As news editor, editorial page editor and a columnist for The Star Publications for more than 30 years, Dennis Wheeler took personally his role in providing coverage of the 50 Southland communities the newspaper served.
“Denny felt a responsibility to stand up for residents and to cover community news and make a difference, not only in the community but also in the residents’ lives, and anything he could do to enhance that he was willing to do,” said Pat Disabato, sports columnist for the Daily Southtown and a former Star colleague of Mr. Wheeler.
Mr. Wheeler, 76, died Thursday of a stroke at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.
When he retired 10 years ago, Mr. Wheeler was a columnist for The Star and its editorial page editor.
With his experience and journalism knowledge, Mr. Wheeler could have gone onto other media organizations, but he stayed with The Star — not only because of his affinity for community journalism but also because of his love of the organization.
“He really loved The Star,” said Frank Shuftan, former editor in chief of The Star and now communications director for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “As a newspaperman, he was a guy dedicated and committed to his craft. He was serious about what he did, but yet he always enjoyed a good time and had a great sense of humor. … You won’t find anyone to say a bad word about Denny.”
Born in Chicago, Mr. Wheeler and his family moved to Frankfort when he was young. As a student at Lincoln-Way High School, Mr. Wheeler was the first sports writer for the first student newspaper at the school.
He continued his journalism career at Northwestern University, where as a senior he met his future wife, Anne. Mr. Wheeler earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the university in 1961. That same year, he married his wife.
After his college graduation, Mr. Wheeler changed career objectives and became a teacher, earning a master’s degree in education at the University of Illinois. For nine years, he taught social studies at Bremen High School and coached baseball and basketball.
Summers, however, were spent in the newsroom of The Star, which published twice per week.
“At some point, they wanted him so much as reporter that they offered him a job,” said his friend and former colleague Tom Houlihan. “He became an editor very soon after that.”
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Mr. Wheeler left education for the newsroom but also to spend more time with his young and growing family, his son, Grady, said.
The Star became a second family, and Mr. Wheeler would often mentor the young reporters.
“Denny would work with them and help them along. He was always very patient, and he was very fair,” Houlihan said.
With a life philosophy to find joy in everything, Mr. Wheeler refused to think negatively, his son said.
“He saw that life was a gift, and time was too short to dwell on those kinds of things,” Grady said. “He may have been in a cynical business, but he was not a cynical man. He wanted to believe in the good of people, and he treated everybody warmly and made everyone feel like they were a special and important person.”
“He would never come home and say he had a bad day. He would say some were rough but never a bad day. He loved his work, and he loved his colleagues,” his son said.
An avid sports fan, Mr. Wheeler loved the Chicago White Sox, the Bears, the Northwestern Wildcats and golf.
In addition to his wife and son, he’s survived by son Dennis Jr.; daughter Wendy Kessler; brother Randy; sisters Judy Schuelke, Linda Jackson and Jayne Fitzgerald; five grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Services are private.
Patricia Trebe is a freelance reporter.