Claude E. Wilkins
May 26, 2012

Claude Chubb Wilkins, 78 of N. Syracuse, died on Saturday at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Born in Syracuse on December 31, 1933, he was the son of Claude D. Chubb and C. Irene Bressette. He was very proud of his Chubb, Bressette (French) heritage. He was adopted as a Wilkins in 1950. A native of the Syracuse area, he also resided on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the Los Angeles area for several years. He attended N. Syracuse and Brewerton Grade Schools and Moravia Central School. Claude graduated from Warren Easton High School in New Orlenas, La after his military service. He completed engineering courses at junior colleges in Harbor City, CA and Biloxi, MS. Mr. Chubb Wilkins also completed many engineering courses, leadership courses and other engineering programs in the Syracuse area. He worked several years at Carrier Corp., TR 1 Tool Design before being employed at Crouse Hinds Co. Traffic Control Products as Supervisor of their Drafting and Design Dept. Claude was a sports enthusiast throughout his life and played varsity baseball, football and basketball at Moravia Central High School. In Claude’s later years, he learned that pool (billiards) was a truly challenging sport that satisfied his competitive nature. He felt the most important part of the game wasn’t the game in itself but rather the terrific men and women he had the opportunity to meet and play the game as well as learned from.

Claude proudly served his country as a paratrooper with the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team in the Korean War. Mr. Chubb Wilkins was a member of the 187th and 508th Airborne Regimental Combat Team Assoc. as well as the 82nd Airborne Division Assoc. He was a Life Member of the Disabled American Veterans organizations and a member of the VFW Post 7290, N. Syracuse. For over 30 years, Claude also served with distinction in many leadership positions in One Parent Family Council of Syracuse and Onondaga Co. He was always helping anyone he could wherever he could and gladly gave his leadership and photography talents to this and other oganizations. One of the greater joys in Claude’s life came in 2001 when he started researching his family tree on the paternal side and learned he had many relatives in the Lowville, NY area. He felt he was fortunate to meet many of those relatives and truly enjoyed them when he went there to visit. He was awed and proud at learning of the military service of his ancestors in the Spanish American, Civil, First and Second World Wars. Claude always had a piece of wood in his hands from the time he was very young, building this or fixing that. He so enjoyed wood working that he used his talents to warm the hearts of others through the various things that he designed and made for them. He enjoyed poetry, writing some himself and enjoyed the poetry of others.

Surviving are his daughter, Theresa Irene Carswell, Bay St. Louis, MS, several grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his beloved sons, Michael E. Wilkins in 1993, Steven Wilkins in 2000, Thomas Wilkins in 1995, parents, sisters; Donna (Chubb) Wilkins Sarvay, Geraldine (Chubb) Hemmings Loyd, brother Verne B. (Chubb) Wilkins and Verne’s wife, Barbara and a niece, Vonnie Ping.

Calling hours will be held on Sat. from 9 to 10 am at New Comer Funeral Home, 705 N. Main St., North Syracuse, with services to follow. Burial will be in North Syracuse Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to Disbaled American Veterans or to the VFE Post #7290.