Richard Harrison Wilkins, 73, of Amherst passed away on Saturday, May 12, 2018, in Charlottesville. Born on August 3, 1944, in Amherst, Mr. Wilkins was the son of the late S. Vance Wilkins, Sr. and Mary Harrison Wilkins. Dad was the longest active member of the Amherst Volunteer Fire Department ( August 1960 until August 2017) He was an active member of Temple Baptist Church and was involved in many different ministries. His love for music and song writing followed him to Runk & Pratt Retirement Community. He was involved in Amherst politics and the community. He authored and published and his book of poems: "Into the Light". In spite of his debilitating illnesses, Dad remained strong, active and faithful. His love for God never diminished. We want to say a special thanks to Mary Lloyd and the doctors and staff of University of Virginia Medical Center. Surviving are his daughter, Karen Wilkins Read of Cornelius, N.C.; sons, Matthew Richard Wilkins of Madison Heights, and James Herbert Wilkins of Cornelius, N.C.; sister, Lillian Wilkins Johnson (Lloyd) of Amherst; brother, Vance Wilkins Jr. (Anne) of Amherst; cousin, Nancy Harrison Keel of Danville; grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Mason, Thomas, Maegan, Isabella, Taylor, Tiffany, Briana, and Jocelyn; great granddaughter, Aubrey; his former wife and mother of his children, Sandra Proffitt Wilkins, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. In addition to his second, wife, Joyce Johnson Wilkins and parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Joseph Michael Wilkins. Funeral services will be held 1 p.m., Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at Temple Baptist Church, Madison Heights. Interment will follow in Amherst Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., Tuesday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Amherst Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 711, Amherst, VA 24521, or to Karen's Cure, Inc., P.O. Box 375, Cornelius, NC 28031 Driskill Funeral Chapel, Amherst. www.DriskillFuneral.com https://mail.aol.com/webmail/en-us/mob