Page created by: Debi Terrell

Bob Wilkinson was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2014. He served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and recalled smelling Agent Orange inside the airplanes. It's possible that his Parkinson's developed as a result of this exposure. He also suffered significant dementia in the last several years of his illness. Whenever asked how he was doing, he used a phrase he coined, "As well as can be expected, under the circumstances." That's what you do when you have a disease, I guess: you cope the best you can. Throughout his illness, he was dedicated to walking and physical therapy, which surely must have had positive effects on his health and overall well-being.

Bob was my dad. He died at age 79 in May of 2025. When I was growing up, I always looked up to him and wondered how he did all the things he did. He worked as a Materials Manager for Texas Instruments and served the company for 36 years. At the same time, he served in the Rhode Island Air National Guard as a Flight Engineer on the C-130 aircraft, eventually retiring after 37 years. He also managed several rental properties as I was growing up. He was very handy with all kinds of things; in fact, my first sentence was "Daddy'll fix it!" He did lots of volunteer work throughout his life, serving on a wide variety of community boards and committees. For many years, he and I walked 3 miles early in the morning together before he started his very full days.

It was heartbreaking to see my dad lose so many of his physical and mental capabilities due to Parkinson's. Thank you for visiting this page and for any donation you may choose to make. I hope you will join me in praying for all those affected by Parkinson's and for the scientists who are working on prevention, treatments, and cures. May they find success!