Vera Wheeler Obituary


VERA SHANNON WHEELER, RN, MN, OCN
October 11, 1945 ~ March 30, 2014

Vera Wheeler passed away peacefully March 30, 2014 after a long battle with dementia. She was born on October 11, 1945 in Alameda, California to Louis and Sue (Guyton) Shannon. She was raised and attended school in Alameda before the family moved to Hawaii where she graduated from Kailua High School. She attended University of California Santa Barbara and graduated from the UC San Francisco Medical Center School of Nursing.
Vera was a Navy Nurse before attending the University of Washington to receive her Masters in Nursing. She completed a Post-Masters Fellowship in Oncology Education at San Jose State University. Her nursing career included positions in the Navy, as patient care coordinator of Hospice Hawaii, nursing instructor at University of Washington and U of Hawaii, and Oncology Nurse Specialist at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health. She presented papers on NIH research she was involved with at conferences in the US and Europe.
Vera moved to Vancouver in 1996 on the completion of her husband's Navy career and was active at Columbia Presbyterian Church. She was an ordained Deacon and Elder and focused on providing service to others. She served as short term missionary in Zambia working with AIDS patients. A cancer survivor, she volunteered in the Kaiser Cancer support program providing one-on-one support for breast cancer patients.
Vera was a skilled quilter and enjoyed making many quilts for family, special people and for charity events.
Vera was preceded in death by her parents and brother Roderick Shannon. She is survived by her husband of forty-four years, William Wheeler; four nieces, Sara, Caryn, and Megan Wheeler and Katie Wharry; and uncle Frank Shannon.
Internment will be in Blanchard, IA and a memorial service for her will be held at Columbia Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, WA on April 26, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.
It is requested that instead of flowers memorials be made to Good Samaritan Ministries, 7929 SW Cirrus Drive Bldg 23, Beaverton, OR 97008.
Please sign her guestbook at www.columbian.com/obits

Published by The Columbian on Apr. 12, 2014.
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Memories and Condolences
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3 Entries

Bill,

Please accept my deepest sympathy on your loss of Vera. She was a wonderful woman who was always concerned about the welfare of others. May you find peace in the fact that her struggle with dementia has finally ended.

Bob Poole

April 25, 2014

Vera was a kind and generous woman . She will be greatly missed by her wide circle of friends. Dick and I will remember her fondly. MAy good memories confort you Bill.

Dick and Ellen Shamrell

April 15, 2014

Bill,

I am sorry to hear about Vera's passing. Please know that she will be remembered as a wonderful woman, so full of life and dedicated to helping others. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I will miss her always.

Pamela Raphael

April 12, 2014

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