The last time Kathy McCoy saw Kelly Wilkerson, the two were reminiscing.

On the front porch of the CEPA executive office, they recapped the events of their final play together, Hiram. They had exhausted themselves on the production, and when it was finished they shared a few celebratory smiles over its success and breathed a sigh of relief that their grueling work schedules – at least for now – had come to a close.

It was a feel-good moment, she said. And a memory that will stay with her for some time.

“I’m heartbroken. I’ve lost a coworker before, but never like this,” McCoy said.

Wilkerson, director of the Pell City Center for Education and the Performing Arts, suffered a stroke on Friday, March 25 and was hospitalized. In ICU, doctors discovered that Wilkerson had a form of leukemia that complicated treatment. He died in the early morning hours of March 28. He was 58 years old.

To his co-workers, CEPA board members and volunteers who served with him, Wilkerson is remembered as a man of genuine compassion and patience, as well as a person of vast intelligence who could be relied on to organize, prepare or fix just about anything. When he took the director position at CEPA three years ago, he immediately went to work upgrading the facility and its systems.

McCoy, who served as programming manager at CEPA until the beginning of March, recalled a favorite memory of Wilkerson. Sitting in the office, she said at that time her knowledge of technology could be summed up by her excitement in figuring out how to attach files to emails. But Wilkerson needed her to understand how to use “the Cloud.”

“I told him I didn’t understand how I was supposed to get these files in there,” McCoy said. “So he stands up in front of the dry erase board and draws a picture of a fluffy cloud and diagrams out how the whole thing works.

“When he sat down, we just started laughing and couldn’t stop.”

Others who knew Wilkerson have similar stories about his dedication to the Center and community. CEPA volunteer Linda Wood said she worked “with Wilkerson, never under him.” She said his patience shone through in all things, as did his ability to aid and encourage everyone he crossed paths with.

“I never saw him grit teeth or get least bit frustrated over people. I never saw him angry,” Wood said. “ He was so capable. It’s hard thing to get over, a loss like this.”

Pam Foote was another who worked closely with Wilkerson, as the two spent time almost every day preparing for and hosting the Smithsonian Exhibit “The Way We Work” at the Center.

“There was never a job too big or too small for Kelly,” Foote said. “He did whatever we asked him – scheduled tour groups, led tours, set up tables, ran video. There was never anything he couldn’t do, and he was an integral part of the project’s success.”

Carol Pappas, President of the CEPA Board of Directors, said most of the technological and digital innovation at the center can be credited to Wilkerson’s efforts. He was instrumental in securing funding recently for a movie screen and projection equipment for the facility. His goal was to have movie nights for the community.

“He will be greatly missed,” Pappas said. “He helped move us forward in many different ways. The Board can’t thank him enough for what he did, and our hearts go out to his family.”

That’s another thing Wilkerson’s friends and co-workers revered him highly for – his love of his family. Earlier this month, he announced his retirement effective June 1 so he could spend more time at home with his wife and four children. The Wilkersons had plans to expand their immediate family further, as they were preparing to adopt four more children into their home.

“That was their number one priority,” McCoy said of the Wilkersons. “He’s just a good man, very kind and very patient. This is a tremendous loss to the community and to his family.”

Last week, CEPA released that with Wilkerson’s retirement, the Board’s goal was to build on the foundation that Wilkerson had helped set in place.

“Kelly had a big heart,” Pappas said. “He would always try to accommodate. It wasn’t easy to schedule everything, but he would go the extra mile and try to help every time.”

Arrangements for a Memorial Service will be announced at a later date.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kelly L. Wilkerson Fund at Metro Bank, and condolences can be offered at usreyfuneralhome.com.

For more information on the center and how to get involved, visit the CEPA website at pellcitycenter.com.