Kathryn Franklin Wilson

Kathryn “Jackie” Wilson passed away peacefully on March 30, 2026, at her home in El Paso, Texas. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and a lifelong champion of the arts and her community.

Jackie was born on January 31, 1939, in O’Donnell, Texas, to Theodorick and Ona Fay Franklin. She married Leonard Wilson in 1958, and together they built a life centered on family, creativity, and service, raising two children, Brenda and Brent.

A graduate of Texas Tech University, Jackie co-authored three books and dedicated her career to enriching cultural life across the Texas Panhandle. Her work included leadership and contributions at the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, the Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo College, and the Amarillo Botanical Gardens. In roles spanning production, curation, expansion, and administration, she left a lasting impact on each institution.

While at Amarillo College, Jackie played a key role in securing private funding and grants that helped launch the Panhandle PBS station. At the Amarillo Botanical Gardens, she expanded its mission beyond local garden clubs to serve the broader community. She established beloved events such as Music in the Gardens, grew educational programming, introduced seasonal celebrations for all ages, and oversaw the addition of the Mary E. Bivins Tropical Conservatory—an indoor rainforest ecosystem inspired by the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Jackie had a deep love for travel, driving, and walking in nature. She was an avid collector of art and found joy in working with her hands, especially in transforming neglected properties into places of beauty and purpose.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard Wilson, in 2008.

She is survived by her daughter, Brenda Barnes and her husband, Jamie, of El Paso; her son, Brent Wilson and his husband, Leo Paschal, of Austin; and her grandchildren, Justin Barnes and his wife, Evelynn, and Lara Russ and her husband, Shawn, all of El Paso.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 2, at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church in O’Donnell, Texas. The service will also be streamed on the church’s Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Amarillo Botanical Gardens in her memory at https://www.amarillobotanicalgardens.org/