Issue date: December 22, 1999
Private family services were held December 18 at Christ Episcopal Church in Portola Valley where the Wilsons built their first home and lived for the past 40 years. A memorial service is being planned by the Palo Alto firm.
Mr. Wilson, 83, who had suffered from Parkinson's disease, was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer five years ago. After undergoing chemotherapy, the cancer had been in remission. During that time, five of his six grandchildren were born, and they were a source of great pleasure to him, family members said.
He is remembered by many in the community as a "true gentleman," without pretense. He took an active role in the community, serving on the Portola Valley Town Council from 1972 to 1978, and as mayor.
Mr. Wilson's practice of law coincided with the growth of technology and business in Silicon Valley. In 1961, he founded the firm that became Wilson, Sonsini and that has grown to more than 550 attorneys.
Among his major contributions was the creation of a "market-driven" law firm that served as a business adviser as well as legal counsel to technology companies.
Mr. Wilson is credited with helping start in 1969 the Mayfield Fund venture capital firm on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park. He introduced two of its founding partners to each other, Tommy Davis of Woodside and Wally Davis of Portola Valley.
In 1983, he ceased being a partner in the law firm, but was of counsel to the firm until he died. Mr. Wilson attended administrative partners' meetings regularly, and was known as a voice of reason during sometimes-heated debates.
Born on October 9, 1916, in Akron, Ohio, Mr. Wilson graduated from Western Reserve Academy. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1938 and his law degree from Yale in 1941.
During World War II, Mr. Wilson was stationed at Moffet Field, where he was a Naval lieutenant, a pilot and a flight instructor. The time he spent here "cemented his love of the golden hills and the majestic oaks," according to his family.
He returned to the Bay Area in 1952 to work as resident counsel for Hiller Helicopter. In 1956, he launched his independent practice of law in Redwood City. Earlier he practiced law for two years in Cleveland, Ohio, and spent several years in the office of General Counsel, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
Mr. Wilson proposed to Nancy Swartz in 1957 on the oak-studded knoll in Portola Valley where they would build their home and raise their three children. In recent years, they built a second home on Deer Meadow Lane in Portola Valley.
Mr. Wilson devoted time and energy to many civic and nonprofit organizations. He was an active member of the Community Foundation of Santa Clara County, the Senior Coordinating Council of Palo Alto, and the sensory access foundation. He also served as director of Northern California Presbyterian Homes and a member of the advisory board of the Stanford University Center for International Security and Arms Control.
His connections to the community also included support for a community newspaper. He and his wife, Nancy, were among the founding stockholders of The Country Almanac in 1965. He also served as attorney of record for the paper for many years.
Mr. Wilson served as a director of the Woodside Fire Protection District from 1985 to 1993.
A passionate golfer, Mr. Wilson was a charter member of the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club. He later joined the Menlo Country Club. In his later years, he pursued interests in nuclear disarmament, medieval history, and open space preservation.
Mr. Wilson is survived by his wife of 41 years, Nancy; daughter Catherine Wilson of Menlo Park; sons and daughters-in-law, John and Alice Wilson of San Mateo, and Robert and Lynn Wilson of Portola Valley; grandchildren Nicole, Jesse, John, Sam, Claire and Kathryn; a sister, Mary Richardson of Tucson; and a brother, David Wilson of Hudson, Ohio.
The family has asked that memorials be made to the National Parkinson's Institute, Mid-Peninsula Hospice or a charity of the donor s choice.
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