Dan Burton Wilson, Jr.
Dan Burton Wilson, Jr., age 69 of Gatlinburg and formerly of Lebanon, passed away on Tuesday April 21, 2015 at the Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, TN. He was born in Lebanon on January 4, 1946 to Dan “Burton” Wilson and Mignon VanHook Wilson who both preceded him in death.
Mr. Wilson graduated from Lebanon High School in 1964. He also graduated from Cumberland University with an Associates of Arts Degree. He worked for 20 years at Sony/ATV (Tree) Publishing Company in Nashville as a song plugger, writer, producer, and Vice President of Creative Affairs. During his music career he wrote and co-wrote hundreds of songs, some of which were recorded by Ricky Skaggs, The Oak Ridge Boys, Jerry Reed, and more. He co-wrote one Billboard #1, “War is Hell on the Homefront too”, recorded by T.G. Sheppard in 1982. Although he had other top 10’s of his own, Dan was best known for his incredible gift of matching the perfect country song with the artist and can be attributed to many #1 hits and breakthrough songs for several country singers. He retired from the business in 1996 and moved to Gatlinburg, a place he dearly loved. He was a good ol’ country boy at heart and enjoyed hunting, fishing and being in the mountains. He was of the Methodist faith and attended Lebanon’s First United Methodist Church.
A celebration of his life will be held in the chapel of the Ligon & Bobo Funeral Home on Tuesday May 12, 2015 at 6:00pm with Rev. David Hesson officiating. His family will receive friends on Tuesday May 12, 2015 from 4:00pm until services at 6:00pm. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Dan Wilson Memorial Trust at any branch of Suntrust Bank.
He is survived by daughters; Tori (Mark) Langellier of Heyworth, IL and Karen Fischer of Normal, IL; grandchildren, Gage, Carsyn, and Kannon Langellier of Heyworth, IL, Kaleb Peterson, Jake Fischer of Normal, IL; sister, Betty Mitchell; niece, Wynne Luter; and nephew, Tom Mitchell.
Dan will be remembered for his creative talent, his ability to make people laugh, and his love for his daughters (“Toe” and “Kit”), and his precious grandbabies.
Arrangements Entrusted to LIGON & BOBO FUNERAL HOME of Lebanon, TN
Ligon & Bobo Funeral Home, 241 West Main St. Lebanon, TN 37087 (615)444-2142
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