Verle Keith Wessel of Homewood Alabama, devoted husband, father, grandfather, teacher, and counselor died on Thursday, April 15th, 2021 at the age of 77. Verle was born in Princeton, Illinois on October 17th, 1943 to Irving and Dorothy Wessel. He was married to Linda Helm on April 3rd, 1971 at Deerfield Presbyterian Church in Deerfield, Illinois. He and Linda recently renewed their commitment to one another in celebration of their fiftieth anniversary.
Though totally blind from age 4, Verle never let his disability get in his way. After graduating from the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, he received a Bachelor of Science in secondary education (1967) and a Master of Education in counseling and administration (1969), both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He then devoted his 34-year career with the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services to helping other blind and visually impaired individuals as a rehabilitation teacher, counselor, and eventually, his bureau's assistive technology specialist. He also served on the Braille Authority of North America as a member of one of the committees that produced the 1994 revision to the American braille code. He served in many roles on the board of the Illinois Council of the Blind and was active with the American Council of the Blind. He received numerous awards and recognitions for his service to the blindness community and was an inspiration to everyone he met.
Though passionate about his work, Verle was even more committed to his family. He loved spending time with his wife and son, and later, with his two grandsons. After the birth of his first grandson, he and Linda moved to Alabama to be close to his son's family. He loved traveling, reading, music, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, and the Chicago White Sox. He was known for his humility, warmth, and compassion, but he will be most remembered for his sense of humor.
Verle was preceded in death by his parents and sisters, Jean Scott and Carol Rocke. He is survived by his wife Linda, son Keith Wessel (Sarah), grandsons George and Benjamin Wessel, and brother Norman Wessel (Mary). Memorial gifts for Verle may be made to the Illinois Council of the Blind or to Savoy United Methodist Church in Savoy, Illinois.
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