Obituary of John Randall Wilson
John Randall Wilson was born July 10, 1929 to William Moffat and Lura Jeanette (Schoemaker) Wilson in Sacramento, CA. His father died when “Randy” was 17 months old, leaving his mother to raise him and his two older brothers, William Melvin and David Malcolm. Throughout his life, Randy would credit “Mother” for her efforts in raising her three boys alone and helping him achieve his childhood dream to become an artist.
Randy grew up in Sacramento, where he first displayed his early artistic talents for teachers and fellow students with his large drawings sketched on the playground of Donald Duck and other Disney Characters. He never lost his boyish love of fun.
He graduated from McClatchy High School in Sacramento, Sacramento City College, Oakland’s California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts) with a degree in Commercial Art, and then California State University in Sacramento for his Masters degree in Fine Arts.
Following two years in the US Army, where he was assigned to special services creating silkscreened posters, caricatures and other creative tasks, he spent his free time over 14 summers painting signs, illustrations and cartoons for the California State Fair.
Randy returned to California State University in Sacramento for a teaching credential. He taught art for forty years to first Junior High, High School, and University students in Sacramento before settling in Oroville in 1969 and completing his teaching career at Butte College, retiring in 1996.
Randy was an avid sportsman and good athlete. While at McClatchy High School in the mid century, he played football in a leather helmet without a face mask, basketball in Chuck Taylor All Stars, baseball in metal spikes, and pole vaulted on the track team using a bamboo pole. He played basketball at Sacramento City College. He liked to hike and climbed Mt Whitney and Mt Shasta twice. He played his first ever round of golf with “Mother” when he was seventeen years old at the short 9-hole William Land Park golf course in Sacramento. He would later dub this place “The Cradle of Golf” because it ignited in him a lifelong passion that would see him win three individual Club Championships and coach the Butte College Golf Team to eleven Golden Valley Conference titles during his 26 years at the helm. In retirement, he continued to play golf for many years, to attend local sporting events and Butte games, and to root on his beloved 49ers.
Randy was active in his community. He was a member of the Oroville Host Lions Club, The Oroville Art League, and Table Mountain Golf Course where he served on the Men’s Club Board for 32 years. For many years, he wrote a weekly golf column entitled “Oro Links” for the Oroville Mercury Register. He enjoyed live music and could often be found downtown, pen and paper in hand, creating caricatures of the band. Also an avid photographer, he was seldom without his trusty Minolta, capturing the action at sporting events and Feather Fiesta Day Parades. He attended the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Oroville.
Along the way he received some honorary recognition. In 1999, he was inducted into the Butte College Athletic Hall of Fame as a charter member. That same year, he was inducted into the Northern California Old Timers Sports Association Hall of Fame. In 2013, Table Mountain Golf Club presented Honorary Membership to Randy “Coach” Wilson: “In honor of your dedication, service and exceptional contributions to Table Mountain Golf Club through your creativity, innovation and involvement.”
Always kind, confident, and quick with a joke, Randy found joy helping others. He was a positive force who dedicated his life to sharing the beauty of both his profession and the game he so loved. His legacy will live on through the many lives he touched. With his pens, paper, and paints, Randy continued to create right up to his final days.
Randy shared his philosophy in an art show announcement printed last year, “Although it’s been a few years since my last solo show, I still get very excited with the prospect of having another show of my works. I feel very strongly about going outside to paint, no matter where it may be. I’m also drawn to painting portraits of the people I see. What I try to convey in my paintings are the feelings of my subject matter. By putting these beautiful scenes on paper, I hope people will feel like I do, that they can just walk right into the picture. As an artist, I feel blessed that I can approach any subject matter with my feelings and imagination, and then transfer my feelings to paper through various techniques and styles in hopes that other people will feel the same way when they approach the painting.”
Randy was a loving and devoted father of four, granddad of two, and husband to his wife of 62 years, Mary Lou, who preceded him in death in 2018. He is survived by daughter Carrie and son-in-law Jeff Cann of Seaside; daughter Amanda Menefee and Ken Oda of Pacific Grove; son Adam and daughter-in-law Kristen Wilson of Oroville; son Paul and daughter-in-law Arizo and grandsons Caden and Cameron Wilson of Roseville.
His Interment will be on Friday, May 30th, 2025 at 9:00 am with his service to follow at, 10:30 AM at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2350 Foothill Blvd, Oroville.
Arrangements are entrusted to Oroville Funeral Home 530-533-0323.
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