#cuentomology

Christopher Foster Wilkinson, 79

February 9, 1938 - November 11, 2017

Marblehead - Christopher Foster Wilkinson, 79, of Marblehead, formerly of Wilmington, North Carolina, passed away Saturday, November 11, 2017 at Beverly Hospital. He was the husband of Maria Luisa (Dinamarca) Wilkinson of Marblehead.

Born in Driffield, East Yorkshire, England, Chris earned a degree in Agricultural Chemistry from the University of Reading in Reading, Berkshire, England and a PhD in Entomology from the University of California, Riverside. He had a long career as a professor at Cornell University and was the founder of its Institute of Environmental Toxicology. Chris also worked for a time in Washington D.C. serving as the Vice President of two separate law firms with a focus on environmental strategic planning and risk assessment. A charitable man, Chris served meals for fourteen years for Meals on Wheels in Wilmington, NC and was hoping to continue this service in the Marblehead area where he had recently moved. As a young man, Chris was a talented rugby player. He was an alternate on the England National Team, the captain of his team at Reading, as well as captain on the U.C. Riverside rugby team. Chris was also a talented and avid Master Gardener, who looked after over 50 different types of roses in his prestigious and award winning home garden, and was a past President of the Wilmington Cape Fear Rose Society.

Chris is survived by his loving wife, Maria of Marblehead, MA; his son, Paul Christopher, wife Jeanne, and grandchildren Camden and Emelia (and soon to be born granddaughter) of Marblehead; his daughter Anne Wiersema, husband Steve, and grandchildren, Tate and Nolan of Oakland, CA; his sister Janet Wheelock, husband Verner, nephew Kevin, and nieces Alison and Kathryn of Yorkshire, England.