Wilson Furniture Hardware and Undertaking was originally located at 19 Harrison Avenue in a 2-story building, which is still in existence. In the photo, the advertising on the side of the building is "J. S. Wilson, Undertaker." The building is presently occupied by a music store.
About Us
Our Beginning
John Stephen Wilson moved to Panama City from Florala, Alabama, around 1910, and began to operate the Wilson Furniture, Hardware and Undertaking business.
The business had been purchased from Mr. Wilson's employer, a Mr. Shepherd, also of Florala. The story is told that when the two were agreeing upon a price for the business, Mr. Shepherd asked Mr. Wilson how much he had and he replied, "Not much". Mr. Shepherd thereupon replied, "That's enough". Mr. Wilson was about thirty years old at that time, married, and the father of a one-year-old son, Wilbur Preston Wilson. Mr. Wilson graduated from Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science in Nashville, Tennessee.
The founder of the funeral home became an active member of the community and served as mayor of the City of Panama City from 1923 to 1925. Mr. Wilson was generous and was known for being philanthropic to individuals in the community as well as assisting struggling churches. He was a member of the First Baptist Church. At the time of Mr. Wilson's death, he was married to Grace West, granddaughter of George Mortimer West, one of the pioneers of the county. Mr. Wilson is interred in a marble mausoleum in Greenwood Cemetery.
Wilbur Preston Wilson
Wilbur 'Buck' Wilson moved with his parents to Panama City when he was a year old. He spent his entire life in Panama City except for attending school at Georgia Military Academy and the Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science in Nashville, Tennessee. He spent time abroad while a member of the Merchant Marines.
He married Lennie Killingsworth of Columbia, Alabama. Buck spent his life working as a licensed funeral director/embalmer at Wilson Funeral Home. Buck had a dry sense of humor and could make people laugh. He was also considered one of the best embalmers of all time. He embalmed during the days of the gravity bottle, so when the embalming machine was invented and became available, he purchased one.
His father thought it was a senseless piece of equipment. His father soon realized the value of the machine and reimbursed him. He and his wife, Lennie, are buried in Greenwood Cemetery where most of the area's founding fathers are buried.
John Stephen "Steve" Wilson II
John Stephen "Steve" Wilson II, age 87, passed away on Monday, September 22, 2025.
Steve was born on January 4, 1938 to Wilbur Preston “Buck” & Lennie K. Wilson in Dr. Roberts Clinic (next to the Woman’s Club on Cove Blvd). He grew up in the 1100 block of Jenks Avenue. Steve attended Foreman’s kindergarten, Panama City Grammar, Jinks Junior High, and graduated from Bay High in the great class of 1956. He attended the University of Florida in 1957 and 1958. Steve graduated from Dallas Institute–Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science, Dallas, Texas in December 1959. He was a third generation Funeral Director / Owner of Wilson Funeral Home, dedicatedly serving Bay County and surrounding areas for 64 years. He was a member of the Panama City Rotary Club for 52 years, retiring in 2016 with 50 years of perfect attendance. He received two Paul Harris awards and served as President in 1990-1991. He also served as Secretary, Treasurer, and Program Chairman.
Steve was a lifelong member of the First Baptist Church of Panama City where he was a Deacon Emeritus, serving as Chairman of the Deacons in 1981. Steve worked as a teacher in the 4th grade children’s Sunday school class for 50 years. He was a founding director of Peoples First Community Bank. Steve also served as a Board Member and President of the Boy’s Club of Panama City. He served on the Bay Medical Center Board of Trustees from 1986-1991, serving as Chairman from 1989-1991.
He was an avid Florida Gator fan and was a Gator Booster for over 50 years. He attended every Gator game in 1996 when Florida won the National Championship. He loved riding his bike, totaling over 60,000 miles.
Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Wilbur “Buck” and Lennie Wilson and a sister Shirley Winter.
100 Block of Harrison Avenue
413 Harrison Avenue
The property at 413 Harrison Avenue was purchased by Mr. Wilson for the relocation of Wilson Furniture Hardware and Undertaking. On February 17, 1926, excavation began on the site for the building.
The completed building housed the hardware on the ground floor, the furniture on the second floor and the funeral home on the third floor.
A newspaper account of the building records that the building was 'slap out of town' and was the first three-story building built in Panama City. The telephone number at the store was 33. The building is currently the home of the Downtown Improvement Board of Panama City.
301 McKenzie Avenue
In 1940, Mr. Wilson built the 2-story brick, colonial building located at 301 McKenzie Avenue. This facility was the home of Wilson Funeral Home from 1940 until it was sold to Bay County for a Courthouse Annex in 1963. One of the most memorable funerals to be held in the McKenzie Avenue address was that of the 'King of the Gypsies', who died on November 1, 1948, and was interred in Meridian, Mississippi.
The newspaper gave the account, "The special guard of tribesmen stationed according to custom at Wilson's Funeral Home yesterday permitted over 3,000 local residents to view the flower-banked bier." The building had a basement, which Mr. Wilson used to stockpile metal caskets at the onset of World War II. Mr. Wilson had a seamless copper deposit casket for someone of prominence who might die during the war. Mr. Wilson himself was interred in the casket in 1956. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was placed in an identical casket at the time of his death in Warm Springs, Georgia, on April 12, 1945.
