John K. Wheeler

Missoula, Montana – John Kermit Wheeler (89), died on January 13, 2016 in Missoula, Montana following a short illness. John was a long-time resident of Denver prior to his move to Montana in September of 2015 to be closer to his family.

John was born in Canton, Ohio on November 21, 1926 to John T. Wheeler and Alberta (Lieser) Wheeler. John’s youth was spent in large part with his grandparents, Frederick A. and Ada Lieser of Canton, Ohio.

John graduated from Lincoln High School in Canton, Ohio in the spring of 1944 and volunteered for service with the United States Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet. World War II ended during John’s pilot training and he was thereafter honorably discharged from military service. In the years following World War II, John returned to Ohio, where he enjoyed outdoor sporting activities, particularly the shooting sports. Eventually, the Rocky Mountains beckoned to John and he moved west, settling in Denver in the late 1960's. There, John met, and later married, Mary Ellen (Forehand) Capp, who he always referred to as the love of his life. They shared the next 46 years together until Mary Ellen’s death in July of 2014.

In Denver, John became an over-the-road truck driver, a vocation that he often remarked was “like having a full-time paid vacation.” John drove for Mayflower Van Lines and Wheaton Van Lines, as well as local trucking companies in the latter part of his career. He enjoyed driving and “seeing every State in the lower ‘48.” Mary Ellen often accompanied him in cross country trips and together they enjoyed many American vistas.

John enjoyed skiing the Colorado mountains as often as he could and made many friends on the slopes of Arapaho Basin, Loveland Basin, Winter Park, and Keystone. A fresh snowfall and often found John cutting a fresh track in virgin powder on a brisk and sunny morning.

John also had a lifelong love for the shooting sports and hunting big game, waterfowl, and upland birds. He possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of reloading recipes and ballistic performance and was a meticulous engineer of hand-loaded munitions. Free time was often spent with friends and family members at various gun clubs in the Denver area – most recently he enjoyed his membership and many friends at the Aurora Gun Club.

Another fall pastime for John was Denver Broncos football. Through the ups and downs of more than 40 seasons, John was loyal to the Broncos – how proud he would have been to have been able to see the 2016 Super Bowl Champions bringing back the Lombardi Trophy to the Mile High City!

John was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Ellen and his step-son Jerald L. Capp (Carla) and his nephew, John Chovan. He is survived by his step-son, Lloyd Capp of Cortez, Colorado, grandsons, J. Wayne Capp (Carol) and Roy A. Capp (Laurie) of Stevensville, Montana, seven great-grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, his sister, Sara Chovan, his niece, Connie Chovan, both of San Diego, California, and his nephew, Michael Chovan of Santee, California.

John will be remembered with a funeral and memorial service at Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary & Cemetery at the Pavilion Chapel at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 12, 2016. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s name to the Aurora Gun Club, 301 S. Gun Club Road, Aurora, CO 80018. Arrangements under the direction of Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary, Cemetery & Arboretum, Wheat Ridge, CO.