Herman Jack Wheeler

We are deeply saddened to share the news of our father's passing only a few short months after our mother. Herman Jack Wheeler, Jr. joined his wife, Yvonne, in the glories of heaven on February 19, 2024, in Jacksonville, Florida. His absence is a profound loss, but Jack would be the first to tell you that he was ready to see Jesus. When he committed his life to Christ, he told everyone he met that Jesus loved them. He even had business cards printed that he passed out, inviting others to join him at church. Jack loved going to church and faithfully attended New Life Baptist until a serious fall left him bedridden the last month of his life.
Jack was born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 22, 1934, to Herman and Thelma Wheeler. He was the oldest of their two sons, and enjoyed many memorable adventures with his brother Cecil, like bike surfing behind the mail truck, "borrowing" watermelon from the neighbor's garden, and playing competitive sports, especially football and basketball. As the brothers grew older, they enjoyed spending time together fishing at Clark Hill, golfing at the cheapest courses they could find, and debating over whether the Bulldogs or Gators would win the annual Florida-Georgia game.
In 1953, Jack graduated from Roosevelt High School in Atlanta, where he met his future wife, Yvonne Barger. They didn't date during high school, but met again three years later on a double date and decided their next date would be with each other. Jack was being deployed to Atsugi, Japan and said he didn't want to risk losing Yvonne, so they married after dating only a few weeks. They were together more than 67 years and raised four children who dearly loved them. Jack served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years as an aviation electrician and instructor. His career took him around the globe and out to sea, with time spent on the flight decks of several naval aircraft carriers. Post-retirement, Jack pursued a variety of ventures including owning a local convenience store, Smilin' Jack's Holiday Village Grocery, building a successful Amway business, and managing a home repair and construction business.
Jack was an outgoing, cheerful person who made friends everywhere he went. One such friendship resulted in getting his picture added to the wall at Mission BBQ - which he liked to stop by and see whenever the family went for dinner. His favorite greeting was "I love you and Jesus loves you," which he said to friends and strangers alike. Another favorite phrase was "Let's go," because he was always up for a drive around town, a trip to the store, or dinner out, especially for crab legs. He relished the journey and knew all the backroads to get anywhere in the Southeast.
Jack enjoyed spending time with his children, teaching them to read using the Sunday comics, watching Saturday morning cartoons, and playing neighborhood-wide ball games in the front yard. As adults, he enjoyed time with them even more and often expressed his love and pride in them. Jack, or Leroy as he is known by some of his grandchildren, was also a devoted grandfather who loved being with his grandkids, taking them fishing and golfing, attending their high school games and special events, and inviting them over for his home-cooked country breakfasts whenever the opportunity arose.
Jack is survived by his four children Miriam O'Hagan (Tommy), Marcy Dell (Gene), Jackie McCurdy (Steve), and Michael Wheeler (Rebeccah); grandchildren Patrick McCool (Holley), Nicholas Novelly (Leah), Jerrad Novelly (Allison), Cory Gray (Hunter), Kayla Dell, Matthew McCurdy (Sara), Daniel and Alison McCurdy, and William and Andrew Wheeler; great grandchildren Connor and Nolan McCool, Addyson, Bristol and Cannon Novelly, Walker McCurdy and Collins Gray; and his younger brother, Cecil Wheeler (Sherry). He was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth Yvonne Barger Wheeler, and his parents, Herman Jack Wheeler, Sr. and Thelma Annette Langford Wheeler.
Memorial services will be held at the Jacksonville National Cemetery on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 10:30am. Guests should pull into Procession Lane 1 and arrive by 10:15am to be escorted to the pavilion.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to a ministry that supports disaster relief, like Samaritan's Purse at www.samaritanspurse.org , or a charity that supports our military, like the Wounded Warrior Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org .