John Fredrick Wilhelm

John Frederick Wilhelm, 83, died peacefully of a brief illness at home on August 5 in White House, TN. John was born on December 11, 1941, in Modesto, CA. He and his family moved from Modesto in the late 1940’s to Santa Cruz, CA where he spent the majority of his life. He graduated from Santa Cruz High School in 1959. He served in the U.S. Army from July 1966, serving most of his time at Fort Ord, CA in the Army Reserves, until he was honorably discharged in March 1972.

He and Pennie, his wife of 50 years, moved to Inman, South Carolina in August 2005 where they resided until moving to White House, TN in October 2018 so as to be close to family.

He was a member of the Madison Campus Seventh-day Adventist Church. He was an active volunteer at the church’s Community Service Center in Madison. He found much joy in helping others. His other joys included traveling with his family, keeping a pristine garden which included tending to his many irises, and reading a good book.

He is survived by his wife, Pennie (Corona), his son’s Sean Wilhelm of Santa Cruz, CA, and Christopher Wilhelm of Madison, TN, his grandson, Hudson Wilhelm and his mother, Shannon Wilhelm of Nashville, TN, and his cousin, Donna Nash, of Port Orchard, WA. He was preceded in death by his father, Frederick Wilhelm, his mother, Dorothee Wilhelm (Hoover), and his brother, Michael Wilhelm.

A memorial service is planned for Sunday, August 24 at 11:00 a.m. at the Madison Campus Seventh-day Adventist Church, where lunch will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Madison Campus Seventh-day Adventist Church Community Service Center, or Alive Hospice in Hendersonville, TN who took such loving care of him in his last days.