Richard W. Wheeler

1929 - 2020

Richard Warren Wheeler, 91, longtime Concord resident, died at his home on April 20, 2020, surrounded by family. He was the loving husband for almost 70 years of Betty Ann Owens Wheeler. Both his long, accomplished career and his personal life were hallmarked by his characteristic passionate spirit, irrepressible curiosity, and an inclusive, thoughtful and caring manner. Born in Boston on February 8, 1929, he was the son of the late Wilfrid Wheeler Jr. and Sybil Constance (Leckenby) Wheeler, who were then living in the Wheeler family farmhouse on Sudbury Road. Rick was proud to be the 11th generation of one of Concords several Wheeler families. The town, its history, and its community were precious to him. After returning to Concord in 1993 after a career in international banking, he served on numerous Town boards and participated in many other town groups and organizations. He brought his energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to what he viewed as our shared project of self-governance and neighborliness. Rick spent his early years on his grandparents farm in Hatchville, on Cape Cod, part of which is now Mass Audubons Ashumet Holly and Wildlife Sanctuary. He graduated in 1946 from Belmont High School, where he first met Betty Ann Owens. Enlisting in the US Army, he served for a year at the Allied Force Headquarters in Italy. Returning home, he enrolled in Williams College, where he studied History and Literature. Rick and Betty Ann married in 1950, and he graduated with his "GI Bill degree" in 1952. Rick joined First National City Bank (now Citibank) after graduation, and in 1953 he and Betty Ann went to Asia for their first overseas assignment. For 16 years, the family lived in Hong Kong, Manila, and Tokyo. In 1968, Rick became vice president in the field for Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. He was promoted to Citibank headquarters in New York in 1969 and, as a senior vice president in charge of the Asia-Pacific division, he supervised the expansion of Citibanks presence in the Pacific region. He became the head of the International Banking Group, and later moved to the office of the chairman until he retired in 1982. Rick served as executive vice president of the Asia Society in New York from 1982 to 1984. Then he became president of the Asian International Bank, later the Bank of the Philippine Islands, which Rick led until 1990, spearheading its global expansion. Rick was invited to join the Council on Foreign Relations and was a refugee policy adviser to the State Department in 1982. He was selected for and listed in Whos Who in America. Interest in and respect for others were evident in Ricks many other activities as well. He extended a welcome and sought connection in all of his encounters. He shared wholeheartedly what mattered to himfamily, community, placeand gave his time generously. Rick joined the Episcopal Church while living in Manila. Upon each subsequent move, he quickly became active in the local Episcopal church, including Holy Trinity in Manila, Saint Albans in Tokyo, Christ Church in Bronxville, NY, and Trinity Episcopal in Concord. While in New York, Rick also served the national Episcopal Church, chairing the Presiding Bishops Fund for World Relief (now Episcopal Relief & Development). A keen student of both his chosen faith tradition and others, Rick pursued interfaith efforts ranging from chairing the advisory board of the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School to participating in Concords Clergy-Laity Group. Ricks embrace of family and civic life took many forms in Concord, from hospitality at the home he and Betty Ann made in the historic Scotchford-Wheeler house (ca.1653) to service on the Town Select Board and other Town committees. He participated fully in public life, marching in the Patriots Day and Memorial Day parades annually and faithfully attending Town Meeting, a form of self-governance he championed. His love of Concord history drew Rick to organizations like the Friends of Minuteman National Historical Park, Orchard House, and the Friends of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Rick described himself as an avid reader, a lover of classical music and opera, and an amateur historian. He was also a formidable tennis, squash, croquet, and cribbage player. And, like his father and grandfather before him, and his son and grandson after him, Rick was a passionate Boston Red Sox fan. October 27, 2004 was a truly special day for him when the Red Sox ended their eighty-six-year drought and won the World Series. When not in Concord, Rick was at Windrift, the familys house on Cape Cod that his father built after the Hurricane of 1938. In many ways it was "home," a place to read in the hammock, circumnavigate the pond in the sailboat, warmly welcome friends, family, and neighbors, and cheer the Cotuit Kettleers at home games nearby. Many fine specimens of American Holly, preserved and cultivated by Rick's grandfather, Wilfrid Wheeler Sr., thrive at Windrift. Rick considered himself a steward of his grandfathers legacy and gave boughs of this holly to family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues at Christmas-time. Towards the end of his life Rick was diagnosed with Alzheimers, and still he greeted everyone he met with his warm smile. He is survived by his wife Betty Ann, his children and their spouses, Emily, Susan and Constantine, Thomas and Sandy, Alice and Debianne, Sarah and Eric, and grandchildren Barrett and Clara. Rick was predeceased by his older brother, Lt. Wilfrid Wheeler III, a US Navy pilot, who went missing in action in 1953 during the Korean conflict; and his step-sister, Shirley Melvin Leavell. Family and friends will gather to celebrate Ricks life at Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord on a date to be determined, with burial at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord. Gifts in Rick's memory may be made to Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary (MA Audubon), PO Box 235, Cummaquid, MA 02630; Barnstable Land Trust, 1540 Main Street, West Barnstable MA 02668, or Episcopal Relief & Development, P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. For service updates and his online guestbook, please visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com.