Melvin J. Wilson, of Oak Park—an architect, activist, journalist and co-founder of Oak Park Lesbian and Gay Association—passed away April 20. He was 74.
A memorial service will be Sunday, July 9, at 3:30 p.m., at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, 875 Lake St., Oak Park. Donations can be made to OPALGA (Opalga.org) or LGBT Voice Tanzania (lgbtvoicetz.org/).
After earning his architecture degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Wilson worked in the offices of Mies van der Rohe and at FCL Associates, served as an architect in the Peace Corps in Tunisia, and was a staff writer at Windy City Times.
Wilson was the husband and partner of 32 years to Nathan Linsk; the father of Adam (Renee) Wilson and Charna (Angel McDonald) Linsk; the former spouse of Esther Parada; the brother of Darrell and Loren Wilson; and the son of the late Leonard Lee and Levina Wilson. He was preceded in death by brothers Claude and Everett Wilson.