Victor Benjamin Wilkinson

V. Ben Wilkinson, almost 84 years of age, was a resident of Boulder City for 43 years. Ben passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 9th with friends and family at his side.

Ben is survived by his Sister, Della Starbird of Auburn Me.; his best friend and life partner, Diane Schopp; children: Lisa Ray of Summerlin, Lori (Tim) Connelly of Brookings, Ore, Kelly (Harvey) Pierson of Kingman, AZ, David Wilkinson of Boulder City, Carrie (Patrick) Little of Boulder City and David Patton of Portland, Or. Ben, AKA Poppa Bun or Uncle Ben, leaves behind several loving Grandchildren: Kristen, Andy, Brendan, Isabel, Scarlett and Cruz as well as many Nieces and Nephews scattered around the country.

Victor Benjamin Wilkinson was born in Lisbon Falls, Maine on February 12, 1936 to Brice and Esther Wilkinson. Ben was one of six children. After spending several years living with his sister Vida and family he graduated from Lisbon Falls High School. He moved immediately to Portland, Oregon to live with his older sister, Pamela. He graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Throughout his career with the Bureau of Reclamation, Ben worked at Grand Coulee Dam in Washington, Flaming Gorge in Utah, Blue Mesa in Colorado, Parker Dam in California and finished his career in Boulder City as Project Manager of three dams; Hoover Dam, Davis Dam and Parker Dam.

In 1957, Ben married his first sweetheart, Judy (Plessinger) Wilkinson and had two children; Lori and David. He married his second sweetheart, Pixie (Patton) Wilkinson in 1978 and gained more children to love; Lisa, Kelly, Carrie and David. Ben left this earth loving his last sweetheart, tennis partner, tournament partner and best friend, Diane Schopp. Ben was a devoted tennis player, occasional golfer, serious poker, bridge and pinochle card player. He was competitive in local and National tennis tournaments winning several medals in his age bracket. It was rare that he would miss a daily lunch and card game at the Senior Center. Ben loved collecting classic cars, motorcycles and houses. His favorite pastime was a Sunday afternoon ride. He never missed a family reunion and was considered the favorite game playing Uncle. No one could beat Uncle Ben at any game, but they all tried.

His extensive family will miss his adventures and smiling face. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

A celebration of life will be held at the Boulder City Senior Center on Saturday, February 22, 2020 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Boulder City Senior Center, 813 Arizona Street, Boulder City, NV 89005

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Victor Benjamin Wilkinson, please visit our floral store.