Erwin W Wilton

Erwin William Wilton, 92, of Fort Gratiot Township, went home to be with his Lord on Sunday July 5, 2026 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s/dementia, which he fought with nothing but kindness.

He was born August 12, 1933 in Port Huron, Michigan to the late Aldred E. and Mabel Olive Wilton. He married Patricia Ann Freeman on December 7, 1957 in Edwardsburg, Michigan.

Erwin served honorably in the U.S. Army during the Korean War while stationed in Tokyo, Japan. He was a life-long resident of the Blue Water Area. A well-known and respected business man, he began his career while still in high school, starting his first business hiring a crew of men to install T.V. Antennas while he completed his education. Later he opened a radio repair shop on Water Street alongside his father. That shop eventually became Wilton’s T.V. & Appliance, Inc. In 1951, Erwin bought property at 2703 Pine Grove Ave. Gathering lumber from a capsized barge that overturned in Lake Huron, he charged beachfront property owners to clear the lumber from their property and used it to build “the store.” Erwin sold T.V.s and Appliances for over 60 years to local families.

In the late eighties and early nineties, he decided to expand his ventures and started Shorewood Forrest, Inc. a real estate development company along with his longtime friend and sailing partner, Willard (Larry) McPhedrain, his uncle, George E. Wilton and his cousin, Michael Wilton. Shorewood was a passionate adventure, but the store remained his first love. Erwin’s other passion was sailing. Not only a freshwater sailor from Port Huron to Georgian Bay/North Channel, he was a member of the Salty Four. Larry McPhedrain, Jacques Bourdeau, Hank Haskell and Erwin Wilton travelled internationally chartering yachts from British Columbia, the Sea of Cortez and the Virgin Islands just to name a few.

He is survived by his loving wife, Patricia Ann; a daughter, Shelia Gail (Greg) Buttrell; two sons, Gregory E. Wilton and Joshua E. (Debby) Wilton; several grandchildren, Sara (Tom) Mueller, Andrea (Zachary) Larson, Erin (W. Christoper) Thornton, Will Buttrell, Katura Buttrell, Emily (Corbin) Gillette, Meghan Wilton, Autumn (Mike) Nawrocki, Trisha Wilton and Asher William Wilton; a brother, Robert Wilton; a sister-in-law, Shelia J. Shay; and many great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Erwin was preceded in death by a son, Gary Douglas Wilton; and a granddaughter, Eva Joy Buttrell.

Private graveside services will be held at the Allied Veterans Cemetery Columbarium.

Memorial contributions may be made to Heart to Heart Hospice or the Alzheimer’s Association.

Arrangements are by Karrer-Simpson Funeral Home. To send condolences, visit karrersimpson.com