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Robert C. 'Bob' Wheeler
ROBERT C. "BOB" WHEELER
Hiawatha
Robert C. "Bob" Wheeler, 85, of Hiawatha, passed away Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Hiawatha. Per Bob's wishes, his body has been gifted to the University of Iowa Department of Anatomy. The family will greet friends from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Marion. Memorial service: 10:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at the funeral home, conducted by Bob's son, Commander Dennis Wheeler, U.S. Navy chaplain. Military honors will be provided by Marine Corps League-Cedar Valley Detachment of Cedar Rapids.
Bob was born Sept. 20, 1932, in Dubuque, Iowa, the son of Andrew and Ethel (Gantenbein) Wheeler. He graduated from Marion High School in 1950 and attended the University of Dubuque. Bob served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. He then married Donna Louise Claypool on Sept. 30, 1966, in Marion, Iowa.
Bob worked as a service manager for Steitzer Lincoln-Mercury, Jim Miller Lincoln-Mercury and Junge Automotive Group, retiring in 1997. After retiring, he worked part-time at Clark Pharmacy in Cedar Rapids. Bob was a member of Hope United Church of Christ in Hiawatha, Marine Corps League-Cedar Valley Detachment, Iowa Firefighters Association and American Legion Post 735 of Hiawatha. He was a 29-year veteran of the Hiawatha Fire Department, a former Hiawatha city councilman, EMS Explorer Post 911 of Cedar Rapids, an American Red Cross volunteer and an umpire for many years with the Hiawatha Kids League.
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Donna of Hiawatha; daughter, Merry Rooks of Tipton; son, Sam Wheeler of Marion; son, Dennis (Patti) Wheeler of Memphis, Tenn.; daughter, Karen (Terry) Feddersen of Belle Plaine, Minn.; daughter, Christi (Dustin) Sanford of Cedar Rapids; eight grandchildren, Janis, Jennifer, Christopher, Nicholas, Alexander, Avery, Breanna and Peter; and three great-grandchildren, Lucas, Jenna and Emmalee.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Andrew "Bud" and Ethel Wheeler; sister, Janis Wheeler; and brother, Richard "Dick" Wheeler.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Bob's memory.
Please share a memory of Bob at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.
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