Alberta L. Wheeler

Alberta (Betty) Laura Ford Wheeler died December 9, 2012 at The Elms in Milford, NH. She had been residing at Scott-Farrar Home in Peterborough, NH, for the past six and one half years. Betty was born in Boston, MA, on September 13, 1918, the daughter of Euna Nelson Ford and James Belcher Ford. She was married to Ralph Lincoln Wheeler June 5, 1940, in Temple, NH, by her father, the Reverend James Ford. They lived together on Cloverleaf Farm in Temple, where they raised their four children. Her family was the most important part of her life, including her husband, her children, grandchildren, and now her great grandchildren. Although Betty was brought up in the city, she loved the transformation that came about by being a dairy farmer’s wife and all that it entailed. Betty was very involved in the Temple Congregational Church, having joined the church in 1939. For many years she served as the secretary of that church, sang in the church choir, and was an active member of the Temple Ladies Aid. Betty worked outside the home as a secretary for the National Guernsey Association and also Ball Bearing in Peterborough, NH, and later as a secretary for Arthur Eldridge and Richard Monahan, Architects in Peterborough, NH. Once retired, she and her husband, Ralph, enjoyed spending their winters in Florida and traveling. Betty was predeceased by her husband, Ralph, a son, David Nelson Wheeler, and a daughter, Sarah Louise Sabine as well as her sister, Catherine Breene, and her step-brother, Homer Ford. Betty is survived by a step-sister, June Ford Thibodeau, of Enfield, CT, a daughter, Alice Wheeler, and her partner Robert Thompson, of Milford, NH, a son, George, and his wife Catherine, of Canaan, CT, four grandsons, Walter Sabine and wife, Billie-Jo, of Stark, NH, Michael Wheeler and wife, Sheila, of Pittsfield, MA, Kevin Wheeler and wife, Amy, of Black Mt., NC, and Matthew Swiezynski, of Oakland, CA, six great grandchildren, Rene, Sarah and William Sabine, Julia and Elizabeth Wheeler, and Liam Wheeler as well as many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, December 27, 2012, at 2 p.m., in the Temple Congregational Church, 17 Main Street, Temple, NH. Donations may be made in Betty’s name to the Scott-Farrar Home, 11 Elm Street, Peterborough, NH 03458 or the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701.