KENNETH WHEELER
NORWICH – Kenneth D. Wheeler, 58, of Norwich, passed away early Wednesday morning, June 13, 2012, in the Chenango Memorial Hospital.
The son of Louis and Margaret “Mickie” Hawley Eldred Wheeler, Ken was born in May of 1954 in Norwich. During his years in the Oxford schools, he enjoyed singing with a group of boys known as the 7-Ups, and played Little League baseball with his brothers during their dad’s tenure as league president. He was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, where he served as an altar boy. In high school, he was active in both football and basketball, but his proficiency was in baseball. Following his 1972 graduation from high school, Ken entered the U.S. Army to serve his country. He was stationed for part of his tour in Germany. Returning home in 1975 with his honorable discharge, Ken enrolled in Broome Community College, from which he graduated in 1980 with a degree in Electrical Technology. He was employed for 22 years by Simmonds Precision and its successors, and also worked for a time for the Raymond Corporation in Greene.
He was involved in a traveling Fast Pitch softball team where he had the distinction of having the best batting average on the team. Ken was a long-time member of the American Legion Post #376 of Oxford and of the Norwich Elks Club BPOE #1222, where he enjoyed playing pitch. He was known as “Mr. Fix-it” to many friends and family members, and loved going to garage sales to buy things that needed repair - whether he ever got around to it or not. His most frequent purchases were televisions and cameras. Ken also liked fishing and hunting; and in his spare time, he liked to make his own homemade wine, and he was known for his homemade pickled kielbasa, pickled eggs, and homemade Kahlua.
In November of 1977, in Norwich, Ken married Deborah Symonds. He is survived by his wife, Deborah Wheeler of Norwich, and his daughters: Trisha Bosworth, her husband Adam, and their children Sophia and Anderson, all of Norwich, and Michelle Kenyon and husband Joel of Buffalo. Also surviving are his mother, Mickie Wheeler of Oxford; his brothers, Gary Eldred and wife Marne of Cape Coral, Fla., and Don Eldred of Charlotte, N.C.; his mother-in-law, Polly Hopson of Norwich; father-in-law, Dave Symonds and wife Florence of Sherburne; several brothers- and sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. Ken was predeceased by his father, Louis Wheeler, and his step-father-in-law, John Hopson.
A celebration of Ken’s life will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday from the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home. The Rev. Nancy Hale, pastor of the Broad Street United Methodist Church, will officiate. Interment will follow in St. Paul’s Cemetery. Friends are invited to call at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. At 8 p.m., members of the Norwich Elks Club BPOE #1222 will conduct a memorial service.
Please consider contributions in Ken’s memory to Chenango County Hospice and Palliative Care, 21 Hayes St., Norwich, NY 13815.