James Edwin Wilkins

     Jim Wilkins, age 94 of Anna, died peacefully Wednesday, December 17, 2025,

at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Anna. He was born on May 13, 1931, in South

Bend, IN, to James Richard and Lorell Wilkins. They immediately moved to

Detroit, MI. At high school age, after moving to live with his grandparents,

Charley and Mary Knight, he graduated from Ullin High School in May, 1949.

     He enlisted in the Army in January, 1951. He served in the 5th Army,

61st Engineer Construction Battalion and attained the rank of SFC. He was a

member of the Army Honor Guard. He spent one year assigned to the Air Force

for the construction of an air strip at Pusan, Korea. He was discharged from the

Army January, 1954, at Fort Hood, TX.

     Jim married Sue Wilkins of Ullin in July of 1953. They were blessed with

two sons, Dirk (Ginger) of Lawrence, KS and Scott of Anna; six grandchildren:

Christopher (Vedrano) Wilkins, Todd (Marianna) Wilkins, Natalie (Garrett)

Attig, all of Kansas; Olivia and Tess Wilkins of Anna and Kyle Schuster of Anna;

nine great grandchildren; sister, Carole Wilkins-Dunkerson of Detroit, MI;

other extended family and many friends. He is preceded in death by his

parents and one sister.

     He attended Louisiana Baptist College, Pineville, LA, and Midwestern Baptist

Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. He pastored churches in LA and MI

for 14 years -- then 21 years in MO. After volunteering for one year in

Northern Ghana at a Southern Baptist hospital as their maintenance engineer

in 1975-76, Jim and Sue were appointed in 1980 as Southern Baptist

International missionaries to serve in West Africa - living in Liberia, Ghana,

Mali, Togo, Burkina Faso and Nigeria over the next 16 years. Jim's assignment

was Builder/Evangelist. He led in the various types of construction, but his primary focus was

construction of missionary homes. Other construction included a dental clinic,

publication house, warehouses, guest houses, a residential compound of

houses for missionaries. Aluminum houses for missionaries were built in four

of those countries.

     In every country where they lived, Jim pastored an English-speaking

congregation. Jim and Sue retired in August, 1996, and moved to Jonesboro, IL.

Jim kept busy supply preaching in churches across SO IL. Jim was a member of

the First Baptist Church. He did not hunt, nor fish, nor play golf. His fun, passion and fulfillment

could only be done from the seat of a bulldozer, tractor or lawn mower. Jim and

Sue moved to Anna in 2005 and to the Illinois Veterans' Home in 2022. Their

lives were filled with adventure and blessings.

     Funeral service will be at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at Mound

City National Cemetery in Mound City. Graveside military honors will be

conducted by the National Guard Funeral Honor Team and area Veterans.

Interment will follow. Friends may call after 10:30 until 12:00 noon on

Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at the Rendleman & Hileman Funeral home in

Anna.