Written by the Family

Dec. 24, 2014: Danesi Hilton Wilson, loving wife of the late John D. Wilson, died December 6, 2014, in East Lansing, Michigan, at the age of 91. She was born on September 29, 1923, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Danesi M. and Robert W. Hilton.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Robert W. Hilton Jr. and William M. Hilton. She is survived by her sons, John D. Wilson and David M. Wilson, daughter, Mary W. Thomas, and step-daughter, Nina W. Lihn.

She graduated from the Seven Hills School in Cincinnati and from Sarah Lawrence College. Before her marriage, she worked for the Carnegie Corporation in New York. 

As a mother, Danesi not only raised her three children, but also helped raise William Hilton Jr. after the death of William Hilton's wife. She also found time to pursue her interests in gardening, painting, and writing. She loved to garden at her home on Cape Cod, and her paintings of flowers and Cape Cod scenes continue to adorn the walls of her Cape Cod house and the homes of her children as well.

She spread her love of painting through her volunteer work teaching art appreciation in the Yonkers schools. Her writing interests were pursued as a member of the Nondescript Club and were connected with a lifelong love of crossword puzzles, which she did battle with daily, up to her death. She was also a member of the Little Forum and the Bronxville Field Club, and she played tennis well into her 80s. 

Danesi moved out to Michigan in 2009, but her heart was always in Bronxville and Truro, Cape Cod. Though she had devoted many of her later years in Bronxville to caring for her husband in his time of illness, she always approached whatever hardships were thrown her way with the view that life was not supposed to be easy, and it was important to keep busy and never give up. She never did.

Contributions in memory of Danesi Wilson may be sent to Sarah Lawrence College or to the Truro Conservation Trust, P.O. Box 327, North Truro, MA 02652.