Ex-council chief was a man of integrity

RON Wheeler, the former Tewkesbury Borough Council chief executive, has died at the age of 79.

Mr Wheeler, who was chief executive officer and borough secretary from 1974 to 1996, had been ill for a number of years and died peacefully at his home in Shurdington, near Cheltenham, on September 19.

He started his local government career with Stratford-on-Avon, Evesham and Cheltenham rural district councils before the formation of Tewkesbury Borough Council in 1974.

Establishing a new local authority following restructuring was an exciting but arduous task for both councillors and officers. According to his family, Mr Wheeler, one of the youngest chief executives in the country, threw himself into the task with the tireless passion, integrity and commitment for which he became known during his 20 years at the helm.

His family said public service underpinned his core values, as did being a ‘people person’, and they said he gave his time to his work unstintingly.

In their tribute to Mr Wheeler, his family said he embraced retirement with similar enthusiasm.

He was aware during his working life, when he had arranged for overseas students from the British Council to visit Winchcombe Pottery on their rest days, of how influential the pottery had been, yet how poorly documented this had been – so he made this his initial project.

He channelled his energies into rectifying this omission and he and his recently-retired wife travelled widely, undertaking research.

His nationally-acclaimed book, Winchcombe Pottery – The Cardew Finch Tradition, was published in conjunction with Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum in 1998.

Following publication of the book, Mr Wheeler was in demand nationally as a speaker. He later published tribute books to Winchcombe potters Sidney Tustin (2005) and, at the family’s request, to Eddie Hopkins (2008), who died as a result of the floods of 2007.

Mr and Mrs Wheeler enjoyed trips across the world and also walked the pilgrims’ route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Cancer diagnoses for the couple in 2003/4 did not deter their sense of adventure but they pursued gentler river and ocean cruising.

Mr Wheeler, who was born in Warwick, was a keen sportsman and had schoolboy trials for Aston Villa and playing a handful of games for Moseley Rugby Club. He represented several Cheltenham sides at cricket.

He is survived by his wife Lorna and his children Sharon, Jonathan and Stuart, plus five grandchildren.