Rebecca
L. Wheelock
Died
April 26, 2017
CEDAR - Rebecca
Lynn Wheelock passed away at the age of 48 on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at her
home in Cedar, after a 9-year long battle with stage 4 breast cancer.
It is with great
sadness and immeasurable grief that I, Paul Wheelock, announce the passing of
my precious Becky. I was able to hold
her in my arms as she accepted her graduation honors and was welcomed into
glory by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, none other than Jesus Christ
Himself.
Becky was born in Traverse City and lived and grew up in the
Suttons Bay area, attending and graduating from Suttons Bay High School in
1986. It
was on the way to her high school graduation that I, Paul Wheelock, after
having dated her for two years, swung the car into our favorite place and asked
her to marry me. That was the single greatest day of my
life. Having been an honor roll student,
a favorite of each and every one of her teachers and always involved in class
governing, there wasn’t a single person that didn’t like Becky.
She was an avid member of 4-H in Leelanau County for years
where she was involved with raising and learning about many types of animals. Her
favorite by far being the dozens and dozens of goats she got to raise up over
the years.
We were married in 1987 and by 1996, Becky was neck deep in
raising six amazing sons. We, well mostly her, made the decision
prior to our oldest being born that she wanted to be a stay at home mom and
concentrate all of her efforts on raising 6 godly young men who would grow and
mature into the very best of both of us.
What an amazing mother she was, home schooling all of them for several
years and then being an intricate part of their everyday lives after they began
attending public school in Suttons Bay and later, in Traverse City at TC West
High School.
In 2006 she helped to launch our very own pest control business
in Leelanau County and the surrounding area. It was her amazing attitude and smile
that you could literally sense through the phone that attracted the several
thousand customers that have called on us over these past 12 years. She
was the heart and soul of everything we are and did and will be missed by so
many in our customer base.
In 2009, after her first mammogram at the age of 40, Becky
got the devastating news that she had stage 4 breast cancer, the cancer having
migrated to her bones. Needless to say, after a couple of
years it became evident to her medical team and the rest of us that Becky was
going to carve out her own statistical path and not settle for the 24-36 month
program the national average thought she should have.
She endured so much pain, agony, setbacks and pressure these
past 9 years but to anyone who knew her and to my great honor as her husband,
she very seldom showed any of that. Becky’s days were spent doing one thing
and one thing only ~ enriching the lives of those around her and loving each of
us with everything she had.
Her absence will be something impossible to outlive or get
over and her love and companionship will never be replicated. But
knowing she is with her King and her Savior and that I and so many others will
see her again very soon, in a very deep and profound way, makes the grief
bearable and the heartache survivable.
Becky’s greatest fear and worry these past couple of years
as things began to digress, was that she would miss out on the two things most
precious to her post motherhood. Growing old with me and being a
grandmother. Her greatest joy outside of our
marriage was knowing that she would have more little ones to spoil and would be
able to grow old doing what she does best, pouring her heart and soul into
other precious people and watching them blossom and become the very best of who
and what she was. And that is the very thing that makes
her passing so unfair and so incredibly painful. Anyone
that knew her knows exactly what these precious grandchildren will be deprived
of but also knows what amazing fathers to those little ones her sons will be
because of who she was.
Becky is survived by her husband Paul Wheelock, her six sons
Timothy (Teia), Andrew (Jessica), David, Stephen, James (Megan) and Jonathon,
her parents, several cousins, aunts, uncles and her two precious
granddaughters, Araya and Alora, daughters of Tim and Teia. She is also survived by her brother from
another mother, Barry Dunklow.
Becky was the daughter of Harley (Bud) and Roberta Boone
(Scamehorn). She was preceded in death by her
grandparents Jake and Bee Boone and Robert and Garnet Scamehorn.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 pm. on Friday, May 5 at
the Martinson Funeral Home of Suttons Bay.
The memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 6 at
Suttons Bay High School with the family greeting friends at 10 a.m. A luncheon at the school will follow the
service. Your presence would be
something Becky would cherish.
In honor of Becky and at her request, she would very much
like everyone to take some time over the next few weeks and months, find a
rocking chair, slide up next to a loved one and admire some beautiful flowers
and then, when you head inside after a relaxing and enjoyable time rocking
away, grab your favorite cookie recipe and bake till your hearts content and
your loved ones bellies are full. And
when you spot a pretty flower, smell a tasty treat, see a couple married for 30
years or more like us or hear the sounds of happy children, think of Becky and
smile.
All of us who knew her and had the amazing privilege of
being a part of her life at one point or another are ourselves, better and more
blessed because of it. We’ll see you again sweetheart, but not yet, not
yet!
Memorials may be
directed to the family.
Condolences and memories may be shared with Becky’s family below:
