Memorial walk to be held for Morecambe solicitor

A memorial walk will be held in tribute to a Morecambe solicitor who has died aged 85.
Jim Wilson with his daughter Susan.  PIC BY ROB LOCK 10-4-2017Jim Wilson with his daughter Susan.  PIC BY ROB LOCK 10-4-2017
Jim Wilson with his daughter Susan. PIC BY ROB LOCK 10-4-2017

Jim Wilson passed away days after being featured in The Visitor along with his daughter Susan, who had planned the walk to raise awareness of her father’s rare eye condition.

Susan and her friends will still go ahead with the walk from the Strawberry Gardens at Heysham to the Royal pub at Bolton-le-Sands, in Jim’s memory.

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He was born with the rare eye disease retinitus pigmentosa and went completely blind over the last year.

Jim Wilson in his days as a solicitor.Jim Wilson in his days as a solicitor.
Jim Wilson in his days as a solicitor.

The walk will raise money for the RP Society, which aims to support medical research into retinitis pigmentosa and related conditions.

Jim was born on June 22 1931 at 1 Bellfield Road, Morecambe to parents Arthur and Gertrude Wilson and was an only child.

His father at one time worked at The Maypole in Euston Road but then was part of the family coal business A J Wilson and Son.

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Jim went to Euston Road School and then to the Friends School in Lancaster.

Jim Wilson in his days as a solicitor.Jim Wilson in his days as a solicitor.
Jim Wilson in his days as a solicitor.

He decided to train in law, was articled to local firm Jobling and Knape, and took his law exams at Guidford.

Jim met Elizabeth Booth (Betty) and they were married at Morecambe Parish Church on August 27 1960. Their daughter Susan was born in September 1963 and in July 1967 they had a daughter Valerie who sadly lived 
only 11 hours.

After leaving Jobling and Knape, Jim became a partner with Clarkson Whitaker and Shellcross. Then in the late 1970s, Jim moved to premises in Princes Crescent in Bare where he continued into his early 70s before selling to Wright and Lord in 2004.

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The family were steeped in Methodism and worshipped at Central Methodist Church until its closure and then Jim and Susan became members of Torrisholme Methodist Church. Betty passed away in June 1996 aged 59.

At Central Methodist Church Jim played the organ and piano for many years. In the late 1960s he formed a girls’ choir at Central Methodist Church called The Christelles.

They sang at services, put on pantomimes and won Morecambe Musical Festival on many occasions. He was chairman of the festival for more than 20 years.

His love of music carried over into Freemasonry and he was organist of Poulton Hall Lodge. Jim was also an avid Preston North End supporter and he was overjoyed when he got to sit next to Sir Tom Finney at a Rotary dinner in 2005.

He also loved cricket and liked listening to all about Lancashire Cricket Club.

People are welcome to join Susan and her friends on the memorial walk which starts at 11am on May 13.

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