Visitation will be at Hill and Son Funeral Home on Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM.

Services will be held at Hill and Son Funeral Home Appleton City, Missouri on Saturday, October 2, 2010 at 2:30PM.

Interment in Appleton City Cemetery.

Memorials can be made to Rockbridge Seminary in Springfield, Missouri.

Wilbur Allen Zink was born April 30, 1926 on a farm outside of Appleton City, Missouri and passed away on September 27, 2010 in Springfield, Missouri. He was the son of Allen Francis Zink and Fern Crowder Zink.

After graduating from high school, in the summer of 1944, he joined the US Navy and served two years in the South Pacific on the USS Nassau CVE16. Upon returning home, he married his high school sweetheart, Dixie Watts, on August 2, 1946. Wilbur went into business with his father in Zink Motor Company, founded in 1916, now the oldest Ford dealership in the state of Missouri, as well as the longest family-owned dealership. He was in business for over 50 years. Fourteen years later, two children were added to the family through adoption from the St. Louis Christian Home.

Wilbur made his profession of faith as a youth and became a member of the First Christian Church of Appleton City. He attended Culver-Stockton College and Calvary Bible College pursuing knowledge in Christian studies. He served many years as a lay minister in Christian churches in Missouri including Lowry City, LaDue, Park Grove, and Liberal. He also served as a teacher and director of youth church camps, and as chaplain of his annual navy reunions. Wilbur was a former board member of the Missouri State Board of Humanities, the St. Louis Christian Home, and the Woodhaven Learning Center in Columbia, Missouri. He was currently attending Second Baptist Church of Springfield, Missouri.

Wilbur has spent the majority of his life collecting Western art and Missouri outlaw memorabilia. He was an expert on the subjects of western and outlaw history, and gave numerous speeches and programs all over the country. He is also a published author; his books include The Roscoe Gun Battle, A History of Cane Rigde, The Conversion of Cole Younger, It All Started With a Tornado ( a history of Zink Motor Company and St. Clair County), and The Little Princess (the story of his navy ship). Currently he was working on a book to be entitled 40 Miles of History ( a history of the road from Osceola to Rich Hill) and a book on the love letters of Frank James.

He was a founding member of The Friends of the Youngers, The Friends of the James Farm, The James Younger Gang, Oklahombres, Western Outlaw-Lawman History Assn., which later became the Wild West History Association.. He also was a member of Western Writers of America and served as sheriff of the Kansas City Posse of Westerners in 1973-75. In 2008, Wilbur was awarded the Western Outlaw-Lawman Association Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the preservation of the history of the Wild West. He was instrumental in the creation of the Appleton City History Museum and has spent countless hours and given numerous items to this endeavor. He was also one of the first members of the Appleton City Optimist Club and later a Rotarian in Springfield, Missouri and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Wilbur was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Dixie, after 64 years of marriage; one daughter, Susan Cooper of Bolivar, Missouri; one son, David Zink and wife Cindy of Springfield, MO; three granddaughters, Lauren Cooper of Nashville, Tennessee; Lindsay Cooper of Columbia, Missouri; Anna Zink of Springfield, Missouri; nieces, nephews and a host of friends.