James Wheetley

James Ray Wheetley move on peacefully May 9, 2025.
He was born Sept 2, 1945 to James and Irene Wheetley in Searcy, Arkansas and spent his younger years in Cabot, Arkansas surrounded by many aunts, uncles and cousins. At an early age the family moved to Niles, Michigan where he lived most of his life. His heart was always with his Arkansas roots. He enjoyed taking his motor home to Arkansas for the winters. July 17, 1965 he married Maxine Diane Herman and they had many adventures together. Two of which were their son James (Sabine) H Wheetley and daughter Sharon (Kurt) Krueger. More adventures followed with five grandchildren; Nicholas (Grace) Wheetley, Ryan (Emmeline) Krueger, Andrea (Matt) Spitzke, Patrick (Katie) Wheetley and Colin (Winter) Wheetley.
Jim had a lot of interests that he truly enjoyed but at the top of the list was his motorcycle. He rode anytime he could even in the winter. He had a childhood dream of learning to fly which he made come true first with an ultra light plane which was replaced soon after by a regular air plane. Being a smart and learned man he earned his pilots license quickly and made good use of this new freedom. He bought a sail boat and taught himself to sail, even into the wind. Jim met Jerry Wolfe, an elder at the Cherokee reservation in North Carolina. Jerry introduced him to the Native American flutes and gave him a little instruction for playing those flutes. Jim developed a passion for this new form of expression and communication and soon developed his own CD. He was known to make walking sticks with elaborate painting which he gave to many friends, family members, and just anyone who needed one to help them walk through life.
Jim was not a traditional religious person but was very spiritual in his every day life and believed in the creator and spoke to him often.
Jim was an unforgettable man and we will greatly miss his humor, wisdom and insight to life.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years Maxine, his son James (Sabine,aka Sissy), daughter Sharon (Kurt), grandchildren Nicholas (Grace), Ryan (Emmeline), Andrea (Matt), Patrick (Katie), and Colin (Winter). He loved his family very much and took great pride in them.
Please join us in celebrating James's remarkable life on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 10:00am EDT at the Galien American Legion, 402 N Main St, Galien, Michigan, 49113. In honor of James, we encourage all attendees to share their cherished memories and upload photos to his memorial page, allowing us all to remember and celebrate his extraordinary life.