Joe Bassette Wilkins, Jr.

Joe Bassette Wilkins, Jr., age 76, a native of Portsmouth, VA, and a resident of Daphne, AL, passed away Saturday, May 31, 2025.

After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School (now Manor HS) in Portsmouth, Joe completed his BA degree at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, NC, and his MA at the University of Richmond in Richmond, VA, before completing his PhD at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC, in 1977. Dr. Wilkins began his university teaching career at Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama) in Livingston, AL, in 1978. In 1995, Dr. Wilkins became the Dean of Graduate Studies at UWA, and began the development of the online courses program soon thereafter. During his career at UWA, he received a number of awards recognizing his excellence in teaching and was a member of numerous professional organizations at the national, state, and local levels. In December of 2006, Dr. Wilkins retired from the University of West Alabama and started a 15 year tenure at Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, AL, holding several positions until his retirement as Director of Governmental Affairs in September 2022. 

Dr. Joe Wilkins was preceded in death by his parents, Marjorie Farmer Wilkins in 2000, and Joe Bassette Wilkins, Sr. in 2019.

He is survived by his wife of over 30 years, Marsha (Mim) Bounds Wilkins; brother, Reverend John Michael Wilkins, D.D. (retired), and his wife Lucy Rex Wilkins of Maryville, TN; step-sons, Christopher Lee Dunn of Foley, AL, and Will Michael Dunn of Centreville, AL; brothers-in-law, Roland Hall Bounds and Jeffrey E. Bounds of Mobile; and other relatives.

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