The Hill Funeral Home and Cremation Services 614-882-2121
Thomas Wheeler Obituary - Hill Funeral Home

Obituary for Thomas Wheeler

Thomas Wheeler 1946-2022

Thomas Wheeler

04/23/1946 - 07/12/2022

Thomas Arthur Wheeler was born on April 23, 1946 in Toledo, Ohio.  He is survived by his two brothers, Bill and Bob, Sister-in-laws, and by numerous nieces and nephews.  He is preceded in death by his parents, Constance Weaver and Leslie Wheeler, and by his older Brother Jim Wheeler.

 

Tom enjoyed the sciences and was continually learning throughout his life.  While in the Navy for 6 ½ years, he spent 2 years at MIT studying Applied Mathematics with the Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Program.  After returning from the Navy, he attended the University of Toledo earning a B.S. in Applied Mathematics/Computer Sciences, an M.S. in Applied Mathematics with Physics Focus, and an M.S. in Engineering Physics/Operations Research.  During this time, he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and became interested in Shotokan Karate where he earned a Shodan (1st Degree) Black Belt.

 

Later while working in the Defense Industry in Dayton, Ohio, he studied at Wright State University receiving an M.B.A. in Management Science/Operations Management and a Post Graduate Certificate in Quality Assurance.  On the side he attended some Graduate Level Courses in Experimental Psychology at University of Dayton.  He also became  and ASQ Certified Quality Engineer and an ASQ Certified Reliability Engineer.

 

He became an avid practitioner in Taekwondo competing and studying to improve his skills.  He eventually earned a SamDan 3rd Degree Black Belt – Taekwondo (Kukkiwon).  He was most proud of earning medals in forms and sparring in an over 40 competition at a state level competition in Ohio.

 

Leaving the defense industry after 20 years, he started working at the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati as a Senior Decision Support Analyst for Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety.  He left Cincinnati to work at the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus.  He loved working at the Children's Hospitals because he could see the impact his work made on the quality of care that the hospital provided.

 

He continued to work until he was over 70 and was a prolific reader of scientific journals and answering scientific questions on the internet.  He would have probably continued to work without pay if they would have let him and if his mind had not slowed down in his analytic and mathematical abilities.  Tom wasn’t much for the everyday mundane activities of life, but he loved mathematics, physics, and the analytical sciences and spent his life in those endeavors.