John M. Wakeland, 93, of Vero Beach, passed away on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2015.
He is survived by his wife Ruth; brother Howard (Joyce) Wakeland of Urbana, Ill.; sister Clare (Richard) Smith of Bradenton, Fla.; daughters Joanne and Connie; grandsons Michael (Jessika) McKee of Macomb, Mich., and David McKee (Devon Buckner) of Sterling Heights, Mich.; granddaughter Allison (James) Terwilliger of Redmond, Wash.; and four great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his brother Raymond and sister Lucille.
Wakeland was born in Minonk, Ill., in 1922 to Fred and Florence Wakeland. He attended the University of Illinois, where he met Ruth, his wife of nearly 71 years.
In 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Force, where he trained to be a fighter pilot. He flew P-38s and P-51s in 69 missions out of Britain between February and October of 1944, including D-Day, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, and the Presidential Unit Citation. He loved flying and was proud of his wartime service, writing about it for his family and friends.
In November of 1944, he and Ruth were married, and after discharge he returned to the University of Illinois, graduating in 1947. He then began his career selling office supplies, ultimately building his own manufacturers’ representative business, The Wakeland Group, headquartered in Birmingham, Mich. After retirement, he and Ruth moved to Stuart where they remained until 2005, when they moved to Indian River Estates in Vero Beach.
He and Ruth had two daughters, Joanne Wakeland (Allen Russell) of Beaverton, Ore., and Connie McKee of Rochester Hills, Mich. He was devoted to his family and was loved deeply by his wife, daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a wide circle of brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews in both his and Ruth’s families.
The Wakeland’s loved to travel and to play golf. After moving to Florida, he took up lapidary art and made beautiful jewelry for family and friends. He was kind and generous. He loved a good joke, but never an unkind one. He was a founding member of the Mariner Sands Country Club and the Mariner Sands Chapel.
A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 21, in the chapel at Indian River Estates West, 7725 Indian Oaks Drive, Vero Beach. Inurnment will be private.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted in the care of Martin Funeral Home and Crematory, Stuart Chapel 961 S. Kanner Highway, Stuart, FL 34994. Online condolences can be made at WWW.Martin-Funeral.com.
Donations in loving memory of John may be made to VNA Hospice, Treasure Coast Office 1110 35th Lane Vero Beach, FL 32960. http://www.vnatc.com/foundation/donate-today or to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517 Topeka, Kansas 66675; https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org.
