Allan Dale Wheeler 1930 ~ 2014

Allan Dale Wheeler, of Lethbridge, passed away at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary on January 10, 2014 at the age of 83 years with his devoted wife Kay (Kathleen) and his son Mark by his side. Al was a skilled and talented man but his true passion and generosity centered upon his family and the people in his life. He will be missed and lovingly remembered by his daughters Valerie (Doug MacLeod) and Gayle (John Krampl), his sons Grieg (Cheryl) and Mark; his grandchildren Lauren Walker (Mitch), Brett Kurio, Brandi Tindall (Brent), Brianne Floberg, Eric Wheeler (Andrea), Alisha Wheeler; and his sister Donna Galloway (Jim). The latest sources of joy were his great-grandchildren, Olivia and Bostyn Tindall. Al was born on December 7th, 1930 in Cardston, Alberta to Melvin Levi Wheeler and Mary Annetta (Campbell), Al was raised in Kimball, Alberta until the age of five and had fond memories of many summers spent there with his grandparents Levi and Mary Lovisa Wheeler whom he loved dearly. As a young child in Lethbridge he developed a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility to family, riding his bike daily to the Lethbridge Herald from his home on the Northside, buying 2 newspapers for a nickel then selling them for a nickel each and so on until he had 20 cents to give to his mother for groceries and a nickel to do it all over again the next day. Another important family memory of Al's early sense of ambition and caring was during WWII when he would bike out to the POW camp before and after school to sell newspapers; there he made many friends among both the guards and prisoners. In exchange for reading to the German prisoners they would make him meals. When his mother remarried they moved to the Southside where he met a skinny little redhead with freckles who became his best friend and future wife of 62 years, Kay Craddock. As a teen he enjoyed boxing and won the Alberta Golden Gloves. At the age of 19, he was hired by Hagen Electric as an Electrical Mechanic. In 1962 he bought the company and under his leadership and promotion it thrived. His ""Boy have we got motors!"" on the local radio station put a smile on many faces. Outside of electrical work, Al enjoyed woodworking; a passion he learned from his step dad Andy Thompson. Building the family cabin at Tie Lake, B.C. was the start of many wonderful times for our family and friends. Dad built 3 more homes after that with his family and took great pride in everyone's work. Dad loved children, animals and nature. He will be missed by his puppies Buffy and Tilly. Each spring, Dad loved to feel the new soft growth on the evergreen trees that he planted at their home in Moon River Estates. We envision him now with his first grandson Elliot Wheeler, planting trees together. Our thanks and appreciation goes out to the caring team of Doctors, Nurses and staff at the Foothills Medical Center. There will be no funeral at Dad's request. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Elliot Wheeler Memorial Award Fund at the University of Lethbridge c/o University Advancement, University of Lethbridge 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 or to an animal rescue organization of your choice. If Al made you smile or you have a story to share we would love to hear about it.