Timothy Charles Wheelis

1945 – 2019

Pacific Grove, CA

Timothy Wheelis died peacefully with his wife and daughters at his side on September 7, 2019 after a period of declining health. He was born in 1945 to Samuel and Pauline Wheelis, the third of four children. Tim grew up in Sacramento and graduated from Encina High School in 1963.

Timothy married his childhood friend, Anne, in 1967. Upon completing his BA from UC Berkeley in 1968, Tim became a member of the first cohort of students drafted out of graduate school during the Vietnam War. After returning from Vietnam and receiving his teaching credential from CSU Hayward, Tim and Anne relocated to the Monterey Peninsula in 1971 where they raised their daughters, Jessica and Brenna.

Tim taught at Fitch Junior High on Ft. Ord and at Los Arboles Middle School in Marina. Generations of students took English, drama, and social studies classes from him, and countless benefited from his mentorship. During his teaching years, Tim served in many roles for the Monterey Bay Teachers Association, including years as Newsletter Editor and negotiator for the Bargaining Committee. Tim decided it was time to retire when the grandchildren of his first students started coming to Los Arboles!

Timothy was at home in the great outdoors. He began backpacking in the Desolation Wilderness while in high school and his annual camping and fishing trips were as routine as the holidays. Northern California trout streams were closest to his heart and he loved sharing his favorite spots with dear friends and family. Tim was a true maker and his hobbies always involved some form of building or modification of equipment, including model airplanes, RC cars, HAM radio, and computers. He was a master of fly fishing, rod construction, fly tying, and spinning a good fish tale or two.

When declining health limited physical activity, he turned to N-scale model railroading. As was his style for all his hobbies, he started with kits, then combined kits for original structures, and then designed and built tiny structures from scratch. He followed the same path to build dollhouse furniture for his granddaughter, modeling furniture from his own childhood and the antiques that he and Anne had collected for their home. Timothy passed his passion for the outdoors and craft skills on to his daughters, who camp, build fly rods, doll house furniture, and an assortment of small things.

Timothy is survived by his wife, Anne; daughters, Jessica (Ben Gardella) and Brenna (Steven Andre) and beloved grandchildren, Emmett and Liliana Gardella. He is also survived by his sister, Ellen Jo Bailey, and brother, Harry Wheelis; their spouses, Jim Bailey and Diane Cadosi; his sister-in-law, Charette Wheelis and numerous loving nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Samuel.

Timothy will be inurned at the California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery at 3:30 pm on October 25th. A Celebration of his life will be held on October 26, from 2 to 4 pm, at the Sally Griffin Senior Center, 700 Jewell Ave in Pacific Grove.

Timothy’s avocation was education—both learning and teaching. To honor him, the Timothy C. Wheelis Memorial Scholarship, for students graduating from Marina High School, has been established through The Marina Foundation. Donations to the fund may be made by mail to The Marina Foundation, PO Box 324, Marina, CA 93933, or online at themarinafoundation.org/scholarships. Please visit www.thepaulmortuary.com to sign Timothy’s guest book and leave messages for his family.