Billy Wilder

BILLY WILDER was born on July 15, 1919 in Lee County, Ft. Sumter, South Carolina to the late Tom and Lillie Wilder. He was the second eldest of six children. On Wednesday, January 9, 2013, God in His Infinite Wisdom, called him home to rest. He was preceded in death by his two brothers, Jerry and Roosevelt; and three sisters, Julia, Alethia and Lucia Mae. As a child, Billy was raised in the Methodist faith at a very young age and he was a dedicated member of Hemmingway Temple Methodist Church in Fairfield, Maryland where he dedicated his life to Christ. Later in life, he joined Community Baptist Church where he was a faithful member until his death. On February 13, 1946, Billy married Louise Mitchell. Out of this union there were two daughters, Billie W. Partlow and Claudette W. Hudson, and one son, Anthony Louis Wilder all of Baltimore, Maryland. His wife preceded him in death. Bill y was educated in the Lee County School System where he obtained his early childhood education. In 1941, he was inducted into the United States Army Air Core, and served in active duty during WWII. In 1945, he was honorably discharged on December 20, 1945 making the rank of Corporal. For his service he was awarded An American Defense Medal, American Theater Medal, Asiatic Pacific Theater Award, the Bronze Battle Star for bravery. While being stationed in Burma, South East Asia, he received training as an auto mechanic which became his lifelong passion until his retirement in 1981. He was employed as a laborer for B&O Railroad in 1946. While employed in various other jobs, he attended and graduated from the New York Technical Institute Of Maryland where he was awarded a certificate in Tailoring. He began his automotive career by working for Abraham Spak from 1950 to 1963. Billy also worked from 1963-1970 for Jerry Chernak as a parts specialist. In 1976, he worked for Glen Burnie Automatic Transmission where he retired in 1981. He loved working with his hands and his passion for automobiles allowed him to build his own automobile from beginning to end. His knowledge of cars made him a connoisseur in his craft. Billy was a man who could do anything that he set his mind to and his strong will never surpassed his soft spoken nature. He never met a person that he couldn’t encourage with one of his famous “Words of Wisdom” always with Christ at the center, and his most favorite sayings were “Kill’em with kindness" and "Keep your plan in the Hand of the Man with the plan." He leaves to mourn: a loving family, his children, Billie W. Partlow, Anthony Louis Wilder Sr. and Claudette W. Hudson; sixteen grandchildren, Anthony Jr., Devin, Duewa, Marlice, Maurice, Chavonne, Katrina, Ashley, Mishel, Caris, Bryan, Toni Louise, Antonio, Mariah, Thomas and Johnny; eight great-grandchildren, JuWaun, Nautica, Jaylin, Gabrella, Taniya, Talia, Faith and McKai (preceded in death by great-grandson, Anthony Louis Wilder III). He also leaves to mourn: a special fondness for his niece, Desiree and nephew, Sonny who he always affectionately referred to as "stinkers," and a host of other relatives and friends.

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Billy Wilder

July 15, 1919 - January 9, 2013