Wilton “Bill” Edwards Aikin, 89, passed away on September 30, 2026 in Abilene, Texas.

A Memorial Service will be held 2:00 PM Saturday, October 17th, 2026 at Wesley Court with Jeremy Cluff officiating.

Wilton was born in Evanston, Illinois to Wilton Aikin and Elizabeth Whitney Aikin on January 1st, 1937.He spent his early school years in Park Ridge, Illinois and later graduated from Maine Township High School East, also in Park Ridge.

He married Judith Walaszek Aikin on September 19th, 1982 in Lake Zurich, Illinois. Together they blended their family of Linda Aikin Yahnke (Paul); John Aikin (Holly); Doug Aikin (Sherri); Robin Kaleta Warner (Steve); Jennifer Kaleta Kush; then they together welcomed Kelly Aikin Cluff (Jeremy).

Wilton and Judith were blessed with 14 grandchildren: Ivy and Lacey Yahnke; Nicole Aikin; Sunny, Max, and Sydney Aikin; Courtney and Emma Warner; Kristen Kaleta, Michael Bloom, Rebecca Mattson, and Matthew Stamper; and Ophelia Cluff.

Their blessings continued on to 12 great grandchildren: Harper, Lyric, Briar, Matthew, Emalee, Dominyk, Jackson, Issac, Ayden, Oliver, Jason and Hunter.

Wilton worked as a Milkman for Twin Oaks Dairy for 22 years. He took great pride in being “One of the last real delivery Milkmen” before the transition to grocery store milk. When he and Judy went on their honeymoon, one of their stops was in the small tourist town of Sedona, Arizona. They fell in love with the town’s beauty and charm, and quickly bought the Sedona Ice Cream Parlour and Candy Emporium. Together they successfully owned and operated the parlour for 20 years, as well as expanded to other locations. Wilton was very proud of the businesses and worked hard daily to ensure their success. Due to this he was well known within the community of Sedona, often earning many “Best of Sedona” community business awards over the years.

Wilton also served in the US Navy in his early adulthood. He was passionate about aviation and flew his own private plane for many years. Later he enjoyed building model airplanes, and over the years he built an extensive collection of rare aviation model kits. He was active in a bowling league and softball leagues. Wilton was also an accomplished disco and country western dancer. Their shared love of country western dancing is what lead Wilton and Judith to meet, and they continued dancing through the years.

Wilton was preceded in death by his father, Wilton Aikin; his mother, Elizabeth Whitney Aikin; and his sister, Joan Aikin Pugsley.

The family of Wilton wishes to extend our sincere thanks to the many compassionate Doctors and medical professionals at Hendrick Medical Center South.