Charalesa Campbell Wilder

Charalesa Campbell Wilder

Charalesa Campbell Wilder passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 19th, 2025 at Fleur Heights Wellness and Rehabilitation Center after a lengthy battle with dementia. She was 67 years old.

Charalesa was born in Carrollton, Alabama to Helen Lorraine Steele and Rufus Hill. She was the only girl among seven brothers and her brothers made sure everyone knew she was a “Hill” girl. As a child she spent most of her time in Waterloo, Iowa where she lived for several years until she decided to spread her wings and move to Kansas City, Kansas in the 1980’s. While living in Kansas, Charalesa discovered she had several talents including bartending, cooking and managing a restaurant while attending college but it wasn’t until she moved to Des Moines, Iowa in 1991 that she landed a career in the Life/Health Insurance field.

Throughout her life Charalesa or Char as most would call her has been a wonderful wife, a mother, a cousin, a friend but above all she was a child of God and anyone that came in contact with her wouldn't only get her words of wisdom, but they were guaranteed to get the word directly from God. Char had a call on her life and that call was to minister to young women and our youth and she did just that. She took multiple young women under her wing and she helped guide them through life and although she wore many hats her favorite “hat” was that of a grandmother. She loved all of her grandchildren very much!

Charalesa leaves behind a legacy that was built on the morals of trust, love, and kindness. She had a motto that she lived by: Right is right, wrong is wrong. There's no in-between. She was truly an amazing woman and the last of her kind.

Charalesa is survived by her husband Willie James Wilder, daughters - Kinshasa (Joshua) LaClair, Elissa (Nathan) Young, and Jetta (Joseph) Rumley; Sons - Christopher Wilder, Emanuel (Ericka) Campbell III, and Kyren Campbell; grandchildren A.J. Britt, Jaylynn & Sage LaClair, Aaliyah Knox, Jaden, Chance & Mia Young, Jamel Pennington, Mattilyn Scott, Taylor & Tamzen Rumley, Anna Marie & Lennox Campbell, Elizabeth Anne Kail, and Elijah & Chaveya Wilder; Great grandchildren, Neyonna, Ja’Niah & Jayvion Pennington, Joshua & Joseph Scott and Kaia Wilder. Siblings - Lawrence Hill, Terrance Hill, Donald Ray Hill, Rufus Hill, and Morris Hill.

She was preceded in death by her mother Helen Steele Robinson, father Rufus Hill, step father Hosea Robinson, brothers Herbert (Julie) Hill and Bobby (Norma) Palimore, her stepson Carlos Wilder and her late husband Emanuel Campbell Jr.

She is also survived by a large group of nieces, nephews, extended friends and family who will miss her and carry on her memory and legacy.

Homegoing and Repass Service will be held at New Beginnings Discipleship Ministries, 530 NE 46th Ave, Des Moines, on July 5th, 2025 at 12pm with a time of fellowship from 10am to 12pm.

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