Harry "Curtis" Wilson

Harry Curtis Wilson, affectionally known as Curt, was born on July 1, 1943. He left this world to be with our Lord on January 18, 2026. Curtis was born in Saline County Missouri, to the late Harry Clifford Wilson and Grace Evelyn (Whitney) Wilson, the third of four children. Curtis’ early years were spent in the Marshall, Missouri area. The one room blue lick schoolhouse was where he graduated from the eighth grade as the only eighth grader. He and his siblings were reared in post WWII rural Missouri and were instilled with a no-nonsense work ethic but were children non the less. Tales were told of walking to and from school with their ever-faithful dog, Brownie, by their side, and a single-shot 22 rifle that rested in the corner of the schoolhouse while in session that claimed many a squirrel and rabbit on the track to and from home. His green dyed hair was the giveaway to Mother Grace when they played hooky from school. The family moved to Glendale, Arizona in 1957 where Curt attended Peoria High School. He graduated in 1961. Curt worked at the Boeing Aircraft Facility and the Firestone company. He learned his way around machinery in the endless farm fields of a bygone era in the valley of the sun (Phoenix, Arizona) where fruit and cotton fields stretched as far as the eye could see. He gained skills in the business world operating and managing a full-service filling station that be labored at until his draft into the Vietnam War in 1969. The United States Army put Curits’ technical skills to well founded use as a mechanic in the motor pool at the Army base in Verse Bottan, Germany. His fondest memories of his time in the service were on leave in Amsterdam. Upon returning state side, he made the move from Arizona back to Missouri where he got introduced to what became his life’s work. A new type of drilling equipment had made its way into popular construction practice; air rotary drilling was in its infancy and Curt took a position as a labor hand with a local water well driller named John Beckett. Wilsons’ unrivaled mechanical abilities and hard nosed work ethic paved the way through his tenure as a renowned asset to intercontinental drilling in Buffalo and venture drilling of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where he further honed his skill. Although drilling was his life work, his true legacy abounds in his true love, his family. 1971 was the year that he also, by chance, encountered Kathy Patterson. Kathy recalls the meeting: “when we first met, he asked me out on a date, I was 18, he was 28, of course I said NO, you’re an old man!” Little did either of them know that ten years later, they would be Wed. Married for 46 years, Curt provided for his growing family by owning and operating Curtis Conoco, where Signal and McDonalds stand today in Buffalo, Missouri. As well as mechanic services in his garage at his residence after hours. 1989 saw the birth of Wilco drilling. As private water well contractors, he and business partner George Conine laid the foundation for a drilling organization that was renowned for its fair treatment, unparalleled work, and tireless dedication to the public. Wilson became the sole owner of the business shortly after its inception and prided himself in its inclusiveness of his immediate family as coworkers and supporters. While the business continued to grow, Curt had an enormous heart of gold, never asking or wanting any notoriety. His efforts behind the scenes knew no end. Always willing to lend a helping hand, whether it be providing a means of transportation for a man to get to work, drilling a well for a family in need who couldn’t afford it, paying tuition for the student dedicated to study who was short on that semesters fee, or just paying it forward at the register as the coffee shop. The light that shown through the grizzly bear façade is one that the world will undoubtedly miss and could use more of. Curtis was preceded in death by his parents and one son, Daniel. He is survived by his wife, Kathy of the home; children, Michael & wife Carol, Stacy & wife Christy, Aaron, Leslie & husband Brandon McCarthy, and John & wife Michelle; his sister, Bonnie Bennett of Buffalo, MO; two brothers, Roy Wilson of Lebanon, MO and Lonnie Wilson of Sierra Vista, AZ; 18 grandchildren, Daniel, Christy, Casey Joshua, Marshal, Jessica, Bailey, Alexa, Clair, Connor, Ashlyn, Jude, Catch, Vida, Sam, Sarah and Eli; nine great-grandchildren; a host of nieces & nephews and an entire community that will forever remember him as a man dedicated to his faith and the love he had for his family. Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 24, 2026 in the Cantlon-Otterness & Viets Funeral Home with Bro. Richard Waters officiating. Interment will be in the Maple Lawn Cemetery on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. followed by Military Honors. Visitation will be from 10:00-11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Funeral Home. Donations are requested to the St. Jude Children's Hospital.

Harry "Curtis" Wilson

July 1, 1943 - January 18, 2026