A memorial gathering to remember Richard Wilson will be held on:
Sunday, September 18, 2011, 3:00 pm
Oddfellows Hall, 1125 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe
Please feel welcome to participate in an open sharing time.
Dress comfortably, and bring a pot luck dish to share.
For more information: 505-820-3535, will.wfd@gmail.com
Richard Wilson, former postmaster in Glorieta, community dance leader, and poet, passed away on August 4, 2011 from metastatic melanoma. His passing has left a great emptiness in the lives of those who survive him: his wife of 30 years, Karolyn; his best friends Scott Crates and son-in-law Justin Perea; his daughters Emily Perea, Karina, Lily, Laurel and Char Wilson; his grandchildren Elizabeth, Martin, and Beren Perea; dear friend Merry Crates; mother Anastasia Haley, sister Margaret Woods, and brother Danny Wilson; and his many friends among his postal patrons and fellow contra dancers.
He was born on Christmas Eve 1947, in Los Angeles, CA, and attended the John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley, CA, graduating in 1966. He first came to New Mexico in 1968 and lived at the New Buffalo commune in El Rito. He served in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970, and was honorably discharged with a Bronze Star. He traveled around the world, spending a year in Australia before returning to the United States to ride a bicycle from California to New York and back again, and work as a miner around the Western US. In 1978, in the midst of a ladies’ chain, he met the love of his life, and he and Karolyn were married in 1981. They moved to Glorieta with their family in 1991, and he became the postmaster there in 1992.
He embraced his life with gentle enthusiasm and joyfulness, and his gracefulness, warmth, charm, and kindness touched the hearts of all whom he met. As postmaster, he became the heart of the community of Glorieta. As a community dance leader he encouraged and supported both beginning and experienced dancers alike. His dances, like his spirit, were lyrical expressions of his zest for life: his poetry given life and spirit.
The family would like to express their gratitude to contra dancers everywhere, especially the communities in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Taos, and Durango, as well as to the community of Glorieta, especially the La Cueva Share the Care group. Individuals are too numerous to mention by name, but please know that your support, help, prayers, and thoughts are not only warmly appreciated, but were of critical importance.
Richard Wilson Memorial flyer (pdf)