Fred E. Wheeler

Mr. Wheeler was born in South Fayston, Vermont on September 28, 1929 to Arba and Iva (Merchant) Wheeler. He attended Fayston and Warren schools. In 1949, he enlisted in the Army. Fred went through bootcamp at Fort Dix, NJ, then was restationed to Fort Sill, OK in Dec. of 1949. He then went to Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg, CA and from there, he went to Eniwetoch, where he enlarged the runway (the same one that the Enola Grey had taken off from a few years earlier). He was on the atoll in the Marshall Islands from March to October of 1950. From there he was deployed to Japan on October 22, 1950 and moved onto North Korea, then South Korea where he remained until September of 1951. When he returned stateside, he was stationed at Fort Devens, MA until September of 1952.

He worked for Sears Roebuck in the automotive department for many years. He was also a member of the United States Air Force National Guard stationed at Barnes Airport in Westfield, Mass and was stationed in Salzburg, France in 1961. In 1977, he married Jeannette (Goddu) (Newell). He also worked for Overnite Transportation as a long distance truck driver. He retired to Warren, Vermont.

He is survived by his wife, Jeannette; his daughter, Joan; his step children, Renee Stetson, Ruth Newell, and Peter Newell; fourteen grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren. He is predeceased by his mother and father; his first wife, Vivian Martell; his brother, Ira, and his sisters: Ina Lamb, Lena Cooper, and Arcola Ogilvie; and his son, Fredrick.

He will be cremated under the care of Grissom's Funeral Home in Kissimmee, Florida and buried beside his parents in Duxbury, Vermont this summer. There will be no service.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center at 1506 Lake Highland Dr, Orlando, 32803.