In early November of 2025, as the fall light filtered through the windows of Marilyn Wilson’s home in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon, Jerry Wilson took his final breath. He was surrounded by family, warmed by conversation, laughter, and the smell of home-cooked food drifting from the kitchen. He was shirtless in his hospital bed, feet bare and stretched toward the hearth, just as he lived—exposed, unflinching, and unafraid. In his final days, he joked, read, challenged artificial intelligence on his tablet, and said his goodbyes with a fierce kind of grace. This is the story of that man. Author’s note: This is my version of his life from what I knew of him, reading his work, and watching his life play out. I ask my friends, the Wilsons, and all who knew Jerry to fill in the gaps and correct the mistakes in the comments below for the revision of this story, which I waited far too long to write. Sometimes nothing great can be said without some perspective and time. This is my attempt to tell his story.
This is the story of Jerry Lee Wilson.
CHAPTER 1: A MANUFACTURED LIFE
Vietnam
CHAPTER 2: SOLOFLEX RISES
“Body by Soloflex”
Marilyn later launched her own venture, the Sweet Oregon Grill, and raised their four children: Molly, Stuart, Brian, and Connie, who all remain in the Hillsboro/Portland area.
CHAPTER 3: REVOLUTIONARY TENDENCIES
shut down Oregon’s TrojanNuclear Power Plant in 1992
- A state-owned bank.
- Public campaign financing—with criminal penalties for legislators who failed to fund it.
- Pardons for all nonviolent drug offenders.
- And, as always, a jab at the system.
most Hunter S. Thompson-meets-Howard Hughes“I’ve been planning a podcast too,” he said, “Tar and feathers don’t scare me.”
“Taxing Business to Death”
Businesses do not pay taxes; they COLLECT them! They act as proxies for government agencies and simply add the cost of these taxes to the products and services they sell. Customers pay all taxes. Businesses don’t want to be tax collectors. They are forced by laws to do this.
“Let’s stick it to those rich corporations, they’re not paying their fair share!” the politicians say, especially the democrats. “Let’s stick it to those rich corporations,” the state, county and city bureaucracies say, “And collect some pay-to-play fees while we’re at it. Let’s see, what can we dream up next?
I intend to submit legislation to end taxing businesses altogether in Oregon. This will make it much easier and less costly to start a business and make Oregon products and services more competitive with out of state companies. It should attract a flood of new businesses to settle here. Business owners can pay their taxes from personal earnings like everyone else…