Eldon Ray Wilcox was born October 8, 1922 in Montpelier, the son of Lavess Samuel and Lillian Hildt Wilcox. He graduated from Montpelier High School in 1941. He married Mary Rebecca Jennings October 25, 1946 in Norfolk, Virginia. He served in the US Navy. He died December 3, 2009 in Santa Maria, California.