Brian E. Wilcox, a surety bond expert and former partner in HMS Insurance Associates, was killed Wednesday in an automobile accident in Lenox Township, Pa.
The longtime Lutherville resident was 56.
Mr. Wilcox, who was driving a Lexus convertible, was en route to his hometown of Homer, N.Y., to visit his elderly father when he was involved in a seven-car chain reaction crash, after a tractor-trailer hit cars stopped in a construction area on Interstate 81.
Mr. Wilcox was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident remains under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police.
The son of a buyer for Monarch Tool Co. and a homemaker, Mr. Wilcox was born and raised in Homer, where he graduated from high school in 1974.
An accomplished high school athlete, he played football and basketball and was a founding member of the school's club lacrosse team.
Mr. Wilcox was a 1978 graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics.
He came to Baltimore in 1980 when he went to work for Fidelity & Deposit Co. of Maryland, and later joined Alexander & Alexander.
His specialty was contract bonds that are used in the construction industry as a guarantee to a project's owner that a general contractor will adhere to all provisions of a contract.
In 1986, he joined HMS Insurance Associates in Hunt Valley, where his wife, the former Eileen M. Quinn, whom he had known since 1981, was also a partner. They married in 1983.
Mr. Wilcox retired from HMS last year.
He enjoyed coaching basketball and lacrosse and attending his children's athletic events.
"My dad was always there for us," said a son, Christopher M. Wilcox of Lutherville. "He had huge energy, and between he and my mom, they rarely missed a game or a concert."
"Staying put was not on his agenda," said Phil Toohey, a Lutherville neighbor. "There was no road trip too daunting or travel plan too intricate. He'd say, 'Come ahhhn!' in his New York accent, which was one of my favorite quotes of his."
He enjoyed golfing and was a Ravens and University of Florida lacrosse fan.
A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, Baltimore and Ware avenues, Towson.
In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Wilcox is survived by two other sons, Timothy A. Wilcox and Michael J. Wilcox, both of Lutherville; a daughter, Mary-Sean Wilcox of Lutherville; his father, Paul Wilcox of Homer; and two brothers, Robert Wilcox of Cortland, N.Y., and Gary Wilcox of Homer.
