William Robert Wilkinson

William Robert Wilkinson, 85, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. He was surrounded by his blended family in Napa, CA.

Bill was born February 5th, 1932, in Pennsylvania to Erma and Ralph G. Wilkinson. His brother Jim and his wife, Bonnie, live in Canton, New York.

Bill attended college and graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. He then served in the Korean War as an appointed psychologist for two years. After the war, he decided to go to the west coast for graduate school and chose the University of Washington.

In 1957, he married Nancy Ewer Angel, with whom he had three children.

In 1961, he founded William R. Wilkinson & Co. to pioneer the introduction of executive search throughout the western business community. His company grew quickly and the name was changed to Wilkinson, Sedwich and Yelverton Inc. and soon was one of the premier executive search firms throughout the country.

In 2000, he married Shirley Backen of Belvedere, Ca. They had quite an adventure together moving to Washington state and Oregon before finally settling in Napa, CA.

Bill was loved for his complex nature and his intellect. He loved putting his thoughts on paper and he wrote and published a book titled “Executive Musical Chairs”, which profiled the executive search business. Bill enjoyed life. He loved books, games, storytelling, golf, watching football and baseball games, and travelling with Shirley. He was an accomplished skier, gardener, and a wonderful cook. His spaghetti sauce was unmatched. He was also a master of limericks and had memorized many, often reciting them aloud when we least expected it! Mostly, he loved his family and spending time with them. He was so fun, energetic and his spirit will live on in all of us. We will miss him dearly.

He is survived by his wife Shirley Wilkinson, his children Alex Wilkinson, Polly (Wilkinson) Cornelison and Jenny (Wilkinson) Levitsky. His stepchildren are Eric Backen and Steven Backen and his grandchildren McKinzie Wilkinson, Mason Wilkinson, Arianna Wilkinson, Hunter Cornelison, Wesley Cornelison and Miles Levitsky and his step grandchild Samantha Backen.

A private celebration of Bill’s life is pending.