Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Dec. 5: Happy Birthday Margot Wheeler Wherever You Are

I honour my ancestors with my daily practice of reviewing their birth, deaths and marriages using my "On This Day" (OTD) calendar.

According to my Family Tree Maker (FTM) calendar, my second cousin (1R) Margot Wheeler should be celebrating her 82nd birthday today but the only concrete information that I have about Margot was the photograph pictured below of Margot with her sister Patti and her uncle Bernard Broderick taken in 1943.

1943 photograph of Marg and Patti Wheeler with their Uncle Bernard of Ontario (Source: Bernard Broderick photograph archive)

Margot and I are actually double cousins related through both our Broderick and our Moynahan family trees. We share two sets of grandparents:
Our shared Moynahan-Broderick Family Tree

I had written previously about Margot's grandparents Patrick and Clara (Moynahan) Broderick (pictured below)

Patrick and Clara (Moynahan) Broderick (Source: Bernard Broderick photograph archive)
I also had some great photographs of Margot's mother Genevieve (Broderick) Wheeler (but sadly, none of her husband Charles )

Agnes and Genvieve Boderick (Source: Bernard Broderick photograph archive)

(Source: Bernard Broderick and Michael Lyon photograph archives)

The Family of 
Mary Genvieve (Broderick) and Charles Wheeler

All that I ever knew about the Wheeler family was that they left Essex county, Ontario and went to Chicago and later California and were naturalized in the United States following their arrival in September 20, 1927.

TheWheelers had three daughters according to their "Petition For Naturalization" "all born and residing at Chicago, Illinois":
  • Nancy (f) Aug. 4, 1934
  • Margot (f) Dec. 5, 1936
  • Patricia (f)  Mar. 12, 1938

Source: National Archives at Chicago; Chicago, Illinois; ARC Title: Petitions for Naturalization, 1906 - 1991; NAI Number: 6756404; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21
 Nancy Jean (Wheeler) Berndt (1934-1996)

My breakthrough on the Wheeler family came when I located the 1996 obituary for Margot's sister Nancy Jean
"Nancy Jane Berndt, 61, a 26-year resident of Palo Alto, died at Stanford Hospital from a massive stroke on June 30.
A native of Chicago, she came to live with her sisters in Livermore at the age of 22. After her marriage in 1960, she lived in Santa Barbara, St. Louis and Redwood City before settling in Palo Alto. She worked as a claims adjustor, before devoting her time to raising her children. She then worked as a medical secretary in the department of Plastic Surgery at Stanford University for 17 years. She attended St. Ann's Catholic Church in Palo Alto for five years.
She is survived by her mother, Genevieve Wheeler of Palo Alto; her husband, Ted Berndt of Palo Alto; two sons, Steve Berndt and Dave Berndt of Palo Alto; two sisters, Marge Eckman of Livermore and Patti Geyer of Manhattan, Kan.; three nephews; and two nieces. Services have been held. Contributions may be made to the National Stroke Association, 96 Inverness Drive East, Suite 1, Englewood, Colo. 80112." 

Sisters Margot and Patti Married

Source: Bernard Broderick photograph archive

From Nancy Jeans's 1996 obituary, I learned several new facts about Margot and her sister Patti:
  • Margot had married and her husband's surname was Eckman 
  • The Eckmans lived in Livermore, California in 1996
  • Patti had married and her husband's surname was Geyer 
  • The Geyers lived in Manhattan, Kansas in 1996 
When I entered this data into my tree on ancestry.ca, it led to new information about Margot's sister Patti (Wheeler) Geyer.

Patti (Wheeler) Geyer (1938-2012)

Nancy Jean (Wheeler) Berndt led me to sister Patti (Wheeler) Geyer whose headstone was located on Find-A-Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83251887
Source: Find-A-Grave
And Patti (Wheeler) Geyer's obituary was found online http://www.ymlfuneralhome.com/main/obituary/1576

Patricia Joyce Wheeler Geyer Obituary Photo
"Patricia Joyce Wheeler Geyer, age 73, died Monday January 9, 2012 at the Good Shepherd Hospice House, Manhattan, Kansas.

She was born on March 12, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. Patti graduated from Amundsen High School in 1955 and the Grant School of Nursing, Chicago, ILL as a registered nurse in 1959.

She met her future husband of 51 years, Wayne Geyer, at a dance and they were married on August 20, 1960 in Forest Park, ILL. This union was blessed with three children: Laura, Keith and Kevin.

Patti loved the LORD and telling people about HIM. She loved the congregation of the First Assembly of God and the many Bible study lessons for the past 18 years. She was a member of the First Lutheran Church from 1966 until 1993.

She was preceded in death by her mother: Genevieve Wheeler, her beloved daughter: Laura A. Geyer on September 9, 1967 and a sister: Nancy Berndt.

Survivors include her husband: Wayne of the home; 2 sons: Keith A. Geyer and his wife Julie and their children Nicholas and Gwen of Aurora, CO and Kevin W. Geyer of Wichita, Kansas; a sister: Margot Eckman of Livermore, CA. She is also survived by her sister-in-law: Beville Geyer Vertuno and her husband Edward of Tallahassee, FL and their two sons; a brother-in-law: Ted Berndt and sons and many nieces, nephews and many friends.

Funeral Services will be at 1:30 p.m. on Friday January 13, 2012 at the First Assembly of God, Manhattan, KS with Pastor Ed Walker officiating. The family invites friends to a luncheon at noon on Friday at the Church prior to the services. Private interment will be in the Kansas Veterans Cemetery, Fort Riley, Kansas.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Thursday January 12, 2012 at the First Assembly of God Church, 2310 Candlewood Drive, Manhattan, Kansas.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or to the First Assembly of God Church in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas 66502."
 And Patti (Wheeler) Geyer's Obituary led me to her husband Wayne's obituary.

Wayne Allan Geyer (1933-2016) Obituary

Wayne Allan Geyer Obituary Photo
"Wayne Allan Geyer, age 82, died Thursday, July 7th, 2016 at his home in Manhattan, Kansas.

He was born on November 24, 1933 in Forest Park, Illinois. Wayne graduated from Proviso High School in 1951. He went on to get degrees at Iowa State University, Purdue University, and the University of Minnesota.

He met his future wife of 51 years, Patti Geyer, at a dance and they were married on August 20, 1960 in Forest Park, ILL. This union was blessed with three children: Laura, Keith and Kevin.
 
Wayne was a member of the congregation of the First Assembly of God Church, and also was a member of the First Lutheran Church from 1966 until 1993.  He loved his wife, his sons, his grandchildren, fishing, spending time outdoors, and Kansas State University.

Growing up in Chicago, he spent his days cutting the grass in a local cemetery and fishing with his grandfather. “When I graduated high school,” he said “I knew I didn’t want to work in a factory and I knew I wanted to work outdoors, so I chose forestry.” After graduating from Iowa State University with his bachelor’s degree, Wayne spent time as a U.S Navy officer in the Navy.

After serving in the Navy, he worked for Georgia Craft Paper as a field forester. He later returned to school at Purdue University to obtain his master’s degree. From there he took a position with the University of Illinois at an experiment station in southern Illinois. This is where he “truly became interested in the science of forestry.” He then received his doctorate in forestry science from the University of Minnesota, and took a job at Kansas State University as an assistant professor where he began teaching in 1966. While a full professor of Forestry at Kansas State, he had numerous professional publications, presentations, and awards.

He was preceded in death by his wife Patti, his father Herman “Bud” Geyer, his mother: Alice Geyer, his beloved daughter: Laura A. Geyer on September 9, 1967.

Survivors include his 2 sons: Keith A. Geyer and his wife Julie and their children Nicholas and Gwen of Aurora, CO and Kevin W. Geyer of Wichita, Kansas; his sister Beville Geyer Vertuno and her husband Edward of Tallahassee, FL and their two sons; he is also survived by his sister-in-law, Margot Eckman of Livermore, CA, a brother-in-law, Ted Berndt and sons of Palo Alto, CA, and many nieces, nephews and many friends.

Funeral Services will be at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, July 12th, 2016 at the First Assembly of God, 2310 Candlewood in Manhattan. Interment will follow the service in the Kansas Veterans’ Cemetery at Fort Riley in Manhattan.

The family will receive friends from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Monday, July 11, 2016 at Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army or to the First Assembly of God Church. Contributions may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas 66502."

(Source: http://www.ymlfuneralhome.com/obituary/5682)
Source: Kansas State University http://hnr.k-state.edu/people/faculty/emeritus-faculty/wayne-geyer/
Happy Birthday Margot (Wheeler) Eckman
Wherever You Are

Margot (Wheeler) Eckman (1943)
And that's as far as my research took me ! 
My quest for Margot on her birthday led me to all of her sisters.

I only hope that she is enjoying her 82nd birthday today and that she is surrounded by people who love her and care for her!

Happy birthday cousin, wherever you are! 

The Brodericks of Essex County, Ontario
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