him about that. We'd say that he'd lost his help. The truth is that he was really getting about too old to keep doing those things, so he found other "hobbies" to occupy himself. He retired and rebuilt an old Model T Ford that had been in pieces in the barn since before Wes was even born. He went and bought an old dilapidated '57 Chevy and spent 3 ½ years rebuilding that old car. That just about wore both of us out with the extra time we spent with him putting it together. It just about stressed Mama out writing checks and buying parts. So, we really think that laziness was not a trait of his. HE WORKED ALL THE TIME and passed that right on down to us. Thank you, Daddy. Now, that's all we know how to do. Daddy gave his heart to Jesus in 1973 and was committed to following Him the rest of his life. He worked as hard or harder for the Lord. From teaching Sunday School to fixing up an old bus to go out and pick up kids from all over the community and bring them to church, he didn't believe in just sitting and watching others do the work. He even took voice lessons so he could try to lead the song service. While he couldn't pass along any musical talents or the ability to sing, he did instill in our hearts and minds what it means to serve God with all that you have. We never thought of him as a perfect man. To be honest with you, it was quite the opposite until we got past the teenage years. The older we got, the more we learned about him and from him. I'm sure this will continue for years to come. I could keep going on and on about the man we know as Daddy, but I won't. I would be doing him an injustice, however, if I didn't mention several men whom we observed working shoulder to shoulder with him in his young walk of faith. Bro. Bobby Bateman was his mentor and pastor. Although Bro. Bobby moved on after a few years, he remained Daddy's faithful pastor. Glendol Stanley, Larry Jordan, Felix Sutton, and Daddy were almost as inseparable as Daddy and Mama. They were giant men in our young lives, and we thought they could accomplish anything they put their minds to. Daddy's friends, his physical strength, and the sharpness of his mind faded for some years before his passing, but his faith and commitment to Christ, his love and devotion to our mama, and his immense presence in our lives never did. Memories overshadowed by difficulties dealing with his terrible disease come flooding back now. Our hope is anchored in the faith we have in Jesus, shared with us all by Daddy's influence in our lives. Daddy is home now, his mind is clear, his body is healed, and he's having a time. We will be there with him someday soon. Our prayer is this: Lord, help us to honor You the way he did and to honor him as we honor You. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/morehouse/obits/w/wilkerso8278nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/lafiles/ File size: 7.0 Kb