A Service to celebrate the life of Ralph N. Wheeler 76 of Daytona Beach Shores who passed away on October 25 2007 will be held at 11 am Monday October 29 2007 at the Port Orange Chapel of Lohman Funeral Homes. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Ralph was born on February 5 1931 to the late Ralph Sr. and Bessie Wheeler in Sylva NC. He retired in May 1994 after 38 years of service in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Department of State. From March 1987 until his retirement he was Chief Engineer and Director of Program Execution for the State Department with responsibility for the technical direction management and execution of the worldwide embassy construction program and an expanding program of renovation of existing overseas facilities. Prior to his assignment with the State Department Ralph had a distinguished 31 year career with the Corps of Engineers. His assignments included Chief Engineer for the Middle East Division (1983-87) Deputy Director for the MX program Agency at Norton Air Force Base California (1981-83) Chief Engineer for the Savannah District in Savannah Georgia (1978-81) Chief Engineer for the European Division in Frankfurt Germany (1974-77) and Deputy Chief of Construction for the Office of Chief of Engineers in Washington D. C. (1973-74). In other assignments Ralph served in the New England Division in Waltham Massachusetts and the Far East District in Tokyo Japan and Seoul Korea. Ralph graduated from High School in Hopedale Massachusetts and earned his Bachelor's and Master's of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts where he became a member of Tau Beta Pi an engineering honor society. In 1982 he received the school's Distinguished Alumni Award. In 1989 he received a Meritorious Presidential Rank Award from President Bush. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Massachusetts and is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Ralph served as Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Board for the city of Daytona Beach Shores. In addition he served on the Board of Directors for Sandy Shores and Sea Club IV Condominium Associations and represented Daytona Beach Shores as a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee. Ralph leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife of 53 years Marilyn; sons Robert of Daytona Beach Shores David & his wife Catherine of California and granddaughter Heather Stackhouse and her husband Robert. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial donations be made in honor of Ralph to: Arthritis Foundation ATTN: Web Donation Department P.O. Box 96280 Washington DC 20077. Condolences may be shared with the family at www.lohmanfuneralhomes.com. Arrangements are under the careful direction of Lohman Funeral Home Port Orange.