Vincent J. Wheelock

Vincent (Vince, Grandpaman) J. Wheelock passed away on Sunday August 28th at 4:12AM in Westlake Village/Thousand Oaks California at age 89 of natural causes. He was with family, both in mind and soul till the very end, simply notifying his son that he was “Ready to go home” just days before he peacefully took his last breath.

He is survived by his son Kevin, Kevin’s wife Donna and two beautiful grandchildren Alyssa and Madison. Vince was preceded in death by his loving daughter Sheri and his life long love Gail, his wife.

A mass of Christian burial will be held on Friday September 9th at 10AM at Saint Jude the Apostle Church, 32032 W. Lindero Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA. 91361

With internment following at 3PM (Grave Side Ceremony) at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks, 5600 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village, California, 91362

Would ask that in lieu of flowers, please give to your favorite charity in his name (He had too many to pick from).

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.piercebrothersvalleyoaks.com for the Wheelock family.

His Story,

The beginnings of this quiet legend in the space program, and his son’s hero, began on a farm in Zearing Iowa on September 14, 1932. As one of eight children of Bernard and Mary Wheelock, he was the last to survive.

As a matter of patriotism, five of the six Wheelock boys served in the armed services (WW-II and The Korean War). Vince joined the Air Force in 1951 and during his four years of service, became a F-80C Shooting Star AND F-86 Sabre jet engine mechanic in Korea. This began his lifelong quest to push metal through air and space with hot gas. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University in 1958, later earning the college’s coveted Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering (PACE) in 1997 for his contribution to the space program.

Vince joined the Rocketdyne Division of North American Aviation and remained with them throughout his career. “Well...” as he said, “This isn’t a job, it’s my pursuit of a life-long hobby”. He supported the space program and contributed wherever there was a need; Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, Edwards AFB and Vandenberg AFB in California, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, General Dynamics in San Diego, and his home office at the Rocketdyne Facility in Canoga Park and up at Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

His personal life never wandered far from his dedication to the space program. He met Gail Loudon, who also worked for Rocketdyne, and they were married on July 1st, 1961. Vince said that his career’s success was in great part to Gail’s support and influence. He enjoyed an exciting career spanning from the infancy of rocketry to putting a man on the moon, the International Space Station and beyond, all with the company he enjoyed. One regret he may have had was missing the first Artemis launch, since he left us only days before the United States returned to the moon.

Vince and family returned to the Canoga Park facility in 1967 and became one of the original residents of the first neighborhood’s in Westlake Village, California. This happened with a down payment of $100 on the house, and without Gail’s consent. He informed her later of his purchase and they ended up living there for the remainder of their lives. He supported the community in many ways including being a handyman at his church. The Wheelock’s were part of the 100 plus families to form St. Jude the Apostle Church in Westlake Village with Father Thomas O’Connell in the First Neighborhood Community Center.

Vince never wandered far from the Space Program in retirement, contributing on several books, most notably “Rocketdyne: Powering Humans into Space”. He continued consulting on many efforts at Rocketdyne including the collection and maintenance of the History of Rocketdyne (In great part with the help of his wife Gail), and the curator of the “Leadership and Learning Center” at the facility. The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) at Edwards AFB contacted him to help identify legacy rocket parts that were basically left all over the desert from the original space flight testing there. (Vince, the space junk identification expert, lol). In fact, just three days before he passed away, he supervised the construction of a Space Shuttle Orbiter. Yes, it was with his granddaughters, and the Orbiter was made from Legos, but he was fully engaged.

He also received more awards and recognition from worldwide organizations including: multiple Awards and Certificates of Appreciation from NASA, The U.S. Air Force (for his contribution to the Air Force Memorial in Washington), and had his name engraved on the Wall of Honor at the Air and Space Museum. Lastly, a smaller, but no less important one was the “Nevada Community School Hall of Honor Award” in Nevada, Iowa on February 3rd, 2015.

Among his memorabilia are a flag that was on the first Space Shuttle Flight from astronauts Young and Crippen, an award that includes a coin that was on the Apollo/Soyuz mission in 1975, along with various nuts and bolts from both rocket engines and test stands that supported getting men into space, which are proudly displayed in his office to this day.

This quiet titan of the U.S. Space Program, a man of achievement and contribution, has been described by his friends and co-workers as; a Mentor, the Go-to-Guy, a Communicator, and probably his favorite from his grandchildren, GRANDPAMAN! He has gone to heaven to be with God, his wife and daughter.

As Scott Carpenter said to John Glenn at the first launch, “God Speed”…

GrandpaMan, Dad, we will miss you.