Rev. Wilson Lee Deaton passed away on February 4, 2025, at Zilber Family Hospice, in Wauwatosa, WI with his wife and son on each side, after a month-long hospitalization focused on his heart. Wilson was born March 16, 1960, in Flint, Mi, to Rev. Wilson and Nannie Deaton. He grew up, the middle child with two sisters Betty and Debbie, in New Lothrop and Flushing, MI. Wilson enjoyed living in both towns and wrote a book based on a summer in one of them. He graduated from Flushing High School, where he had a close friend group with contact to this day.Following graduation, he attended Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, where he met his sweetheart, Robin Evans. The two were married in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 18, 1983, with a beautiful ceremony co-officiated by his father and Branson Roberts. By 1985, Wilson graduated from Olivet with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Philosophy.The couple then moved to Kansas City, MO where Wilson attended Nazarene Theological Seminary, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1988. While at seminary in February 1987, their daughter Chelsie was born. They were both so excited to be parents. Wilson and Robin remained in the Midwest for a career of pastoring and planting churches. They loved doing ministry together. Their first church assignment involved taking over a church plant in Oscoda, Michigan. The building was a tiny, unpainted cement block building, but they were very excited to work with the people there. The church was officially organized on March 12, 1989. Many in the church were young families from Wurtsmith Airforce Base. On July 29, 1990, his boy, Landon Deaton was born… on a Sunday, so Wilson had to miss preaching that day. It was a time of celebration for the family and the church family. He continued ministering with the wonderful people in Oscoda at the Huron Shores Church of the Nazarene until September 1991, when Wilson felt that God was directing them to move to Alpena, Michigan just an hour north of them.This second church ministry involved following Wilson’s pastor dad to his dad’s church Alpena Church of the Nazarene. His dad died of a brain tumor while pastoring there. From September 1991 through November 1997, Wilson and Robin ministered together with the group who was also mourning the loss of Wilson’s father, their previous pastor, and while there, they changed the church’s name to New Beginnings Church of the Nazarene and opened a thrift store to help the community and provide jobs. This was truly a church family with a heart for the poor and their generous, kind hearts impacted Wilson and his family. In 1997, Wilson felt God leading him to minister in his third assignment out in the country in Sumner, MI, where they celebrated the church’s 50th Anniversary together. He enjoyed singing Thank God I’m a Country Boy while experiencing gardening, and rural living. Wilson and Robin enjoyed their ministry and made many good memories and friends at Sumner Center Church of the Nazarene until 2000, when Wilson felt God was leading him to move to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to plant a brand-new church. Unbeknownst to Wilson, Kenosha, WI would be his fourth and final ministry assignment until his death at age 64. For several years there, he was able to co-pastor with his daughter Chelsie, and it was one of the joys of his life to share that responsibility with her. It was easy to see that he fully embraced and lived by the motto of his church by loving God and loving others every day. When they settled on the name of his final church home, Kenosha Family Church, it was clear there couldn’t be a more appropriate designation given to his ministry. Wilson made sure that every member, visitor and stranger was treated as family. He led by example every day; one we hope will leave behind a lasting impact on how we see the world and treat the people around us. His commitment to his church and ministry was evident when he told his family some days before he died, that he was not ready to retire, and that he did not feel that God had released him from pastoring Kenosha Family Church yet. This was also apparent during the last two months of his preaching. His loving church family could see that it was becoming difficult for him to step up the two steps on the platform, so they installed a handrail to help him. Pretty soon that was too difficult, so he preached from a tall stool on the floor using a walker to get to the front, and the last two weeks that he preached, it was from a wheelchair.Wilson was also a wonderful husband and father. You could often find him at home spending quality time with his wife and kids. He frequently teased his family and friends, and was always able to make them laugh. He strived to be a genuine role model for his children, and everyone else in his extended church family. Besides ministry, Wilson enjoyed biking, reading, learning, movies, chess, Wordle, writing magazine articles and books, traveling, and Spice…who he always said was Robin’s kitty, but he loved her very much as well.He is survived by his wife Robin and son Landon Deaton; his sisters Betty (Jim) Thomas and Debbie (Tim Horne) Crawley; brother-in-law Fred (Julie) Evans; In-laws Fred and Bonnie Evans; Aunts and Uncles Betty Herald, Barb (Jerry) Johnson, Bill (Jessie) Arrowood, Bill Bullard; Nieces and nephews: Stephanie Fisher, James (Kim) Thomas, Kristin (Bob) Diamond, Sara Stahl, Ashley (Brooks) Elam, Alex (Elizabeth) Evans; Cousins: Sherry (Carl) Seamon, Rebecca (Ross) Krawczyk, Jerry (Ann) Johnson, Adam (Sandy) Johnson, Jenny (Kevin) Carlton, Lindy (Mike) Bethke and many more on the Deaton side. Sadly, he was preceded in death by his daughter Chelsie, who died of Leukemia six months before her dad’s death, his parents Wilson and Nannie Deaton, his Aunt Dorothy "Dot" Bullard, cousin Greg Bullard, Uncle Johnny Herald, his grandparents Bill (Jennie) Arrowood and Robert (Sarah) Deaton and many more relatives on the Deaton side. As well as the many people in his church families through the years.A Celebration of Life service will be held at Proko Funeral Home, 5111 60th St., Kenosha, WI, on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. There will be an opportunity for visitation from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service. A luncheon will be held following the service at Kenosha Family Church and provided by the church family in honor of his 25 years of ministry with them. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Kenosha Family Church.