McHenry County Board member passes away at age 63

MCHENRY COUNTY – The announcement came Thursday, November 12, that McHenry County Board member, Charles “Chuck” Wheeler had died overnight. His death was confirmed via a Facebook post made by Wheeler’s stepdaughter, Ashley Muller, and his wife, Susan.

The post read, “To all who know and love Chuck Wheeler-with great sadness, we have to announce the loss of our beloved husband and stepfather Chuck. Chuck passed away in his sleep last night and will be missed dearly.”

Though Susan followed up shortly stating that funeral arrangements are in the works, she has not made any further updates.

While the cause of Wheeler’s death has yet to be confirmed publicly, retired Republican state representative and former McHenry County Treasurer, Cal Skinner, mentions in his blog, McHenry County Blog, that Wheeler reportedly died of Covid related complications.

“Wheeler had diabetes, one of the comorbidities common to the viral infection,” Skinner wrote.

According to other news outlets, Wheeler was the first Black man to serve on the board while also maintaining his membership in the McHenry County Chamber of Commerce and owning his own health insurance agency.

Wheeler was known as a lifelong Republican with strong conservative values having been first elected to the McHenry County Board in 2014 soon after becoming GOP Vice Chairman and the 14th District Deputy State Central Committeeman.

Wheeler was cited as being quite outspoken about his views towards Democratic opponents including being critical of McHenry County Board Chairman, Jack Franks, calling for his resignation due to allegations of sexual assault surrounding him.

Wheeler had stated at the time, “It is unacceptable that we allow this type of individual to roam freely in our mist. We have employees who expect security and safety in their work environment. I have been told that fear is running throughout our County.”

According to Skinner, “This year, Wheeler was elected to serve as a Delegate for Donald Trump at the National Convention, but did not attend because of the limited number allowed to be in the hall.”

Wheeler was also made a Senior Advisor for the newly formed Illinois Black Republican Coalition (ILBRC), whose efforts include recruiting candidates to run for public office in areas of Illinois that are primarily Democratic dominant in hopes of reaching out to members of the Black community by appealing to conservative values.

Allen Skillicorn, a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, also weighed in on the passing of Wheeler. Commenting, “[It’s] very sad news. I spoke with Chuck about five weeks ago and he was still on fire for America! He will be missed. Please pray for his wife and family.”

Wheeler’s term was expected to end December of 2022.