Educator.
Born at Brandon on 27 July 1937, one of five children of Charles Robert Wilson (1898-1967) and Marion Dolena McKay (1908-2002), he received a BA degree (1959), a Certificate in Education (1960), and a Bachelor of Education degree (1962) from Brandon College, during which time he was a pianist and choir director at daily chapel services.
A music teaching career began at Vincent Massey High School (1960-1961) and continued at Harrison High School (1961-1967) before returning to Vincent Massey where he taught English and Drama until retirement in 1002. He directed over forty high school musical productions. For sixteen years, he took groups of students to Stratford, Ontario to introduce them to dramatical works of the great masters. He conceived Mosaic Massey, an annual festival, to introduce students and staff to world-renowned people.
He was active in the musical community of Brandon, serving in the 1960s as President of the Brandon committee of Jeunesses Musicales du Canada. In 1961, he organized the first of many Manitoba Music Educators’ Midwinter Workshops, involving choirs, orchestras, and bands from across Manitoba. He was President of the Brandon Festival of the Arts (1962-1963) and was a member of its board for several years. He served on the Board for the Eckhardt-Gramatte Competition for the Performance of Canadian Music (1976-2007) and, after retirement, he chaired Augustfest that brought musicians who had trained in southwestern Manitoba and Brandon back to perform. He was the music director at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church for many years.
In recognition of his community service, he was inducted into the Order of Canada (1991) and received a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) and a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Brandon University (2019). He is commemorated by the David C. Wilson Theatre at Vincent Massey High School.
He died unmarried at Brandon on 24 November 2025.
Birth registrations [Charles Robert Wilson, Marion Dalena McKay], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Marriage registration [Charles Robert Wilson, Marion Dolena McKay], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Charles Wilson dies in Brandon,” Brandon Sun, 11 February 1967, page 1.
Obituary [Marion Dolena Wilson], Brandon Sun, 4 May 2002, page 21.
Cemetery Search, City of Brandon Municipal Cemetery.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 29 November 2025.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 29 November 2025
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