Wendell Roscoe Sheer was escorted to heaven by the angels on July 20, 2019 following a long battle with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). He passed peacefully at his home with his wife and a friend at his bedside.
There will be a visitation at Crawford Bowers Funeral Home in Copperas Cove, Texas from 6:00PM to 8:00PM on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. Mr. Sheer will be laid to rest at Union Township Cemetery in Coon Rapids, Iowa later this week.
Mr. Sheer has a twin brother and they were born July 10, 1953 at Audubon Hospital in Audubon, Iowa. He attended a country school near Audubon and attended school in Exira, Guthrie Center and Coon Rapids, Iowa. His parents were Kenneth Edwin Sheer and Phyllis Sheer. During his High School years, he was a member of FFA, played football and worked for Garst Company. After High School he enlisted in the Marine Corps for two years and was stationed in Camp Pendleton, California as a cook. After he was Honorably Discharged in 1973, he attended Des Moines Are Community College. On June 1, 1974, he married Janet Starman in St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dedham, Iowa. He received his Associates Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management in 1975. He was hired by International House of Pancakes in Belleville, Illinois as an Assistant Manager. He later worked as an Assistant Manager and promoted to Manager at Church's Fried Chicken in Belleville, Illinois. He then worked at a stove manufacturing company before moving back to Iowa. He and Janet moved to Dedham, Iowa where he worked for General Electric. Two children were born of this union, Rachel and David. Mr. Sheer enlisted in the Army Reserve, but later entered in the Army full time as a truck driver. His duty stations while in the Army were: Fort Lewis, Washington, Korea, Honduras, Germany and Fort Hood. He received several commendations and received awards for driver safety. During his time in the Army he had nicknames of Gramps, Grandpa, Pops and Fuzzy. By the time he was discharged from the Army, he had achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant. After leaving the Army, he attended Central Texas Community College and received a certificate in computers. He then worked on Fort Hood hauling ammo, followed by working at the gates x-raying trucks. He transferred to the Welcome Center and then transferred to the Post Office on Fort Hood.
In his retirement he enjoyed gardening and being on the computer. He also enjoying grilling almost every weekend. But he enjoyed being with his grandchildren most of all. He would get the telescope out and teach them about the planets and universe, plant a garden with them, playing with them in the backyard and just being with them. He would give himself permission to spoil the grandchildren by always saying "They are only little once."
Wendell is survived by his wife of 45 years, Janet, daughter Rachel Sheer Francis and her children Matthew and Mary Young; son David and his wife Zayda and daughter Clarissa and Mia; brother John Sheer and wife Diana, twin brother Wayne Sheer; Aunts Darlene McConnell, Della Holdsworth, Uncle Cliff Nelson and wife Peggy.
Mr. Sheer is preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Edwin Sheer, mother Phyllis Nelson Sheer, 2 brothers, Merlin Sheer and Richard Sheer, niece Heather Sheer, grandparents Roscoe and Amanda Sheer, Ina Ernst and Theodore Nelson, uncles Mike McConnell, Vernon Holdsworth and Louise Hamilton-Special Friend of Wayne Sheer.
