Lasting Memories

Jack Wildman
1927-Feb. 20, 2006
Menlo Park, California

Jack Wildman, a longtime Menlo Park resident, died February 20 at age 79.

He attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City and joined the military to serve in World War II. He also served in Korea.

Returning to civilian life, he graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor's degree in commercial art. While working at the Menlo Park Recorder newspaper, he met Barbara Albertson and they married in 1953 at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Wildman later became a deacon at the church and worked with the church's prison ministry program for many years. He worked in advertising as administrative manager at McCann-Erickson's San Francisco office, and then as senior account manager at Wank Williams & Neylan in Menlo Park. He later worked in advertising and as public affairs manager at the Palo Alto Times and the Peninsula Times Tribune, where he retired in 1990.

Mr. Wildman enjoyed sketching and painting historic sites and writing essays and stories, family members said. His interest in military history led to an extensive library that he recently donated to San Jose State's Burdick Military History Project.

He raised two sons in Menlo Park with his wife Barbara, who died of cancer in 2002.

Mr. Wildman is survived by his sons, Matthew Savage Wildman of Redwood City and Douglas Albertson Wildman of San Francisco; and three granddaughters.