01/30/2026
Obituary and Celebration of Life Information for Lifelong Area Resident Raymond E. Wheeler, Jr.
Amenia – Raymond Emanuel Wheeler, Jr., 72, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, CT. Ray worked for the Town of Amenia Highway Department for twenty-three years and for the New York State Department of Transportation in Wassaic, NY, for ten years prior to his retirement in 2010. Ray also assisted in running the family business in Wassaic for over thirty years.
Born November 6, 1953 in Sharon, Connecticut, he was the son of the late Raymond E. and Helen C. (Chase) Wheeler, Sr. He was educated in Amenia, NY, schools and served his community for decades as a member of the Wassaic Fire Company and The Sharon Fire Department in Connecticut. He was an avid turkey and deer hunter throughout his life and he enjoyed socializing with his many friends and taking car rides throughout the valley regularly. Ray also enjoyed spending time with his family and watching the races at Lebanon Valley Speedway. He will be deeply missed by his loving family and many friends.
Ray is survived by his companion of twenty years, Karen Ellis of Amenia; four sons, Raymond E. Wheeler of Spring Hill, FL, Michael R. Wheeler and his wife Justine also of Spring Hill, Thomas E. Wheeler and his wife Alicia of Wassaic and Christopher Ellis; his grandchildren, Branden Wheeler, Zachary Wheeler and his wife Katie, Kaden Wheeler, Michael Wheeler, Jr. and his wife Michele, Alyssa Wheeler, Thomas Wheeler and his girlfriend Kenzie Milton and Kaylee Wheeler and her boyfriend Nick; four great grandchildren, Mason, Layton, Michael III and Cole Wheeler; his siblings, Emily Tarbox and her husband Carl, Rachel Wheeler, Sharon McEathron and her husband Daryl and Helen Murphy and her husband William and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his wife, Ruth Ann (Ammerman) Wheeler, three sisters, Hattie Butts, Juanita Donaldson and Patricia Wilson and his grandson, Hunter Wheeler.
A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, May 30th 2026 at 1pm at the Wassaic Fire House, 27 Firehouse Rd., Wassaic, NY 12592. Burial will take place privately at Valley View Cemetery in Dover Plains, NY. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Ray’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com