World War II Veteran Lyman Wheeler, 94, died on May 23rd surrounded by his loving family. Lyman was born to Mary and Lyman Wheeler and lived in Staten Island until moving to Colts Neck in 1996, after the death of his wife. Lyman served in the 3rd Army under the command of General George Patton. He was drafted after the Pearl Harbor attack. He spent 18 months being trained as a light artillery mechanic in schools in the states before sailing to England in a convoy of military ship so large that, 'all one could see in all directions was ships.' He was billeted with a family in Tarpley, England awaiting the D-Day invasion. He crossed the English Channel and landed in a Landing Craft Infantry in Normandy in July of 1944. His first assignment was dismantling German beach obstacles and reusing the materials to create hedgerow cutters that they attached to tanks. While doing this he witnessed over 1000 allied planes flying overhead as part of the bombing campaign against St Lo. His company crossed France and entered Luxemburg and was there for the Battle of the Bulge. Then they entered Germany and he was in Nuremburg when the war in Europe ended. He sailed home and arrived in Boston, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day of 1945. He was hired, by the New York City Transit Authority, as a bus driver in 1947. He was promoted to supervisor and then to senior supervisor. His last assignment before retiring was making schedules for the buses in Staten Island. He worked for the Transit Authority for 37 years and retired in 1984. In 1950, Lyman married Elizabeth (Betty) Mauritzen. They were married for 46 years when she died in 1996. Surviving Mr. Wheeler are his daughters, Elizabeth Wheeler of East Setauket, New York and Barbara Medamana and her husband John of Colts Neck, New Jersey and one grandson John Lyman Medamana. Visitation will be held Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9PM at the Holmdel Funeral Home 26 South Holmdel Road, Holmdel. A funeral service will be offered in the funeral home on Wednesday at 10:00AM. Interment will be in Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island.