Robert George Wheeler

Born and raised in Ontario, Bob, his twin brother, Rick, and older brothers, Barry and Don, spent much of their youth at the family cottage in Georgian Bay, where they would dive for turtles and swim off the "big rock." He loved to tell stories about the adventures and mischief he and his twin got into, such as swapping sweaters to take each other's tests. The "Wheeler Twins" were notorious pranksters. His eldest brother, Don, was someone he looked up to for the entirety of his life.

In 1968, a young, carefree Bob went to the Miami Pop Festival, an event often considered the precursor to Woodstock. His stories from this concert are better left out of a newspaper, haha.

Bob went on to graduate from Trent University with honours in Economics. There, he rowed varsity for three years and formed some of his most cherished friendships. Known as "Bobo" and "Bob the Log", Bob completed his education at Queen's University with a Bachelor of Education.

Bob was an avid hiker. Some of the highlights include the West Coast Trail, Chilkoot Trail, Klondike in Alaska, Comox Glacier and completing the Cape Scott Trail five times. He travelled extensively across Europe by train and motorcycle, often without a planned destination, sometimes using the train as a place to sleep and hopping off wherever he woke up.

Bob was unendingly kind and generous. "He'd give the shirt off his own back," is a phrase often used to describe him. He even spent time volunteering to teach guitar in a women's prison.

A dedicated teacher of 44 years, Bob started his career in Holberg and then settled into Sunset School for the rest of his career. The staff and children became a piece of his heart. He continued to volunteer, reading to the children even a week before his passing. Bob was known for the best ghost stories on the Camp Homewood field trip, as well as being a key participant in organizing the science fairs. His time as a chokerman in the logging camp also made him a huge help at the Camp Homewood wood-cut fundraisers.

The gifts he leaves behind for us all are the memories and stories he told in amazing detail. The ghost stories, legends, jokes and memories he shared will undoubtedly live on forever in the town he called home, Port McNeill. Bob leaves behind his wife, Jeanine Wheeler, daughter, Ashleigh Bagley, son, Traviss Graham and four grandchildren: Kai, Stella, Axton and Cora.