Wilson, Prince William County’s keeper of the past, dies at 79

Donald L. “Don” Wilson, 79, of Manassas, Virginia, passed away on March 6, 2023.

Wilson was the hallmark of The Ruth E. Lloyd Information Center (RELIC), at Bull Run Library and later Central Library of the Prince William Public Libraries, where he was known as the “Tree Doctor” for his extensive knowledge, experience, and patience with helping visitors build their family trees. He was also instrumental in providing research on old houses, cemeteries, events, roads, and local families. He was always up for a new and exciting research project that so many people benefited from.

Wilson was involved with or served on the board of several local historical groups, including the Manassas Museum Historic Resources Board; Historic Prince William (Historical Society); and the Prince William County Historic Commission. He also had a fondness for local theaters, including the Prince William Little Theatre, where he played roles in a number of their productions.

Wilson was born on August 5, 1943 in Anderson, Indiana. After high school, he spent four years in the Air Force and then attended and graduated from Ball State University in 1968 with a Bachelor’s in history. Directly after, he attended and earned a Master’s in Library Sciences from Indiana University in 1971. In late 1970 he took a job as reference librarian at the Oxon Hill Library in Prince George’s County, Maryland. In September 1979, he accepted a position with Prince William County in Virginia and started working at the Central Library in Manassas.

Don spent the rest of his life devoted to local and family history in the Northern Virginia area while working on his own family’s extensive genealogy, which he documented in spiral notebooks and cue cards written with small, but perfect penmanship.

A viewing will be held for Don on March 22, 2023 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Pierce Funeral Home (9609 Center Street, Manassas, Virginia 20110). Funeral Services will take place at Pierce Funeral Home the following morning, March 23, 2023 at 10:30 am, followed by interment at The Manassas Cemetery (9317 Center St, Manassas, VA 20110).

Wilson was preceded in death by both of his parents Cecil Lee Wilson, Jr. and Betty Eloise Wilson (Bailey) and a younger brother, Timothy Wayne Wilson. He is survived by his brothers, James Edward Wilson and Steven Ray Wilson; sisters, Susan Jane Sanderson, Patricia Ann Sexton, and Christine Diane Buckles; and several nieces and nephews.