Blaine Howard Wilhelm was born on August 12, 1923 to Willis and Helma Wilhelm in Big Bay, Michigan.  He had three sisters: Marion, Dorothy and Barbara, and he had five brothers: Bill, and 4 others who are deceased.

    Blaine was married twice and had seven children: Mary, Candy, Heidi, Beth, Larry, Stanley, and Blaine.  Their mother was Lorraine, who was married to Blaine when he died on the ship.  They lived in Moquah, Wisconsin.

    Blaine was in the navy for eleven years and was in the Philippines before being discharged as a fireman, first class.  He also served in WWII and Korean.  He then went into shipping.  Blaine worked for Oglebay Norton and was on the Lakes for nineteen years before going down with the Fitz.

    In his spare time, Blaine liked to hunt deer, fish, and play pool, and his siblings best memory of him was how he loved hunting and they remember that he was not home very much at all.  Blaine was 52 years old when he died on the Edmund Fitzgerald.  He has one surviving brother, and three surviving sisters.

Blaine Wilhelm 1923-1975

Oiler, S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald