Benefit for Ron Wheeler is June 4

Friends and family of Ron Wheeler want to help Ron and his family with financial expenses incurred from his recent diagnosis with Stage 4 Metastatic Hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer).

The Ron Wheeler Benefit will be from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, at the Geneseo Moose Lodge, 1025 South State St., Geneseo.

Pulled pork sandwiches and sides will be available for $5 per person.

The event will include a live auction, beginning at 4:30 p.m., with auction items ranging from two half hogs, processing included; water heater with installation donated by Wirth Plumbing-Heating-Cooling, Geneseo; four guns donated by Tom and Jane Reese of Geneseo, in addition to various items donated by community members.

In addition, raffle tickets are being sold for a Springfield Armory Hellcat OSP 9MM W/HEX WASP; and a Rock River Arms RRAGE 3G Rifle LAR-15M with a custom paint job by Jeremy Sides from Eclipse Gunworks. Tickets for the gun raffle are $20 each and a total of 400 tickets will be sold.

The silent auction winners and raffle ticket winners will be announced at the end of the benefit and on face book, with updates and details available at https://fb.me/e/1xtuB0lOi.

Monetary donations are appreciated and may be made to Ron Wheeler Benefit, c/o Central Bank Geneseo, 101 North State St. P.O. Box 89, Geneseo. IL 61254.

Family members and friends have planned the benefit fundraiser to support Ron Wheeler, and his wife Debbie, in the upcoming months.

His sister-in-law, Lynn Blaser, said although Ron is in the early stages of treatment options, it is expected that he will be traveling to and from frequent doctors’ appointments.

He has taken a leave of absence from his employment.

“The funds raised at the Benefit will help support travel expenses such as gasoline, lunches, and medical expenses and allow his wife Debbie to take off work and be by Ron’s side,” Blaser said.

Ron and Debbie Wheeler live in Geneseo, and they have a son and daughter-in-law, Ken and Violet Wheeler, and grandsons Austin and Tyler, who live in Orient, Iowa; a daughter and son-in-law, Alyssa and Brandon Salley of Bremerton, WA.

Blaser added, “If you know Ron, you know that he is typically the last person to ever ask for help, but the first to show up when someone else needs help. Ron has been very involved and committed with the Geneseo Moose Lodge, where he volunteers a lot of his time.”

For more information, contact Blaser at 309-781-8292, or Amy Blakley at 309-269-7042 or visit wheelerbenefit@gmail.com.