Elder Bennie Will Wilkerson Jr.

July 31, 1942 - September 28, 2016

******NOTE: FULL OBITUARY BELOW***** ******IN LIEU OF FLOWERS: The family requests that contributions be directed to Crescendo Academy of Music/Aughtery and Dezzie Lipsey Minority Student Scholarship Fund, 359 South Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 12, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 49007. Donations can be accepted online at crescendoacademy.com. The first of ten siblings, Bennie Will Wilkerson Jr., was born in Ravine, Mississippi on July 31, 1942 to Hattie Ann Phillips Wilkerson and Bennie Will Wilkerson, Sr. Ben accepted Christ at an early age, singing his first gospel solo while traveling with his parents on what was known as the “Chittlin’ Circuit.” The family (Ben and six siblings) relocated to Kalamazoo in 1954. While attending Kalamazoo Central High School, he excelled on both the wrestling and football teams, and upon graduation, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Ben served ten years in the Corps attaining the rank of Gunnery Sergeant (E-7). He completed two tours of duty in the Republic of Vietnam as a platoon commander with infantry units 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, and 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines. Ben was wounded twice and survived the battle of Khe Sanh, one of the most costly in terms of human life. He always said he joined the Marines to see the world; the war got in the way. Upon Honorable Discharge from the Corps, Ben lived in San Diego, CA and sang with the group “The Sounds of Amor,” recording for TT&G Records, an affiliate of Motown Records. Returning to Kalamazoo, Ben married Ikalean Johnson in 1977, and to this union one son was born – Aaron Lamar Wilkerson. A lover of the Motown sound, he formed a band and sang at Mr. President’s Lounge and The Seven Seas, to rave reviews. Ben was called to the ministry and ordained in 1985 as an Elder in the Church of God in Christ. He completed formal study and training at C. H. Mason Bible College. His ministry included reaching out to the poor and homeless in our community, a ministry he continued when moving to Chicago and serving as a Readjustment Counselor for the Veterans Resource Center. Ben was a graduate of the Cosmopolitan School of Business in Chicago where he earned an associate’s degree in business management and marketing. He also graduated from the Law Program for Community Developers and Social Workers at John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Ben continued his education in the addictions colloquia program at Adler School of Professional Psychology and Psychiatry and at the University of Chicago School for Social Service Administration. During his time at the Resource Center, Ben offered group and family counseling, pre-release counseling at Cook County Correctional Facility, and pastoral counseling. In 2003, he received an award for excellence from the Veterans Assistance Commission of Cook County for “an outstanding lifetime of contributions to the entire veteran community.” Preceding him in death are his mother and his father. Ben leaves to celebrate his life Audrey, his loving and faithful wife of eight years, and son Aaron. Also surviving are two sisters; De Wilkerson and Lee (Evert) Mitchell, of Kalamazoo; seven brothers; Andrew (Dawn) Wilkerson, R.J. (Anita) Wilkerson, and Pastor Jerry (Gloria) Wilkerson, all of Kalamazoo; John Wilkerson of Independence, MO; Arthur (Ronda) Wilkerson, of Phoenix, AZ; Bruce (Linda) Wilkerson and Victor Wilkerson, of Atlanta, GA; two sisters-in law Augusta Lipsey and Aurelia Lipsey of Kalamazoo; one brother-in-law Aubrey Lipsey of Kalamazoo; paternal aunts Ella Mae Williams of Toledo, OH and Pearl Curry of Brooklyn , NY, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and family friends. Ben, we love you and will miss you!