It isn’t often that a person opens up the obituaries and cracks a smile, but that’s exactly what the family of Charles Wheeler hoped to accomplish. The touchingly funny obituary they wrote for their husband and father reads more like a story full of humor and love, rather than a brief snippet giving the bare facts of a man’s life and death.
As his wife, Annie Pleatsikas, explained, “We did it because we thought it was so appropriate to do something funny and humorous and to paint a picture of him.”
The obituary certainly managed to do just that.
“Charles ‘Charlie’ Wheeler, 60, of Weare, kicked the bucket, bought the farm and ate his last pretzel on Nov. 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. & 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 Wheeler’s wife also made sure to include a funny reference to her husband’s lack of fashion, writing, “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.”
In an interview , she mentioned, “He was a slob. He had no fashion sense. When I would ask him to change his shirt, he would get so mad.”
In the days after the funny obituary was published, people around the family’s hometown of Weare, New Hampshire, approached the family to let them know how perfect they found the tribute to be.
“People say they were crying, laughing and then crying more,” said his daughter, Meredith Wheeler. “I think that’s a better way to read an obit than crying the whole time.”
She added that the obituary has now gone viral, with people nationwide sharing their thoughts, often saying it’s one of the most uplifting obituaries they have ever read, and that “we should all hope for, a fantastic send-off after a full, loving life.”
The attention the obituary they carefully wrote for a man whom they all loved deeply has actually brought the family comfort. They feel as if others are getting to know the man they loved the most.
As wife and mother Annie Pleatsikas said, “I think in the coming days, it’s going to bring us more comfort.”
As for the children she shared with Charlie Wheeler, she added, “They will always remember this.”
This isn’t the first time an obituary has captured the attention of many. An obituary written for Harry Stamps, former dean of a Mississippi college, went viral for its obvious loving humor . And then there was the case of an obituary that went viral for the complete opposite reason — as the children of this mother told reporters that their first reaction to their mother’s death was “Ding dong, the witch is dead.”
[Image via WMUR9]
