‘Exceptionally good, good people’

Have snowblower, will travel.

That could be Dan Wheldon’s motto, according to a number of his neighbors at Sandy Beach Mobile Villa in Liberty Lake.

“This time of the year Dan comes around with his snowblower and clears a pathway for me so that I can walk to my neighbor’s house,” said Bert Lindgren, 94. “He’s a wonderful guy.”

Not only does Wheldon remove snow from walkways, he provides taxi service to the airport when neighbors need it and then keeps an eye on their house while they are gone.

Wheldon, 74, is quick to point out, however, that other neighbors help out in other ways. “This is a great place to live,” he said.

“We are not a young bunch down here, and neither is he,” said Joan Matlack, “but he will help in any way he can and do it graciously.”

When Matlack moved into the age 55-plus community 10 years ago, she was surprised to discover Dan and his wife, Delores, were her neighbors. Wheldon and Matlack were former schoolmates at Opportunity Grade School and Central Valley High School.

“Joan was a year behind me,” Wheldon said. “We are old buddies and talk about the old times. She can remember a lot better than I can.”

After high school Wheldon spent 38 years working for Bell Telephone and then U.S. West Communications, presently known as Qwest. In 1991, soon after Wheldon retired as a manager, he and his wife bought their new home at Sandy Beach Mobile Villa.

Lindgren, one of the Northwest’s premier bowlers, moved in about the same time.

“Each year at Christmas,” said Lindgren, “Dan and Dee host a party for all the neighbors. It is wonderful because it gets people acquainted with each other.”

About 15 months ago Lindgren suffered a heart attack, took a nasty fall and ended up in St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute for five weeks. Although he has since returned to bowling, he has yet to recover full movement.

“It is good to have Dan around for the snow-shovel work,” said Lindgren. “Dan and Dee are exceptionally good, good people. We need more people like them.”

“What we do isn’t anything that outstanding,” Wheldon said. “Besides, we get paid sometimes you know, with lots of homemade cookies and brownies.”