Obituary of Steven Scott Wilson

Steven “Scott” Wilson, age 64 of rural Iowa City died Saturday, October 28, 2023, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics from complications of diabetes.

Scott was born April 23, 1959, in Iowa City the son of Robert B. “Chug” and Joyce A. (Gemmell-McKee) Wilson, 3rd of 4 sons. 

Growing up in Iowa City Scott attended Iowa City Schools, excelling in football, wrestling, track, baseball and Home Construction class, graduating with the Class of 1978 from City High School. 

In his youth, he worked in his family’s Wilson’s On The Mall Sporting Goods, and in 1980 the Wilson Family established Wilson’s Orchard where he worked at different times in his life. In the early years of the Orchard, he pushed a Lawn Boy mower up and down the hills, wearing out 3 pairs of football cleats. Later he brought 2 iconic dogs, Hawkeye and Jake, to live at the orchard and they became legends, especially to children.

As an adult he took training in plumbing and machinist trades, but decided to find other paths. He worked for Home Town Dairy and then Dean Foods, the largest dairy company in the United States. He drove trucks for Pepsi in Minnesota. He worked for Wayne Frantz concrete. He drove cement trucks for several companies in the Iowa City area, drove construction trucks for Chad Freeman Construction, drove semi trucks for several companies in the region and across the nation until becoming disabled from work by diabetes and a back injury leaving him in chronic pain. 

Scott’s highest and best achievement and happiest point in life was when his daughter Megan was born, telling his mother Joyce “She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

Scott also had a fascination with trains and car racing since childhood, becoming a lifelong hobby with model trains, train history and operations, so he frequently traveled the region to see trains, train and car shows and car races . He always enjoyed “over the road driving”, both for work and for leisure, finding great pleasure in seeing the beauty in nature as well as man-made marvels across “America The Beautiful”.  In his last days, he said that he was always moved to tears when he would hear Ray Charles sing “America The Beautiful”.

To honor Scott’s life, take notice of the beauty in nature, the man-made marvels, remember him when you take a sight-seeing road trip or when you see a train, or when the unconditional love and antics of a dog or a cat melts your heart and brings joy to your soul, or when Ray Charles sings “America The Beautiful”.

His surviving family includes his daughter, Megan Wilson; mother, Joyce; brother, Robert Wilson Jr. “Rob,” & Rob’s wife Mary Hurtado-Wilson; brother, James “Jim,” & Jim’s  wife LeAnne Howe-Wilson; and brother,  Daniel “Danny” Wilson; on his father's side cousins John T. & Patty Wilson, Tom Wilson, Lucy & Blaine Stevens, Sarah & Mark Smith, Pete Wilson, uncle Paul Helt, cousins Bryon & Sharon Helt, Bruce Helt and their families and on his mother’s side aunts Jan Hougen, Lynne & Arnold Sampson, Kay & Jim Lintz, Jackie Wilkinson, cousins Laurie & David Hougen Eitzman, David & Janet Hougen, Corey Hougen, Stuart & Yuriko Sampson, Karen & Max Gallegos, Pete Hilgeman, Chris Hilgeman, Shea Wilkinson, Sean Wilkinson and their families.

Scott was preceded in death by his father, Robert B. “Chug” Wilson, uncle John B.”Tug” Wilson & aunt Lucy Wilson and aunt Sarah (Wilson) Helt.