Wilbur Cahow

Wilbur Leroy Cahow, Jr. was born in Plant City, Florida on October 3, 1931, to Wilbur and Dora Cahow. He joined the Lord on February 12, 2022, in Orlando, Florida.

Wilbur graduated from Plant City High School in 1950. From 1951-1955, he proudly served in the United States Air Force as a Radio Mechanic and Electronics Technician. His duties included ground control interception, early warning radar sites, control tower operations, and integrated logistics support. He was awarded the Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Army of Occupation (Japan) Medal.

In 1959, he graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. Christine Cameron agreed to become his wife and they were married on June 14, 1959. Both growing up in Plant City, they knew one another through common friends and family members. One of their first dates was to a Globetrotters game. She attended Gator football games with him while he was in Gainesville. He insisted he knew he wanted to marry her from their first date. They have three children and were married for almost sixty-three years.

Embarking upon his career in the government aerospace industry with the Philco Corporation as a senior engineer, they resided briefly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Then he was assigned to AC&W Squadron Hunter AFB living in Savannah, Georgia, and thereafter stationed at Eufaula AFB in Alabama. In 1965, he was assigned to the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, where he worked on the GEMINI and APOLLO flight simulations. In 1967, Wilbur and Christine returned to their native state of Florida, where he continued his career with the Defense Contract Administration Services in Orlando. He retired in 1993.

Wilbur was a long-time member of Delaney Street Baptist Church, where he served as a Deacon. He enjoyed community service, especially delivering Meals on Wheels to senior residents. He served on School Advisory Committees in Orange County Public Schools. After retirement he supported the Orange County Library System with extensive reading.

For enjoyment, he spent time on carpentry projects, fishing, reading, working in the yard, and traveling to the mountains of North Carolina for family vacations. Most of all, he was devoted to his beloved Florida Gators.

Preceded in death by his daughter, Joni Cahow Moore, Wilbur is survived by his wife, Christine, and his children Julie (husband Lincoln) and Jeremy (wife Joy) and six grandchildren, Nathan, Amy, Hannah, Juliet, Jeremy, and Kate.

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