KENNETH WORTH WILKINS SR.
Died July 11, 2018
Kenneth Worth Wilkins Sr., 96, died Wednesday, July 11, at Kitty Askins Hospice Center.
He was born to Dr. John William Wilkins and Eva Jurney Wilkins in Mount Olive. Kenneth grew up there with his older brother William and best friend Morrison Smith.
After graduating from Mount Olive High School, he attended UNC Chapel Hill studying medicine, finishing his medical degree at the University of Maryland.
Upon completion of his United States military service, he opened an obstetrics and gynecology practice in 1953 in Goldsboro. Kenneth delivered more than 10,000 babies during his career. He continued working after retirement at Wayne County Health Department as Medical Director.
While studying medicine in Maryland, he met Betty Brandt Snider of Salisbury, N.C.; they were married in 1953.
In addition to Betty, he is survived by their five children and families: Ken and Dru Wilkins, New Bern; Hannah and Charlie Rouse, Goldsboro; Brandt Wilkins and David Alexander, Denver, CO; Charles and Sandra Wilkins, Goldsboro; John and Pat Wilkins, Raleigh; thirteen grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Also surviving are sister-in-law Betty Hughes Wilkins of Mount Olive and her children (Kenneth’s nephews) and families; Jay and Pam Wilkins, Apex; Doug and Geri Wilkins, Virginia Beach, Va.; Billy and Barbara Wilkins, Goldsboro; Randall and Gina Wilkins, Wilmington; and cousins from Rose Hill: Jane Cherry, Davis, Calif.; Evelyn and Zach Cox, Raleigh; and John Steve and Mary Nelson Wilkins, Oklahoma City, Okla.
The funeral service will be Thursday, July 12, at 11 a.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 204 East Chestnut St., Goldsboro, N.C., 27530. Visitors are welcome after the service in the Fellowship Hall.
The Wilkins family extends its gratitude to Kenneth’s caregivers: Julia Russell, Brandy Fleece, Stacy Oliver, Janet Miller, Rosemary Manley, Johnnie Easley, Rhonda McKinney, Kelley Graham, and Shanika Lewis for their compassion.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Kenneth’s name to the St. Paul United Methodist Church Shepherds Fund.
Kenneth – known to many as Big Ken – stayed in constant contact with each of his children, grandchildren and many friends with an email every morning. Each message always ended with a rhyme. The first person to figure out the clue would win. He called it the Ink Stink. We offer the last one in his memory:
Inky Stinky: A dirty Peanuts character; A wonderful man who was loved by all.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on July 12, 2018 8:05 AM