B.J. Wilson, 59, died on Sunday, Sept. 7 in Okmulgee, Okla. She was born in Lexington on Aug. 26, 1949 to Claude and Edith Abney.
B.J. was a member of the honorary Phi Theta Kappa fraternity for academic excellence during college studies. In 1977 she was inducted into the Honorable Order of the Kentucky Colonels in recognition for her outstanding community and career achievements. She enlisted in the Navy in 1980 and served as a Data Systems Technician. During her service she was awarded the Good Conduct medal. She was honorably discharged in 1986 and joined E-Systems to work on computer systems where she met her husband. B. J. and Frank Wayne Wilson were married May 21, 1988, and spent 20 years together until her untimely death. She completed the curricula for a LPN and was certified. As a LPN, she worked as a frontier nurse in the Appalachian Mountains delivering babies and attending to patient needs. While working at Blue Cross and Blue Shield she started one of the first renal failure departments in order to assist patients with their financial needs. She was a strong activist for battered children's rights.
