How many lives can one person touch? Timothy J Wesselowski, who passed

away from complications due to COVID-19 on January 2, 2021 in McPherson,

Kansas, impacted hundreds if not thousands over the years.

He raised his children to work hard and pursue their dreams while being

guided by a strong moral compass. He leaves them behind to complete

their own journeys: his daughter Tonya and husband Greg; his son Nathan

and wife Amy; his son Blaine and wife Anja, his stepdaughter Barbara and

husband Wayne and his stepson Phil. He was a larger than life, loving

grandfather who loved and encouraged his grandchildren: Nicole, Renee,

Erin, Lorelei, Isaak, Lydia, Torrey, Trent, Vanessa and Mason to follow

their passions as he did. He also leaves behind two brothers: Walt

Wesselowski and Dan West and four great grandchildren. His family is

comforted to know that he will be re-uniting with his loving wife Jean

and his brother Tom who left this world before him.

He was born in Concordia in 1940 to Harold and Helen Wesselowski. Tim

was a Kansas native – a fact that he would embrace with immense pride

throughout his entire life. He grew up in Beloit and eventually

attended McPherson College where earned his bachelor’s degree, lettered

in both football and track and field, and set a school record in the

shot put. He believed wholeheartedly in the importance of developing an

intellectual foundation and would go on to earn a Master’s Degree in

Education at Wichita State University.

He then began his life’s work – pursuing a long career as a teacher and

coach at both the middle and high school levels where he shared his

energy, his excitement and his boundless passion for US History and

Civics, football and throwing events with the youth of Kansas.

Tim began teaching in Brewster, KS in 1962 where he taught high school

history while coaching football, basketball and track. He would then do

the same at Chase Rural High School and at Kingman Junior High. In 1970

he would join the staff of the school that would become his home,

McPherson High.

Throughout his career, he was never an educator who just went through

the motions. He was always looking for new ways to engage and connect

with students – adopting the use of computers and the Internet for the

classroom way before it was cool and recruiting technically inclined

students to unofficially serve on his own “geek squad” for technical

support. He absolutely loved when students would keep him on his toes

by challenging him with questions and ideas – he knew it made him a

better teacher. In both the classroom and on the field, he was no

pushover. He believed in hard work and maximum effort – but he also

believed that hard work could be made fun. His unique ability to blend

the roles of task master, cheer leader, instructor, mentor and friend

resulted in bonds with his students and athletes that transcended time.

A memorial for Tim will be held at an undetermined time in the future

once people can gather together without fear contracting the disease

that took his life.

In remembrance of Tim’s life, the family asks that any charitable

donations be made to First United Methodist Church of McPherson or

McPherson High School and that you please wear a mask In order protect

others like Tim.