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My eternal sweetheart, Glenn Dean Scheeler, passed through the veil to heaven on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at the age of 71 at our home in Cowley while holding my hand. He entered this earthly life on May 23, 1953, in Powell, Wyoming to father Charles Richard Scheeler and mother Donna Lee Harvey.
He spent his childhood living with Grandpa and Grandma Scheeler, Grandpa and Grandma Harvey, Aunt Edna and his dad. After Glenn’s birth and his parents divorced, his dad then married Clara Zo Bailey, giving him two brothers, Steve and Todd, and two sisters, Debra and Toreasa. He also had a brother, Rodney Craig Scheeler, who died in an oil rig accident at the age of 20. At one point in his life, friends Greg May and Dave Bischoff provided him a home, adding bonus moms Madge May and Helen Bischoff to his life. Even though Glenn lived in multiple places he always called the North Star Ranch, owned by his Scheeler grandparents, in Kane, Wyoming, his favorite home. It was like taking a fish out of water when he had to move into Lovell at the time of the reservoir establishment. He received his education at Lovell schools where he graduated with his Class of 1971. He always told me they let him graduate just to get rid of him.
During high school Glenn helped his dad with the custom hay business, which continued after high school. He also worked for Ford garage, where his aversion to Fords may have started. He was a Dodge man to the end. Working with Keith Grant at Midway Motors gave him a deeper love for fast cars and all aspects of repair. He later started working for Nicholls and Lewis where he was given the nickname “Dinks” by Don Nicholls. I assume that this name was because he was good at dinking around at work! This job was the beginning of a lifelong love of road construction and semi-truck driving. When Nicholls and Lewis closed, Glenn worked for a short time for Larry Anderson from Greybull. When his father-in-law, Paul Lewis, started Lewis Holding, he drove to Sheridan for work, coming home on the weekends. After Lewis Holding, he purchased his own semi-truck and became an over the road trucker. Other than being away from home, he loved the construction and trucking life, meeting people everywhere he went who became lifelong friends.
Glenn and I (Coleen Lewis Scheeler) met on the Bighorn Mountains while I was at a church girl’s camp. It was love at first sight. In 1972, my best high school friend, June (Rasmussen) Minchow and I were dating Lovell boys. We persuaded Glenn and Don Minchow to take the Missionary lessons and they were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Nov. 26 of that year. We were married in 1976 in Elko, Nevada and made our first home in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1995, accompanied by Bishop Joseph Yates, wife Janine and our good friends Joel and Robyn Smith, our family was sealed together in the Idaho Falls Temple. It was a wonderful time for our family.
While living in Salt Lake, Glenn worked at a tire store and I worked at an insurance adjuster office. We lived in a one bedroom apartment with a used couch, kitchen table and chairs, and box spring/mattress that sat on the floor. We had life by the tail! In 1977 our first son, Christopher Paul, was born and we decided “city life” was not for us so we moved home to the “Green Acres” life of Wyoming. In 1980 we built our home in Cowley, where we have resided to the present day. In 1981 our daughter, Cara Marie, was born, followed by Craig Lewis in 1986 and Clayton Robert in 1989. Our family was complete.
Glenn loved time with his kids and grandkids working and playing hard. He always had a project for any kids or grandkids who showed up to visit. He loved hunting with family and friends, also spending time with them in the mountains fishing and camping, hot dog roasts and family gathering.
In the last years of his life, Glenn started developing health issues starting with open heart bypass. He had multiple surgeries including neck, back, knees, hip and shoulders which eventually slowed him down. The final straw was the thyroid surgery which left him with a permanent tracheostomy and contracting Covid while driving his truck. This ended his professional working but he still worked hard at home around the yard and in his shop and sometimes helping his boys in Sheridan.
We had an unwritten “bucket list” and were able to do some of it including taking our kids to Disneyland and Las Vegas, visiting Hawaii with Rand and Anne Tippetts, a cruise to Alaska where our son, Clayton, joined us there after we came ashore, for fishing and site seeing, a Mexico cruise with Kevin and Lynne Busteed Hall and traveling to the East Coast several times to see son, Craig and family and grandson, Caden and family. Glenn also did Alaska fishing trips with his three sons, father-in-law and friends. No girls allowed! We traveled back to our old stomping grounds in Salt Lake City, accompanied by my sister, Julaine and her husband, Kim. We stopped off at Marten’s Cove, South Pass City and Rock Creek Hollow, where Julaine and I have an ancestor buried. We spent a few days in California with Glenn’s cousin, Tracy Scheeler Huseas and husband John, going to Sea World and other California sites. We also owned a speed boat, pontoon and snowmobiles, enjoying time on the water in the summer and riding through Yellowstone in the winter.
Glenn enjoyed life to the fullest, going 90 miles an hour most of the time, even on his motorized scooter in the last days. He was strong, energetic and very stubborn, all traits coming from his German heritage. He was a steak and potatoes man and always met me with “Where’s the beef?” when I tried to feed him a meal without meat. Two of his favorite memories were acting as a security guard for the Billings, Montana Temple during the opening and serving in the Stake Young Men’s Presidency. Since he led a wild life in his teens and early adulthood, the security guard was probably the easier since he was known for fighting and never losing a bar fight. He gave up the wild life for the family life when I gave him the ultimatum of bar or family. Thank goodness he chose me and his kids.
Glenn was preceded in death by parents, grandparents, his special aunt Edna, brother Rodney, sister Tereasa, grandson Tanner and mother-in-law, Leora Lewis.
Those of us left to miss him the most are: son, Christopher and wife Allison and their children: Tristin and Tyler McKenzie, Justyce and fiancé Rico Perez with their daughter Zia, Graycin Powell, Tristen Scheeler and sweetheart, Jadyn, Trayton Scheeler and sweetheart Nikole, Ava Scheeler and fiancé Grady, Tatum Scheeler, Trevin Scheeler and Adalynn Scheeler; daughter, Cara and husband Chris and their children: Caden Zeller and wife Katrina with their children Octavia, Kaysen and Haisley Zeller, Chasnee Zeller and sweetheart Robert, Chareasa Zeller and sweetheart Doug, Carstyn Fowler; son Craig and wife Tiffani with their children Makenna, Jackson and Chloe Scheeler; son Clayton and wife Justine with their children Grady and Rylee Scheeler; uncle Herb Scheeler, my sister, Julaine and husband Kim and their family and father in law, Paul Lewis and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
I, Coleen Lewis Scheeler, his eternal sweetheart, will miss him the most. Fly high my sweetheart, but not too high. I have to catch you when I get there!
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, at the Cowley LDS Church. Viewing/visitation will be held one hour prior to the services there at the church. Interment will be in the Cowley Cemetery.
