John J. Wilcox Jr., 65, supporter of gay rights

John J. Wilcox Jr., 65, a supporter of the gay community in Philadelphia, died of mesothelioma Wednesday, Jan. 19, at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse.

Mr. Wilcox grew up in Quincy, Mass., and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts. He then had a 27-year career with the Hartford Public Library in Connecticut.

After retiring as the library's business manager in 2001, Mr. Wilcox moved to South Philadelphia. He had visited the city and liked it, according to a friend, Virginia Gutierrez. He became an active member of the William Way Community Center for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community, and joined the nonprofit's finance committee.

"I met Jack when I was cochair of the board of directors at the William Way," said Gutierrez. "He was the only guy who showed up consistently to all the board meetings, and he would ask us all these questions about our finances."

"He was a great set of eyes on the books," said Chris Bartlett, the center's executive director.

Mr. Wilcox came to potluck dinners at the center and socialized with the Silver Foxes, a group of retired center members, Gutierrez said.

"Jack was estranged from his biological family," she said. "He made his own family. He included quite a bit of us in his family."

In 2005, Mr. Wilcox was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. He had been exposed when the Hartford library was renovated, Gutierrez said.

After receiving a settlement from asbestos litigation, he established an endowment to benefit the William Way Community Center. He also supported the library and the archives at the center, which were named in his honor, and supported the center's youth programs.

Mr. Wilcox loved classical music and was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Yankees.

He is survived by his former partner, Bennie E. Crudup.

A memorial service will be at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at the William Way Center, 1315 Spruce St., Philadelphia.