Donald Stanley Wilcox Sr., age 83, of Independence, Missouri, passed away Saturday, January 7, 2017 in Tucson, AZ. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, January 16th at First Baptist Church, 500 W Truman Road, Independence, MO 64050; burial in New Salem Cemetery, Independence. The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the church. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to First Baptist Church.
Donald was born January 30, 1933 in Hamburg, New York, the son of Earl Frank and Pearl Verna (Myers) Wilcox. He grew up in southern California and always called it his home. He was truck driver for 41 years starting with Navajo Freight and continued driving with ABF after they bought Navajo in 1978. Donald was very well liked and was a very caring and helpful person to those around him. He loved his family and he was everyone’s favorite uncle! In his free time, Donald loved to race drag cars with his partner, Jerry Moody. His passion for racing was great and he shared that with his sons as they were growing up. He was involved with his sons and their racing teams right to the end. He attended church at First Baptist Church in Independence and would spend winters in Tucson, AZ.
Donald is survived by his loving partner in crime, Vicki Howerton; children: Don Jr. (Mary) Wilcox, Lynda (Robert) Bligh, Patti (Bill) Horner, Barbara (Mark) Scott, Mary “Gini” Wilcox (Rick) Justice, and Larry Wilcox, as well as Terri and Nicole Howerton; brother, Jerry Wilcox; sisters: Carol Moltke, Mary Martin, and Ruth Moore; 20 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Earl and James Wilcox; and sisters: Alice Hood, Florence Arnhart and Esther Nichols.
Arrangements: Royer’s New Salem Funeral Home, Independence MO 816-796-8600