In Memory of My Friend Caleb Roy Wheeler

By: Travis Naughton

The news reports said that a 24-year-old Columbia man was killed in a single car accident on Rock Quarry Road last week. While technically true, those news briefs failed to tell the real story about my young friend, Caleb Wheeler. When my dear friends Buffy and Roy Lynn asked me to conduct the funeral service for their youngest son, I did not hesitate to say yes, despite having no idea how I would be able to properly honor Caleb while fighting to keep my composure during the service. I knew that as hard as it would be for me to hold it together, the emotional toll on Caleb’s parents would be much, much greater. Being there for them in their hour of need was the honor of my lifetime. The following are excerpts from the remarks I made at Caleb’s funeral. May these words bring comfort to those who knew Caleb and to others who have faced the loss of a loved-one taken too soon.

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