Hubert "Hubie" Wilkinson

Hubert “Hubie” Wilkinson of Winterset passed away peacefully on March 2, 2019, surrounded by family at the Madison County Memorial Hospital in Winterset at the age of 85 due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

A visitation will be held from 1:00 to 8:00 pm, Thursday, March 14, at Ochiltree Funeral Service where his family will be present to receive friends from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Funeral services will begin at 10:30 am Friday, March 15 at the funeral home with burial and military honors to follow at the Winterset Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the family for a later designation and online condolences can be left for the family at ochiltree.com.

Hubert Oscar Wilkinson, son of Alvie and Laura (Gosewisch) Wilkinson, was born March 11, 1933 in Winterset, Iowa. He attended Winterset High School and graduated in 1952. Following graduation, Hube along with his twin brother Herb, joined the United States Navy where they would serve together during the Korean War. Hube married the love of his life, Marilyn Griffiths on December 28, 1958 in Norwalk, Iowa. ‘You are My Sunshine’ became their song as Hube would sing this to Marilyn when the couple first began dating, and would continue to sing it to her throughout their recently celebrated sixty years of marriage. Two children were born from this loving marriage, Michelle and Michael.

Hube worked as a Lubrication Technician at the Penn Dixie Rock Quarry of Winterset for nearly twenty-two years. He then went to work at the North Ward Plaza apartments performing building maintenance for another twenty years before retiring in 2001. Hube enjoyed joking around and having fun with friends while taking his coffee breaks at Montross, but no trip was complete without also giving the gals behind the counter a hard time. He also enjoyed working in the yard and maintaining the house they both feel in love with on 8th & Jefferson and lived in for over 45 years. Hube enjoyed attending many auctions and sales throughout the years and was close friends with all the local auctioneers. A few years after Hube had retired, he was asked if he’d like to work part time at Winterset’s newly constructed Aquatic Center helping with operation and maintenance. This was a natural fit, given the fact that for many years Hube had spent almost every afternoon at the old pool entertaining kids of multiple generations with his “Hubie Dive” belly smacker off the 10 ft tower. Years later at the new Aquatic Center, and at 79 years old himself, Hube was still entertaining kids with his belly smackers, continuing to create unforgettable memories of his famous “Hubie Dive.”

Hubert was an active lifetime member of the VFW Post 8142 and proudly marched in the Honor Guard presenting colors in countless parades, football games and many other area events including the Girls State Basketball Tournament for more than 40 years, while also providing military funeral honors for fellow veterans. Hube was also a member of the American Legion Post 184 and of the First Christian Church of Winterset.

Hube was a dedicated and proud supporter of the Winterset Huskies, a member of the Quarterback Club and a lifetime member of the Winterset Alumni Association. Throughout the years, he and wife Marilyn attended as many sporting events as possible and were named Fans of the Year in 2004 as recognition for their dedication to the Husky sports programs. Their dedication didn’t stop there, with grandkids in the Adel-Desoto-Minburn School system, Hube and Marilyn also supported the ADM Tigers sports programs while their grandkids attended school there.

Hube was a devoted husband, loving father, and proud grandfather who absolutely adored all of his grandkids. Together, Hube and Marilyn enjoyed attending the countless events their grandkids were involved in and rarely missed an activity. But Hube also loved nothing more than simply being a part of their lives and spending time with them. Hubert was a selfless, hardworking man who never lost track of the most important thing in his life, his family.

Those left to cherish Hubert’s memory include his wife of 60 years, Marilyn Wilkinson of Winterset; children, Michelle Sandquist of Adel and Michael (Kristin) Wilkinson of Winterset; sister Joanne Benson of Winterset; sister-in-law, Rachel Wilkinson of Ankeny; half-brother, Bill (Pat) Davis of Florida; five grandchildren, Timothy, Abigail, and Benjamin Sandquist, and Maysen and Bryce Wilkinson; along with extended family and friends.

Hubert leaves us to join his parents, Laura and Alvie; twin brother, Herbert; sisters, Mary Ann (Bob) Brooker and Sharon (J.D.) Stark; and brother-in-law Vic Benson.