Fred H. Wilson, the Willard Beach resident fatally shot in his luxury home April 18, was recalled Friday by friends and loved ones for his “uncommon intelligence,” empathic nature and zest for life.

Wilson, 50, was described as a multi-faceted, highly successful computer programmer who pursued his passions with zeal.

Wilson, who lived alone and had no children, enjoyed gourmet cooking, gardening, decorating and travel. He was well-read and learned the Hebrew language after converting to Judaism.

More than 50 friends, loved ones and colleagues gathered April 24 at Hobbs Funeral Home in South Portland to celebrate Wilson’s life and share memories. His ashes were scattered at sea, in the waters off Cape Elizabeth.

“That’s what he wanted,” said Richard Nacaula, Wilson’s close friend.

Absent from the memorial service was any mention of the mysterious circumstances of Wilson’s death.

Wilson died of a single gunshot to the head just before dawn on April 18. Police discovered Wilson’s body in the basement of his home more than 12 hours after the shooting allegedly occurred.

Two unidentified men were in his house overnight when he was shot. Police say that one of the two men fired the gun, but they are providing few other details.

They say both men are cooperating with investigators. Police have declined to say who owned the gun.

“Fred’s sister and I are satisfied with the progress and the direction of the investigation,” said Nacaula, who knew Wilson for three years. “The detectives we met have been phenomenal. We have full confidence in them.”

Nacaula said he did not know the two men police identified as Wilson’s friends, who were with him at the time of the shooting. He declined to comment further.

At the memorial service Friday, Kim Wilson of California recalled her younger brother for his “incredible wit” and intellect.

Wilson said her brother seemed to have a photographic memory. He was able to remember events in their lives as if he were reading them back to her, she said. The two grew up in a suburb of San Diego. She is the only surviving member of his immediate family.

Wilson thanked the mourners for making Greater Portland a welcoming community for her brother. “In Portland, he finally found himself,” she said.

Wilson described her brother “as hysterically funny. He always made an impression,” she said. “He left you laughing.”

Several of Wilson’s former colleagues from Maine Medical Center, where he worked for 15 years, recalled Wilson as “brilliant … a genius.” They said he often held the solution to technical problems that vexed others.

He would quietly listen to others in meetings, often with his eyes closed, before offering answers that eluded them. They said Wilson always waited to let others speak first, before explaining how to fix a problem.

A former colleague at Maine Medical Center recalled that Wilson first came to the attention of hospital administrators when he dropped off his resume on the way to a kayaking vacation in rural Maine. He was working as a computer programmer at New York University Medical Center at the time.

Wilson became a critical player in computerizing work flow at Maine Medical Center and for Maine Health, the hospital’s parent company.

His specialty was software applications for health care systems. He built the computer programs that doctors and health care workers use to manage work flow in various settings that include the Emergency Department, nursing and billing.

Brenda Michaud, one of his former colleagues, said that Wilson was able to take complex technical problems and explain them in a way that others could understand. “I owe him a debt of gratitude,” Michaud said.

It was not unusual for workers in Information Services to call him overnight when a key piece of technology was not working.

Wilson worked at Maine Medical Center until launching his own consulting business in 2007, which he ran from his three-story home with views of Willard Beach.

Nacaula, Wilson’s companion, described Wilson as “a sea of tranquility,” more than willing to share his happiness and help others with their problems.

Wilson drove a small black pickup truck but also liked to cruise on his new Harley-Davidson when the weather warmed.

He and friends would travel to Boston for gay square dances, but he was very much rooted to Willard Beach, where he bought property in 2000 and had the spacious home built.

Wilson prepared elaborate meals for friends, gardened and devoted time to furnishing his home. His friends compared Wilson to Martha Stewart and Julia Childs.

He had an automated sprinkler system for his garden that had water sensors, so it would not activate in the rain.

Wilson also loved to travel. He and Nacaula recently vacationed in San Francisco, where they rented a white Mercedes.

Nacaula repeated one of Wilson’s favorite expressions, “Convenience is value,” suggesting he was willing to pay more money if it brought more quality to his life.

But Nacaula also said that Wilson was generous, assisting others without question. Nacaula recalled that Wilson helped him move a living room set from Boston that he had bought on eBay.

Wilson, who was not a pet owner, also accompanied him to South Carolina to pick up a Newfoundland dog. Nacaula’s two other large dogs – a shepherd and a Great Pyrenees – traveled with them on the long car trip.

“Fred represented a place of tranquility in my life,” Nacaula said. “He was the epitome of ‘happiness shared is doubled happiness and sorrow shared is only half-sorrow.’ “

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