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Former Wheeling mayor, milkman dies at 92

When Wheeling Trustee Ken Brady moved to the village in the summer of 1967, the milkman first welcomed him to town.

It wasn't until several months later that Brady realized the same down-to-earth guy who delivered dairy was Wheeling's mayor.

"You meet him, he was just the most kind, gentle, just nonassuming man," Brady said.

Every other day, Ted Scanlon would make a special trip to Lake County to get goat's milk for Brady's daughter, who was allergic to the regular kind.

"He was just part of the ambience of living here," Brady said.

Friends and colleagues are remembering Scanlon as a likable leader who steered Wheeling from a quaint, small town to commercial and residential growth as the village's president from 1965 to 1977.

The 92-year-old died Wednesday.

He was one of the patriarchs in a family with more than 100 years of service to Wheeling, starting with Walter Scanlon, who served in the volunteer fire department in the early 1900s. And Scanlon's son, Dave, is a longtime employee of the village's public works department.

Scanlon also was a volunteer fireman and the village's police magistrate. He earned a reputation as a level-headed mayor, slow to anger.

"He had a wonderful way of talking with people and making them feel comfortable and important," said Trustee Bill Hein, who was appointed to the board by Scanlon.

Outside of village politics, the avid Cubs fan was president of the Northwest Municipal Conference and was a founding member of the St. Joseph the Worker Catholic parish in Wheeling. After his wife, Grace, died, the father of six children decided not to seek re-election and persuaded Hein to run instead.

"Ted was the kind of guy who put his family first," said Hein, who succeeded Scanlon as village president.

"Everything was his family and his village," added Brady. "I don't know if he even golfed or anything like that. He was totally devoted to his kids."

In 2004, village officials invited him for a ceremony for a newly restored pedestrian bridge. Scanlon was instrumental in bringing the bridge to Dundee Road for kids walking from Jack London Middle School.

Scanlon showed up in a suit, "like he was going to church," Village President Dean Argiris said.

"He was so proud that we thought of him," Argiris said. "You could just see the glistening in his eyes."

Scanlon closely followed the village board, giving Argiris a call whenever he thought they worked collaboratively.

"Keep positive and have a smile on your face and do the best you can," Argiris said. "To me that was Ted Scanlon."

A black and purple bunting has been placed at village hall in honor of Scanlon. Flags are flying at half-staff and Community Boulevard has been temporarily renamed "Honorary Ted C. Scanlon Drive."

"He was like the grandfather for all of us, one of the founding fathers that you respected," Argiris said.

Visitation will be 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Kolssak Funeral Home, 189 S. Milwaukee Ave., in Wheeling. Services are set for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Saint Joseph The Worker Catholic Church, 181 W. Dundee Road, in Wheeling. Instead of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society at Cancer.org.

  Ted Scanlon, left, jokes former Wheeling Village President Greg Klatecki, center, and Arlen Gould, vice president of Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 school board at the reopening of a Dundee Road bridge in 2004. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com, August 2004
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