William Wheeler

William (Bill) Perry Wheeler was born on September 26, 1920 in Crosby, Minnesota. His parents were Clarence Clifton Wheeler and Emily Sarah Coleman; his brothers and sisters were Charles, Gail Evelyn, Olive, Janet, Dorothy, and June. Bill’s father was a mail carrier and then worked as a sawmill laborer. Eventually Bill's dad co-owned a sawmill and planing mill.

After graduating from high school, Bill joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, where he served for two years, followed by another two years of study at the community college. When "Uncle Sam" reminded him that he had a responsibility for military service, Bill joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. His skills were needed stateside, so he was never sent overseas.

Bill met his future wife Evelyn J. Eggen in 1939 at a carnival in Bemidji, Minnesota. Evelyn was a school teacher from Saskatchewan, Canada. Since Evelyn is one day younger than Bill, it became a perpetual joke between them that for one day out of the year he was the oldest and thus could "rule the roost". When Bill shared this "fact' with others, Evelyn would discreetly add, "I let him think he does".

When World War II ended, Bill and Evelyn were married on September 4th, 1946 in Bemidji, Minnesota. They then moved to St. Paul where Bill attended the University of Minnesota. He majored in forestry while Evelyn taught school. They lived in a small mobile home 21 feet long and 7 feet wide, with no running water. Bathroom and laundry facilities were located 25 feet down the sidewalk. This distance seemed very long during the cold winter months when temperatures sometimes dipped down to 30 degrees below zero.

Living in the cramped quarters was a little awkward, but Evelyn loved living in what she called her "doll house". A wonderful thing happened during that time-it was the birth of their son, Terrence William. Looking back, Bill and Evelyn considered those years to be a very enjoyable time in their lives.

Upon graduation from the University of Minnesota, Bill began looking for positions where he could utilize his education. A temporary teaching position opened up at Oregon State University, where a professor was taking a one-year sabbatical leave. With no assurance that he would be able to continue when the tenured professor returned, Bill accepted the offer. At the end of the year he was offered a permanent position. It was during these years in Corvallis that three more children were born: Margo Diane, Cynthia Ann and Richard Michael.

Bill taught forestry for 33 years until his retirement in 1982. While teaching, he decided to get his PhD in forestry. The entire family moved to Syracuse, New York, where they again lived in student housing for another year. When they returned to Corvallis, Bill still had to complete writing his dissertation. So for another 18 months, he carried a full teaching load while completing the necessary research and writing for his PhD. Bill received his doctorate in forestry in 1966. Evelyn kept the home fires burning and enjoyed raising their four children as a stay-at-home mom. Bill and Evelyn were strong in their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Family times included worship and church activities. The family enjoyed many camping and fishing trips, and other fun excursions.

Eventually the children completed their educations and formed their own homes. Terry, Margo, and Richard became pharmacists; Cindy is a musician who still teaches piano.

Bill is survived by his loving wife Evelyn; sons Richard M. (wife Kim) and Terrence "Terry" W. Wheeler; daughters Cynthia A. "Cindy" Elting (husband Ralph) and Margo D. Thelen (husband Wayne); 12 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

A celebration of Bill's life will be held at Cedar Mill Bible Church, 12208 NW Cornell Rd Portland, OR 97229, on Friday, May 3, 2013, at 6pm.

Bill will be privately laid to rest in Skyline Memorial Gardens in Portland, Oregon.

Please visit Bill's Internet memorial and online guestbook at www.skylinememorialgardens.com