Dick Wheeler (Courtesy photo)
Richard C. “Dick” Wheeler, 89, died Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, at home in Harvard surrounded by his loving family. Richard, the son of Lewis E. Wheeler and Florence E. (Blaney) Wheeler, was born in Rockland on June 21, 1923, and grew up in Pembroke, Mass., along with his seven sisters and two brothers. Richard was a naval aviator and served as a lieutenant junior grade during World War II; he then served as a naval reservist for several years.
Mr. Wheeler was a long-time resident of Holbrook, Mass., where he and his wife raised their family. Richard enjoyed a 30-year career as a math instructor at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, serving some of those years as head of the Math Department. Richard was a graduate of the University of Vermont and obtained a Master of Science degree from Clarkson College of Technology.
After his wife, Salle, passed away, Richard lived in Harvard, Mass., with his daughter and son-in-law, Michèle and Donald Girard, and their children, Aimee and Michael. Some of his favorite haunts around town were Westward Orchards, to enjoy cider doughnuts and blue grass music; Carlson Orchards, to pick blueberries and raspberries; the Harvard Public Library, for programs in Volunteers Hall and views of local baseball games and sunsets over Bare Hill Pond; and Fruitlands Museum, for Sunday brunch, art exhibits, and summer band concerts. He enjoyed regular walks at the Harvard Track, along with watching soccer and ultimate disc matches there, and catching sunset views on Prospect Hill Road. Pizza at the Nashoba Club in Ayer topped his list.
In addition to his daughter and her family, Richard is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, John and Jill Wheeler, of Woodbridge, Va., and their children, Benjamin and Thomas. Richard is also survived by two sisters, Beverly Woodward of Norwell and Shirley Litchfield of Pembroke, and several loving nieces and nephews from the Wheeler and DeWolfe families.
Visiting hours will be on Sunday, Dec. 2, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Hurley Funeral Home, 127 S. Franklin Street, Holbrook, Mass. Donations in memory of Richard Wheeler may be to the Compassionate Care Hospice Foundation, 800 West Cummings Park, Suite 3400, Woburn, MA 01801, or The Friends of the Holbrook Public Library, 2 Plymouth Street, Holbrook, MA 02343.
