Donald Neville Wilkinson, beloved husband of Katie (Lawless), passed away surrounded by family and friends in his home in Kirk Yetholm, Scotland on July 13, 2025, two days after his 75th Birthday. His long and brave fight with COPD was followed by a brief battle with cancer.
Donald was the second son of Wallace and Rita Wilkinson of Edinburgh and was educated at Melville College, Edinburgh followed by St Mary’s Preparatory School, Melrose and finally Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh.
Donald entered the family knitwear business, Glengair Ltd, who were engaged in the production of high-quality sweaters, largely for export markets. The business led him to live and work in Italy for a year, but more importantly to the East Coast of the US and Don latterly moved there in the1980’s to work with their then agent, Richard O Heath of New Canaan, Conn. The Heath family generously took Don ‘under their wing’ and they remained an important part of his life.
In the years between the family business and moving to the States, he was associated with both Frank Freight and Tooth Transport which allowed him to visit many beautiful locations around Europe. He enjoyed sharing his adventures and was always one to tell a good story, which would be “a long story made short.”
When the showroom in New York closed, he took the opportunity to spend a summer in Newport, RI, where he found employment at the Pier Restaurant and in time became the Head Chef. He then went on to manage Tycoons Restaurant and it was during this time he met Katie. They were married in September of 1994 and took on the role of estate managers at The Glen Manor House, Portsmouth in 2022. Don was responsible for the maintenance and restoration of that splendid mansion, in particular its extensive grounds and gardens.
He still found time, however, to indulge in his love of golf (a true Scotsman) and was a member of the Wanumetonomy Country Club. He also supported the New England Patriots, the Bruins, as well as his childhood heroes, Hibernian FC of Edinburgh. (The latter were conspicuously less successful than the Pats….)
In 2023, Don & Katie retired and took the momentous decision to return to Scotland. They decided to settle in the Scottish Borders, where many of his family reside and found a perfect cottage in the delightful village of Kirk Yetholm, where they readily made friends and enjoyed local life.
Sadly, Don’s health recently worsened, becoming a more major issue and despite first-class treatment by NHS Scotland, and Katie’s constant loving care, his condition rapidly deteriorated and he sadly passed away.
Along with Katie, Donald will be greatly missed by brother Michael and his partner Sheona, sister Joan Cowley and husband Martin as well as his extended family in the US, brother-in-law Rick Lawless and wife Filomena and Frank Lawless and wife Diane and Sean Donahoe and his deceased wife Claire. He loved his many nieces and nephews both in the UK and US and they adored him. He also leaves behind many American friends, the golfing crews both in the US and in the UK and his beloved Barn Boys.
His Funeral service will be held in Scotland on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at 9:00 AM EST. To view the livestream on the day of the service, please visit:
https://watch.obitus.com, Username zele2830, Password 575143.
The livestream video will be available to view online at the link above from August 4-18, 2025.
Donations can be made in his honour in the US to Friends of the Glen Manor House, PO Box 502, Portsmouth, RI 02871, https://glenmanorhouse.com/friends.
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