Highway to be dedicated Saturday in Powers for fallen Iraq War veteran
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POWERS -- At 2 p.m. Saturday, a portion of U.S. 41 just south of Powers in Spalding Township will be named the Specialist David Anthony Wilkey Jr. Memorial Highway. The 22-year-old was killed June 18, 2007, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Wilkey was serving in the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, when a roadside bomb exploded near Bagdad while he was riding in a Humvee convoy. He was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart after his death.
Wilkey grew up in the Wilson area and attended North Central Area Schools, before moving to Elkhart, Ind., as a teenager and graduating from high school there.
Rich Severson, who is a family friend and helped initiate the effort to have the highway named in Wilkey’s honor, will serve as emcee. Wilkey was a childhood best friend of Severson’s son, Weston, who lives in Wilson.
“David would come to my house, and this is a favorite story of mine, go to my refrigerator, open it up, and look inside and say ‘what you got to eat, dad.’ This is kinda personal,” he said.
Severson is retired from the military and was in another part of Iraq in a civilian capacity, when Wilkey was killed.
Wilkey is buried in the Powers-Spalding Cemetery. His mother, Cindy, passed away in 2025 and his father, David Wilkey Sr., resides in Indiana. Wilkey is survived many family members in the area, as well as his wife, Melinda, of Indiana, and three children, including one who who was born after he was killed.
The bill to name the highway was introduced by state Rep. David Prestin, R-Cedar River, and co-sponsored by state Rep. Karl Bohnak, R-Deerton, and state Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock. The Michigan House of Representative unanimously passed the bill in November 2025.
"This legislation is more than a simple highway naming," Prestin said in a news release at that time. "For our U.P. community, it is a profound act of gratitude for a young man who gave everything for our state and our nation. Spc. David Anthony Wilkey Jr. was a true Yooper through and through -- he cherished hunting, fishing, and the natural beauty of our region. This honor would mean the world to his family and his community. It would transform a familiar road into a lasting reminder of David's selflessness, reminding travelers on U.S. 41 to reflect on the high cost of freedom."
The section of highway being dedicated covers about 7 1/2 miles.
Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.