MANCHESTER, NH – Charles “Charlie” Clark Wheeler, 60, of Weare, kicked the bucket, bought the farm, and ate his last pretzel on November 16, 2014.
Married for 32 years to Annie Pleatsikas, he is also survived by what he always deemed his two finest accomplishments; his daughter Meredith, 22 of Weare, and his son Evan, 26 of Fairfax, VA., by his brother Jon of Milford, and nephew Jonathan Wheeler and his wife Amber of Manchester. Born in Manchester, he was the son of the late Charles R. and Barbara (Clark) Wheeler. Raised and educated in Manchester, he was a graduate of Memorial High School, Class of 1972, and a graduate of Manchester Community College; HVAC, second in his class (he always reminded anyone of that).
Charlie lived life in his own way. He held sweet memories of the times he spent at “Camp Weownit” that he owned with his brother. He was notorious for his numerous sound effects, sense of humor, and easy smile. He was a brilliant mechanically gifted man, inventor of tools and pre-eminent house fixer-upper, and was always puttering around. Charlie’s many talents included repairing cars and motorcycles, riding his Harley, barbecuing and hanging around the fire pit.
Best known for his fashion sense, Charlie consistently wore white tube socks, tank tops, shorts, flannel shirts, fleece vests, a sweaty baseball cap, and raggedy, barely wearable sneakers. He was a rabid fan of the Red Sox and Patriots, long before it was fashionable. Charlie loved to snowmobile on his Artic Cat, but hated snow blowing and took such joy in dumping snow on his kids. His favorite holiday was Christmas and enjoyed putting up the lights around the house and watching Christmas movies. In the summertime, Charlie could be found in the garden tweaking the tomato stakes, feeding the birds and squirrels.
He was fiercely independent, hated haircuts and dressing up for an occasion. He frequently referenced the Three Stooges – “I’ll find that shutoff yet,” and “I’ve got static in the left eye.” Charlie adored his German Shepherds, Zeffer and Teva, and his cat Minkie. He was a hard-working man, loyal, silly, kind, gentle, respectful and incredibly generous. May you rest peacefully, honey.
His family and friends gathered Nov. 20 for a proper send-off and celebration of his life at the Cremation Society of NH.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Manchester Animal Shelter, 490 Dunbarton Road, Manchester, NH 03102 or to the Animal Rescue League of N.H., 545 Route 101, Bedford, NH 03110 (www.rescueleague.org).
