John Preston Wilson, a retired federal worker and church pastor, died Thursday of a muscular disorder at University of Maryland Medical Center. He was 85 and lived in Walbrook.

He retired as a Social Security Administration claims examiner about 30 years ago.

He was pastor of Oak Street African Methodist Episcopal Church at Howard and 24th streets from 1961 to 1973 and was then pastor of Bethel AME Church in the Eastern Shore community of Church Hill.

"He was widely known for his great voice, which he used to narrate Christmas and Easter cantatas," said his daughter Jean Wilson Richie of Baltimore.

Born in Elliott, S.C., he was raised on Argyle Avenue in West Baltimore. He was a 1936 graduate of Douglass High School, where he received honors for public speaking.

He earned a degree in history from what now is Morgan State University and did advanced studies at New York University. He also attended the International School of Languages in Washington. He spoke French, Arabic, German, Russian and Portuguese, which he used while traveling.

During World War II, he served in the Army in Europe.

He studied the martial arts -- he was a brown belt in karate -- and competed in track and field events as a young man, including Philadelphia's Penn Relays and the Baltimore Open.

Services will be held at 10:30 Tuesday at Bethel AME Church, 1300 Druid Hill Ave.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, the former Sadie Burrell; a second daughter, Joan Wilson Collins of Waldorf; a sister, Emma Covington of Baltimore; and three grandchildren.