Judiciary Mourns Loss of Retired Judge John K. Wilson

Retired 3rd Judicial District Circuit Court Judge John K. Wilson died Friday morning, Dec. 20 at the age of 75. He served in the United States Air Force.

Judge Wilson was an assistant District Attorney under Heiskell Winstead for eight years. In 1979, Governor Lamar Alexander appointed Judge Wilson a Circuit Court Judge for Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, and Hancock Counties, a position he held for 35 years. He retired June 30, 2014.

He was a member of First Baptist Church and Gideon’s International. Judge Wilson served on the Nolachuckey Mental Health Board.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years: Nancy Wilson; one daughter and son-in-law: Kimberly Wilson Carter and Scott; one son and daughter-in-law: John Waggoner Wilson and Heather; six grandchildren: Charlotte Grace Carter, Victoria Carter, Miranda, Sara, and Emma Wilson; mother: Ethel Cates Wilson; two brothers and one sister-in-law: Richard Wilson, Jerry and Donna Wilson; one sister and brother-in-law: Margaret and Ted Pate; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Joe and Diane Waggoner, Harold and Ellen Waggoner, and Margaret Wilson; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Judge Wilson was preceded in death by his father: Albert Wilson; one brother: James Wilson; father-in-law and mother-in-law: Burnice and Margaret Waggoner.

Funeral services were scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23 in the Doughty-Stevens Chapel in Greeneville with the Rev. Larry Wiley officiating. Active pallbearers were listed as Steve Burns, Charles Morelock, Bill Dabbs, Bob Baird, Chancellor Douglas Jenkins, and Glen Roy Cates. Honorary pallbearers were Wesley Holt, Paul Chapman, Rich Jones, Billy Joe McCamey, Avery Ayers, Judge J. Ronnie Greer, Frank Santore Jr., Kidwell King, Greg Eichelman, Judge Alex Pearson, Charles and Vickie Shipley, Grant Reaves, Greg Peilch, and Richard Parker.

Click here to access Judge Wilson's online obituary.

The Greeneville Sun also published an article about Judge Wilson following his death. You can read that here.