Wallace Murray Wilson Sr., age 82, passed away peacefully on May 11, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family. Born on February 4, 1944, at Fort Benning, Georgia, Wallace was the son of Clarence Walker Wilson and Guyola Wilson (née Ingle).

Wallace proudly served his country in the United States Air Force from April 18, 1963, until March 21, 1976. Following his military service, he separated from the Air Force at McCoy Air Force Base in Orlando, Florida, where he chose to make Central Florida his lifelong home.

After his years of service, Wallace built a successful and multifaceted career in real estate. His work spanned many areas of the industry, teaching classes at Bert Rodgers School of Real Estate in his early years while also selling homes and expanding into mortgages, land acquisition, and the opening of his own real estate business serving friends and families throughout the Central Florida area. Known for his professionalism, kindness, and strong work ethic, Wallace earned the respect, trust, and friendship of many within his community over the years.

Wallace had a deep love for travel, adventure, and living life to the fullest. Over the years, he explored destinations across the world, from Hawaii to Europe and throughout the United States. Some of his favorite adventures included a golf trip to Ireland with his buddies, traveling overseas to Germany to visit his daughter and son-in-law while they were serving in the Air Force, countless cruises with friends and family, and many beach getaways spent making memories with friends and loved ones. Most recently, he enjoyed a special trip to New Hampshire with his daughter and her family, where he happily zipped around on a snowmobile with his granddaughter.

Wallace embraced adventure in every season of life. He owned several classic Corvettes over the years and enjoyed restoring them and taking them out for a drive. He loved life on the water, owning countless kinds of boats throughout the years. In his younger days, he even enjoyed some water skiing and zipping around the lake on jet skis, and later in life he loved pulling the kids around the lake on the giant tube and spending relaxing days boating with friends and family.

Whether cruising in his Corvette, relaxing on a boat, or spending time by the pool in his younger years, Wallace loved music. He could often be found listening to Jimmy Buffett as he took the Corvette for a spin or, in his earlier years, Bob Marley as he cannonballed into the pool alongside his young kids. Last year, he was especially happy to take his daughter to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, attend a performance by a world-renowned guitarist, and enjoy a lively dueling piano singalong with his daughter and granddaughter at the neighborhood clubhouse.

At one point in his life, Wallace even owned a Harley, along with all the leather that comes with that, and loved the freedom and excitement of riding and admiring motorcycles. There truly was not much Wallace had not experienced, from snow skiing dozens of times in various states to indoor skydiving during a cruise vacation, and even getting a tattoo at Bike Week. He stayed active whenever possible, faithfully going to the gym and spending countless hours playing and watching the game he loved most: golf.

Always willing to embrace new experiences, Wallace even took up ballroom dancing later in life. He began taking group lessons at Arthur Murray, faithfully attending classes twice each week. He genuinely seemed to enjoy dancing, taking pride in learning new steps and delighting in inviting his granddaughter — the true dance professional of the family — to come watch him dance.

Wallace had a lifelong love for dogs and rarely went a year without a loyal four-legged companion by his side. He instilled that same love for dogs in his children, passing down an appreciation for the companionship, joy, and unconditional love that pets bring to a family.

Above all, Wallace treasured his family. His strength and devotion were perhaps most evident in the loving care he gave to both of his wives during their battles with cancer. He stood faithfully by their sides through illness and hardship, offering unwavering love, strength, and support.

He worked tirelessly to provide a good life for his family in every sense of the word. Wallace would do anything for his children and always wanted to help guide them toward success in every area of life. While he was always there to lend a helping hand, he also worked hard to instill in them the importance of strong values, professionalism, responsibility, and a solid work ethic.

In his younger years as a father, he coached his son’s baseball team and spent countless hours practicing softball and tennis with his daughter while she was growing up. He was also his granddaughter’s number one fan, faithfully attending dance competitions year after year after year.

Wallace was always there when his family needed him, whether it was helping with a big school project, spending hours at the dinner table working through dreaded math homework, saving the day by fixing a flat tire, or repeatedly rescuing the same family member stranded on the side of the road after running out of gas again. He took pride in tackling home renovation projects, keeping his yard well maintained, and, in his earlier years, washing and waxing the family’s cars by hand.

He was also the family’s trusted navigator, always ready to give directions to anywhere within a hundred miles. Somehow, he always seemed to know exactly how to get there and would often draw a handwritten map just to make sure you arrived safely.

Wallace was a steady source of guidance, wisdom, and support through both personal and professional challenges. He was intelligent, well-read, and remarkably capable. To his family, it often seemed there was nothing he could not do or did not know.

He is survived by his sister, Guyette, and her son Brandon, wife Jennifer and grandniece Lily; his son, Wallace Jr. and granddaughter Amelia; his daughter Carrie and granddaughter Ava; his daughter Stephanie and husband James, along with grandsons Tyler and Jacob; his daughter Georgia Kay and grandson James; his son William with wife Elaine and granddaughter Amanda; and son Scott and wife Mimi and grandchildren Robert and Charlotte.

Wallace will be remembered for his strength, dedication, fun-loving and adventurous spirit, and the love and laughter he shared with everyone around him. He leaves behind a legacy of service, hard work, and devotion to family that will continue to live on in all who knew and loved him.

He will be greatly missed and forever remembered.