Wife of former city solicitor dies crossing street in Florida

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The snowbird life of retired city solicitor George Wilkki and his wife Betty was shattered by a fatal traffic collision in Florida last week.

The Windsor couple were pedestrians struck by a Chevy pickup Jan. 10 as they tried to cross a roadway near the entrance to a Fort Myers Walmart.

Both were taken to Lee Memorial Hospital where it’s believed Betty died from her injuries the next day.

Word of the tragedy started to reach Windsor’s city hall last Friday.

“Everyone at city hall is really sad,” said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens Monday. “They are both salt of the earth people and very well respected. Betty was a lovely, lovely woman. Everyone loved her.”

The incident report by the Lee County Sheriff’s office stated the Wilkkis “were found at fault for crossing the roadway in an area not designated for pedestrian traffic.”

The report says George told the responding officer “he and his wife had crossed the westbound lanes of Estero Parkway. When the eastbound lanes became clear of vehicle traffic they began to cross the roadway and were struck.”

Tony Schall, a public information officer for the Lee County Sheriff, said Monday no one was arrested in connection with the collision.

The driver of a Chevy Silverado was making a left-hand turn onto the parkway when his vehicle “sideswiped” the Wilkkis, knocking them to the ground.

Betty’s injuries were described in the report as “life threatening in nature.” The severity of George’s injuries were not noted in the report.

News was hitting friends and family hard back in Windsor.

“I’m still in a state of shock,” said Michael Palanacki, who retired from city hall at the same 2013 council meeting as Wilkki. “I can’t believe it. They were enjoying their golden years and then something like this happens.”

Palanacki worked with George for years in his role as executive director of operations for Windsor.

“He was always a straight shooter,” Palanacki said. “He had a good sense of humour. If you asked him a question he’d say, ‘Do you want my legal opinion or my personal opinion?’ I always took both. He was very well respected by his co-workers and by city council.”

Palanacki said George had purchased a condominium in Fort Myers years ago.

“He was really looking forward to spending more time down south,” Palanacki said. “They would spend their winters there.”

George retired in December 2013 after serving 16 years as the city solicitor. Betty had a 21-year career in public works before retiring a month after George.

“To see something like this happen so shortly after they retired, it’s a tragedy,” Dilkens said.

mcaton@postmedia.com