Habibullah, our beloved grandfather, was born in a small village in Bangladesh. Growing up in Noakhali, he experienced life in poverty, with little money and food. However, with his dedication to schoolwork, motivation for a better life, and strong work ethics- he overcame those hardships and became an accomplished businessman.

Although he spent much of his life in Dhaka, he did not forget his humble root- devoting much of his efforts to philanthropy. He believed that a way out of poverty was through a good education- building schools in villages and assisting hundreds of village children, many of whom later became doctors, businessmen, and engineers.

One of the many legacies left behind by our beloved grandpa is the Dhaka City Hospital (https://www.cityhospitalbd.com/), which he helped establish. The hospital holds one of the largest burn units in the country, dedicated to helping women who were victims of acid-burn domestic abuse. It was also one of the first hospitals in Dhaka that worked with outside NGOs such as Operation Smile to provide free services to the poor.

Our grandpa was buried yesterday in the village- a place that was always his home- as his final wish. He was greeted by thousands of villagers paying homage to a man who used his successes to lift others out of poverty.

As our grandfather, he never missed a chance to express how proud he was of us. He always made us feel special and loved; our happiness was his biggest concern.

With his sudden passing, there is a void in our hearts. We hope to fill it with fond memories of him so please post any stories/photos/videos that you have of/with him. Thank you.

William Emmanuel Wheeler was born in 1938 on Christmas Day to Mary Wheeler and Rubin Billie, Sr. in Sumpter, South Carolina where he was raised and educated in the public school system.

In 1957 William enlisted in the United States Army and received his basic training with Company D, Third Battalion, First Training Regiment at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.

After his honorable discharge, William moved to New York in 1960. He later relocated to Connectcut in the 1990s where he worked at a Chrysler Auto Dealership as a mechanic. Later he went to work for Pitney Bowes for 20 years. In 2012 Deacon Wheeler relocated to Maryland where he lived for the remainder of his life.

William married Mary Alice Owens on January 27, 1963. He had nine children: Cynthia, Angela, Jenean, Sean, Kyle, Randy, Tony, William Jr. and Russell.

In his later years, William enjoyed watching old westerns and sitcoms like The Jefferson, taking long drives to relax, chauffeuring others and fixing cars.

Deacon William Wheeler was a member of the Church of the Living God in Port Chester , New York for over 30 years. He was an ordained Deacon and also served as the church van driver.

On November 13, 2015 William departed this life leaving behind many memories which will be cherished by his wife Mary Alice Wheeler; Children: Cynthia Acevedo (George), Angela Wheeler, Jenean Owens-Epps (Ricky), Sean Alford (Tasha), Kyle Wheeler, Randy Owens, Tony Alford (Tanya), William Wheeler, Jr. (Darlene), and Russell Alford; 32 Grandchildren, 18 Great Grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. Brothers: Rubin Billie Jr. (Thelma), O'Neil Billie, Isaac Billie, Joseph Billie, Moise Billie (Dorothy), Hercules Billie and Esau Billie (Sarah); Sisters: Rosa Lee Wells, Joanne James (Derek), and Betty Billie-Coard (James), and a host of other relatives and friends

Hajiya Bilkisu is a political scientist by training and a journalist by profession. She studied Political Science at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA. She studied for Advanced Diploma in Journalism and International Relations at the Moscow Institute of Journalism.

She was Editor of the Sunday Triumph Kano, Editor of New Nigerian Newspaper Kaduna and Editor of Citizen Magazine Kaduna. She belongs to several non-governmental organisations. She was a founding member and first Kano state Coordinator of Women in Nigeria, WIN. A founding member and immediate past President of Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN). She is also a founding member and Chairperson, Board of Trustees of ABANTU for Development, an African gender focused organisation. She has eleven chapters in published books on women, Islam, media and health.

Wesley Marie Tackitt, of Leesburg, VA, formerly of Long Beach, CA died 14th November at Meadow Glen Assisted Living facility just days after her 89th birthday.

Wesley Marie was born in Clinton, Oklahoma on November 4, 1926 to Ruth Kent nee Baughman and John Wesley Tackitt. The Great Depression forced her family to move to Southern California in 1937. She graduated from Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, California in 1944; received a B.A. in Speech Arts from UC Santa Barbara in 1949; and a special secondary credential in Speech Therapy in 1954. She caught the acting bug, performing on stage, on radio, and in puppet theater throughout her high school and college years.

She worked as a newspaper reporter, speech therapist, actress, and landlord. She served the Santa Barbara News-Press as a reporter and Woman’s Clubs Editor. She provided speech therapy in elementary schools in Merced County, Santa Cruz County, and New York City. Her acting credits include the movie "The Wild and the Innocent," with Audie Murphy and Sandra Dee and playing Margie’s mother in the TV series "Margie." She replaced Lotte Lenya in the lead role of Jenny in "Threepenny Opera" off-Broadway in New York. Some of her fondest memories were doing summer stock with the Stumptown Players in Guerneville, CA in 1953 and 1954. Many of the troupe members remained her close friends to the ends of their days.

She was married to Mark Brunner from 1960 to 1974, with whom she had her only child. Wesley moved often, living in Los Angeles, CA; Los Alamitos, CA; Long Beach, CA; Santa Barbara, CA; San Francisco, CA; Stockton, CA; Merced, CA; Santa Cruz, CA; Phoenix, AZ; New York City, and at the end of her life Northern Virginia to be near her daughter.

She loved to cook and entertain, and was famous for her parties, particularly in Belvedere where they spilled over the large deck that jutted out into the San Francisco Bay. She enjoyed listening to opera, and travelling, including three trips to Europe. She was a lifelong animal lover, particularly her beloved Siamese cat, Pooka.

She died peacefully in her sleep of gastrointestinal cancer. She is survived by her daughter, Francesca Brunner-Kennedy of Chantilly, VA, granddaughter, Amanda Kennedy of Fairfax, VA, and brother, John Tackitt of Paradise, CA.

According to her wishes, her ashes will be scattered over the Pacific Ocean. There will be no memorial service. In lieu of gifts, please donate to one of her favorite charities:

Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E: 1-800-333-4499 www.edgarcayce.org
The Salvation Army: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769) www.salvationarmyusa.org

This message is in memory of my loving mother Dionne Louise Hickland. She was born February 24th 1965 and passed away on November 23rd, 2015. She was 59 years old. She was a wife, mother of 2 and worked in customer service for over 20 years. She always found a way to make others smile and always had an open ear to listen to her son's ideas. She always talked to people and always had a kind word to say to others. She always made her daughter laugh with her quirky antics. She was my best friend and always be. She will be in my heart and memories, I will love you Dionne. Save a place for us in Heaven.