David Allen Wilkens
David Allen Wilkens, 55, of Olathe, Kan., passed away Monday, June 25, 2018 at Olathe Hospice House. He was born Sept. 12, 1962 in Gardner, Kan. to Glenn and Marilyn (Behnke) Wilkens.
He is survived by his parents, Glenn and Marilyn of Shawnee, Kan., his sister, Myra and husband, Lindel, also of Shawnee, and his nieces, Kiana and Kiva.
He was preceded in death by his nephew, Kaenan.
On June 25, our beloved son David was welcomed into the loving arms of Jesus. Fifty-five years ago, he changed our lives forever when God blessed us with a wonderful, unique, child. David was born with severe learning difficulties, and while a special needs child brings distinctive challenges, David also brought us a world of love and blessings that we never would have known without him.
Our community rallied together to help with his treatments, and we made life-long friends with those that stepped in to help. Because of David, we moved from our farm in central Kansas to Olathe. Glenn started teaching at the Kansas School for the Deaf and we were blessed with many wonderful relationships with those in the deaf community. Through the years, our lives have been enriched by those that have dedicated their lives and occupations to caring for those with special needs. The list of caring, amazing people that have been involved with David is long, and our hearts are grateful for every one of you.
David was generally non-verbal, but he communicated with his expressions and actions. He loved watching football, sorting playing cards, puzzles, music, and especially snacks. David was easy to love with his sweet and kind demeanor, but he also had a very determined attitude and more than a hint of mischief. We will miss his smile and laughter. We will miss the occasional times he would greet us with, “Hi Mom” and “Hi Dad”. We will miss the way he would reach for our hand when we sat or walked with him. We will miss his delight at the smallest, most simple things, and how he enjoyed life.
It’s heart-breaking to lose a child, yet we find comfort in knowing that God called our son home with His perfect timing. We know that he is complete and whole now, and we can envision him singing and dancing with the angels. A Chinese proverb says, “What a caterpillar calls the end of life, wise men call a butterfly.” We know David is joyfully flying high in his new heavenly home.
A memorial service with inurnment will take place at David’s graveside at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 1, at the Lorraine Cemetery in Lorraine, Kan.
Contributions in his memory are suggested to Olathe Hospice House, First Baptist Church of Lorraine, Kansas, or Lenexa Baptist Church. Porter Funeral Homes and Crematory of Lenexa handled arrangements.
