John Wheldon

1929 - 2011

LOGAN - John Wheldon, 81, passed away April 3, 2011, at Logan Regional Hospital after a short illness. He was surrounded by his loved ones.
John, the oldest of three children, was born in Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham, England, in 1929 to John and Elsie Wheldon. In 1939, his family moved to Scotland where they lived for seven years before moving to Hartlepool, England, and acquiring a farm. John and his father were avid gardeners and won top prizes at numerous gardening shows for their vegetables and flowers. John was especially well-known for his beautiful sweet peas and dahlias. After graduating from school, he served two years in the British Army, Royal Artillery Regiment during World War II. He worked as a chemist and laboratory supervisor and was an active member of the Church of England before converting to the LDS Church in October 1964. In 1969, he served as bishop of the Hartlepool Ward. In 1974, he and his family immigrated to Utah, where he worked for Albion Laboratory and Thiokol.
John married his celestial companion and sweetheart, Sieglinde, originally from Austria, on Jan. 21, 1986, in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. Together they served three LDS missions: India, Myanmar, and South Chicago, Ill. Along with holding several positions within the church, John was actively involved with the Red Cross Disaster Relief Team and traveled to both Puerto Rico and New Jersey to provide assistance. He also continued to pursue his love of gardening and never passed up English fish and chips or a box of gourmet chocolates.
John is survived by his wife, Sieglinde; two sisters, Audrey (Joe, deceased) Appleton and Freda (George) Bailes of England; and nine children: Susan (John) Grant, Layton, Utah; Mark (Markel) Wheldon, Houston, Texas; Jayne (Mark) Hamblin, Logan, Utah; Nathan Wheldon, Frederick, Colo.; Connie Ricks, St. Cloud, Fla.; Ingrid (John Janeway) Ricks, Seattle, Wash.; Erika Frescura, Titusville, Fla.; Jared (Munyoung) Ricks, Smithfield, Utah; and Daniel (Lori) Ricks, North Logan, Utah. He's also survived by 25 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was greatly loved by us all and will be missed dearly.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, April 7, 2011, at 11 a.m. at the Logan First Ward (82 S. 200 West). Friends may call at the Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 E. Center St. in Logan, Wednesday, April 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., and at the ward on Thursday at 10 to 10:30 a.m. Interment will be in the Logan City Cemetery. Condolences and thoughts may be expressed to the family online at www.allenmortuaries.net.