Bernard Francis “Bern” Wheel of Oak Park, Illinois died July 16, 2026. He was born on August 12, 1929, in Burlington, Vermont to Irene Abair and Alfred Wheel. His father was a typesetter in a print shop; his mother worked in a textile mill. Bern had two brothers.
In the late 1970s, Bern and his wife Marie were moved by the plight of the Vietnamese boat people seeking refugee assistance. They decided to take action. Over the course of 10 years, they welcomed 14 people, ranging from ages 11 to 80, into their home, providing them refuge while helping them acclimate to life in the United States. Bern and Marie were true partners in their compassion and work for others.
As longtime parishioners at St. Catherine-St. Lucy Parish, Bern and Marie set the standard for steadfastness regarding their faith, their commitment to the parish, and their connection to parishioners and those served by the parish. A fellow parishioner recently remarked on their quiet leadership and guidance, agreeing with their nephew who stated, “When Bern and Marie were there, you knew things would be alright.”
Bern attended St. Joseph School, Cathedral High School, and St. Michael College, all in Burlington. Bern took full advantage of the Vermont outdoors. He was an Eagle Scout, and for eight years was the waterfront director at the Holy Cross camp run by the Diocese of Burlington. Bern also led hiking trips up Mt. Mansfield, and in the long Vermont winters enjoyed snowshoeing.
In addition to the schools in Burlington, Bern attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota and the Grand Séminaire de Montréal in Canada. He was ordained a diocesan priest at St. Joseph Cathedral in Burlington. Bern served for 17 years in the Burlington Diocese prior to leaving the priesthood.
Bern then set out on a cross-country trip, traveling to the West Coast and winding his way back to Chicago, where he had much earlier taken a gap year with friends. In Chicago, Bern met Marie Keefe at a gathering in Hyde Park, the neighborhood where he lived. The two married on the Feast of St. Ignatius in 1970 and became residents of Oak Park, Marie’s hometown.
Bern worked as an accountant at Chicago Osteopathic Hospital and then at Urban Gateways.
Bern was generous and joyful. One of his hobbies was learning Esperanto, an intentional global language designed to promote world peace.
Bern was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, his in-laws, and 3 nieces and nephews. He is survived by Marie, his wife of 56 years, 39 nieces and nephews, and extended families of the many Vietnamese individuals they housed.
The funeral Mass for Bern will be held at St. Edmund’s in Oak Park on Aug. 13 (which would have been Bern’s 97th birthday) at 11 a.m. Visitation will immediately precede Mass, starting at 10 a.m.