 1939 - 2018 (78 years)
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| Name |
William Arthur Wilkes [1, 2, 3] |
| Birth |
5 Nov 1939 |
Burlington, Alamance, North Carolina, USA  [1, 2] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
20 Jul 2018 |
Clay, Florida, USA [1] |
- With his family by his side, the Honorable William Arthur Wilkes passed into peace on Friday July 20th 2018 and now rests in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Honorable “Judge” Wilkes was an extremely proud husband, father, Papa, brother, son, uncle and friend. His quick wit, dry sense of humor, and unforgettable smile made the Judge a presence that will be greatly missed.
Judge Wilkes is survived by his loving wife of 41 years Delores, son Joey (Dawn), daughter Kristen (Andy), daughter-in-law Stephanie, father-in-law former Sheriff Otto Jennings Murrhee Jr., six grandchildren Jennings, Anna, Clayton, Harper, Georgia, and Caroline, brother Ronnie Wilkes (Michelle), sister Gail Roberts (Gerald), brother Jim Wilkes (Sherri) and numerous nieces and nephews.
He is proceeded in death by his beloved son William “Scott” Wilkes, his mother Ruth Wilkes, father Floyd Wilkes, and his mother-in-law Georgia Murrhee.
The Judge took most pride in his family and his career. Born in Burlington North Carolina on November 5th 1939, William was the oldest of his siblings.
A resident of Clay County since 1956, William graduated from Clay High in 1958, obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida in 1965, and his Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of law in January 1968. While in college, William was in the United States Navy Reserves and was honorably discharged in 1969. Judge Wilkes was a graduate of the National Judicial College in Reno Nevada, and a graduate of the Florida State Judicial College.
Judge Wilkes practiced law from 1968-1980 with the firm Anderson, Wilkes, & McAnnally while also serving as the Clay County Attorney from 1973-1980. Elected in 1980 to the bench, he served as Clay County Judge from 1981-1985 and was then appointed to the 4th Judicial Circuit in 1985 and served as Circuit Judge until 2010 when he retired. Judge Wilkes served as administrative Judge in Clay County from January 1988 until his retirement in 2010 and served Duval County in the Juvenile, Civil and Criminal divisions in 1986 and 1987. He continued to serve on the bench as Senior Judge after his retirement until 2015. Judge Wilkes was credited for being an integral part in making the new Clay County Courthouse become a reality.
The Judge was a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Keystone Heights, founding member and past president of the Clay County Bar Association, the State Association of County Attorneys, member of the Jacksonville Bar Association, member of the Florida Bar Association, and member of the American Bar Association. He was past president and member of the Green Cove Springs Rotary Club and honorary member of the Orange Park Rotary Club. He was a Master Mason, a member of Cabul Lodge #116, Scottish Rite, Clay County Shrine Club and the Royal Order of Jesters Jacksonville Court No. 90, Clay County Children’s Haven, Charter Member of the Chomp & Chop, Clay County Gator Club, and the Clay County Cattlemen’s Association.
Judge Wilkes can be recognized for his many accomplishments and has received awards for his service to others. Judge Wilkes was awarded the Rotary Citizen of the year, the Rotary Paul Harris fellow award, and the Boy Scout Twelve Points of Light Award.
The Judge will be remembered as a man who loved his family, loved the law, loved the Florida Gators, and loved his farm.
The family will receive friends on Wednesday, July 25th, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m at Broadus-Raines Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, July 26th, 2018 at First Baptist Church of Middleburg, 2645 Blanding Blvd. Middleburg, FL 32068 with Reverend Scott Stanland officiating.
A private interment will be held at Hickory Grove Cemetery on Friday.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to be made to the Allegro Assisted Living Facility Memory Care Unit Attention: Amanda King 3651 US-17 Fleming Island, FL 32003 for a memorial in honor and memory of Judge William A. Wilkes and his fight against Dementia with Lewy Bodies.
https://www.broadusraines.com/obituary/william-wilkes
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| Burial |
26 Jul 2018 |
Hickory Grove Cemetery, Green Cove Springs, Clay, Florida, USA [1] |
| Person ID |
I22832 |
tng Genealogy |
| Father |
Henry Floyd Wilkes, b. 24 Jun 1909, Lumberton, Robeson, North Carolina, USA d. 3 Dec 1979, Clay, Florida, USA (Age 70 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Mother |
Ruth Victoria Rutledge, b. 12 Aug 1911, Guilford, North Carolina, USA d. 8 Jun 1999, Green Cove Springs, Clay, Florida, USA (Age 87 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Family ID |
F7678 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Event Map |
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 | Birth - 5 Nov 1939 - Burlington, Alamance, North Carolina, USA |
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 | Death - 20 Jul 2018 - Clay, Florida, USA |
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| Notes |
- Biography
Judge Wilkes graduated from the University of Florida in April of 1965, with his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and received his Juris Doctor from Cumerland Law School in January of 1968. He practiced law from 1968 to 1980 with the firm Anderson, Wilkes, & McAnnally. He was elected County Judge in 1980 and served from 1981 to 1985. He was appointed Circuit Judge in 1985 and re-elected 1986, 1991, 1998 and 2004.
Additional Information
Judge Wilkes is married to Delores M. Wilkes and has three children: Joseph Jennings Wilkes, William Scott Wilkes, and Kristen Wilkes West. His Judicial Assistant is Lenore A. Dunaway.
Clay County says goodbye to respected judge
State law forces William A. Wilkes to retire after serving three decades.
Posted: November 8, 2010 - 1:00am
BRUCE LIPSKY/The Times-Union
William A. Wilkes sits next to his wife, Delores, and their family as he is honored by his colleagues in a retirement ceremony at the Clay County Courthouse on Thursday in Green Cove Springs.
By David Hunt
GREEN COVE SPRINGS - He's known as the consummate jurist, a judge of the people, the local boy whose humble sensibilities were never blurred by the power of the robe and the gavel.
Looking back on three decades on the bench - a career he said he'd never have predicted for himself as a younger man - Circuit Judge William A. Wilkes is retiring.
State law requires Wilkes, who turned 71 Friday, to step down because of his age, although his retirement may become more of a brief hiatus as he said he plans to apply for senior judge status, meaning he'd be called on as needed to hear cases.
What sets Wilkes apart, colleagues said, is his ability to keep a cool head at times when many judges would holler about a defendant's poor behavior or an attorney's trial preparation.
"I'm sure even people he put in the slammer for many, many years would respect him," said David King, vice president of the Clay County Bar. "People respect him for what he does. It is very, very tough to shoot it down the middle like he does."
There are handfuls of biographical points to which Wilkes' modesty can be traced. He said playing football for Clay High School more than 50 years ago taught him about teamwork while his time playing center field on the school's baseball team taught him how much could be riding on any individual's performance.
When he was a young attorney, he said he remembers one judge being downright abusive. He said he took it as guidance to never lash out. The biggest problem, he reasoned, is that a judge has the power to contaminate a case by making a defendant or jury think a lawyer is incompetent.
"Now, I have no problem calling an attorney into my office if I think they need a little Sunday school lesson about a case," Wilkes said.
Providing a judiciously sterile environment for attorneys to argue and defendants to get the blindest rulings has been Wilkes' chief concern since the day he took the bench as a Clay County judge in 1981 before he became a circuit judge in 1985.
"We will have a judge come in to replace him, but I don't ever think we'll have a judge in Clay County that can fill his shoes," said James Jett, the county's elected clerk. "He has that small-town attitude. When he puts on the robe, he acts the same as when it's off."
Jett said he's been impressed with Wilkes' work ethic. Even when Wilkes is in at 6 a.m., he is known for leaving around 7 p.m. before going home to raise cattle and grow timber on a 460-acre plot near Camp Blanding.
"Some guys like sports cars. I like land," Wilkes said during a recent interview at his office in the Clay County Courthouse. "I just enjoy the work. I go home and this is out of sight, out of mind."
Wilkes grew up in Green Cove Springs before getting his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida as he served in the Navy Reserves. He said he decided to go to the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Ala., on somewhat of a whim. At the time, he said he enjoyed politics and thought being a lawyer would get him closer to the process.
Wilkes graduated from Cumberland in 1968 before finding mentors in lawyers who became partners but are now long dead. He then went to work as the Clay County attorney, something he thought gave him good visibility when he decided to run for county judge in 1980.
At first he thought himself a shoo-in because of his local roots but worry plagued him through the campaign. Getting around to meet voters, he said, showed him how many people he simply didn't know.
"I told my wife, 'We're in serious trouble,'" Wilkes said. "But it turned out all right."
Wilkes will work through the end of the year. Chief Circuit Judge Donald Moran said Don Lester, a juvenile court judge, will be Wilkes' replacement.
Between those moves, there was an election to bring a new judge into the circuit to fill the hole. Family law attorney Mark Hulsey won the race, but he and his opponent, prosecutor Sam Garrison, each said Wilkes' reputation inspired their campaigns.
"He leaves an impression," Hulsey said. "I always thought he was very fair. ... He's a judge of the people."
david.hunt@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4025
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| Sources |
- [S612] Ancestry.com, Global, Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;), https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/191577557.
Record for Judge William Arthur Wilkes
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=60541&h=155527296&indiv=try
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=60541&h=155527296&indiv=try
- [S342] Ancestry.com, North Carolina Birth Index, 1800-2000, (Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2005;).
Record for William Arthur Wilkes
[ View birth certificate]
- [S350] Ancestry.com, Florida Marriage Collection, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001, (Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;).
Volume: 3988; Certificate: 070662
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=FLmarriageindex&h=9470575&indiv=try
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=FLmarriageindex&h=9470575&indiv=try
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