Archie Wilcox went to his heavenly home on the evening of Sunday March 24, 2019 in Tallahassee, FL.  He was born in Nunda, SD on June 30, 1927, a middle child of the 10 children of Roy and Anna Wilcox.  He attended school in Nunda, where he was sometimes the only child in that grade. After high school and a stint as a paratrooper in the Army, he enrolled at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD.  There he received his bachelors, and went on to complete his masters in physics with emphasis on nuclear engineering from SDSU in 1955.  

His work in designing shielding for reactor cores and waste containers took him to many interesting places.  One of his first jobs after graduation was in Wyoming, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati.  He found lodging at the home of Edna Haag, a widow who let rooms to engineers working for General Electric.  There he met Edna's daughter Ethel, who became the love of his life.  They married in 1958, and had one daughter, Christie.

After a couple years in Wyoming, OH, the family moved to Johnson City, NY, where Archie continued to work for GE, then to Arlington, TX, where he worked for Ling-Temco-Vought.  In 1965, Archie got a job with Aerojet General, and the family moved to Orangevale, CA. In 1972, the Aerojet project ended, and Archie took a job with Knolls Atomic Power Labs in upstate New York.  One wintry day, he heard about an opportunity with Offshore Power Systems, a branch of Westinghouse, and the family moved to sunny Jacksonville, FL.  When that project ended, he transferred to Westinghouse Hanford in Richland, WA. He worked for several engineering firms over the next couple decades, sometimes travelling to other areas such as Pasadena, CA and Oak Ridge TN, but he and Ethel loved the Richland area and kept their home there.

Archie loved his family very much, and enjoyed seeing his brothers, sisters, cousins and relatives at family reunions.  He liked fishing and doing projects around the house, and he had a green thumb for gardening and fruit trees. He and Ethel were married for 52 loving and happy years, and after her death he remained in their home in Richland, WA until 2016, when he came to stay with Christie, her husband James and grandchildren Michelle and Erik.  Every day he would read the funnies in the newspaper and work the Jumble.  He loved reading and playing Scrabble.  He and Christie did Saturday errands together, which always included cheesecake and a cup of coffee at a local bookstore.  He loved seeing his grandchildren excel in school and sports, and he appreciated James' caregiving at home during the last few months.  

He is survived by his brother Earl Wilcox (Eleanor), his sister Vera Peterson (Stan), daughter Christie Lamm (James), grandchildren Michelle Lamm and Erik Lamm, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends. The viewing will be held Friday April 12 from 3 - 5 at Einan's at Sunset.  A celebration of his life will be held at Einan's at Sunset in Richland, WA, at 11 AM on Saturday April 13, 2019. The Committal with Military Honors will follow the celebration of life at Sunset Gardens. Arrangements will be handled by Einan's. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Archie's memory to the Froslie - Wilcox Freshman Scholarship at South Dakota State University (make checks payable to the SDSU Foundation, 815 Medary Ave, Box 525, Brookings, SD, 57007).