John Drummond Wheeler

Known as “Drum” to many, he was born June 5, 1932 in Oklahoma City to Farris N. and Neva May Wheeler. He was the third of five children with two older sisters and two younger brothers. In 1945, when he was 13, the family relocated to Los Alamos, New Mexico as part of what would later be known as the Manhattan Project. He spent his youth exploring the New Mexico countryside, playing hockey in the winter, selling newspapers at the Project’s main security gate, and playing trombone in a dance band called “The Syncopators”. John graduated from Los Alamos High School in 1950 and went to work as an electrical apprentice. He was initiated into the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (I.B.E.W.) just before leaving to attend Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater in Sept. 1950.

In the midst of the Korean War, he enlisted in the US Navy in 1952. After boot camp in San Diego and 36 weeks of Electronics School at Treasure Island in San Francisco, John served on the USS Otterstetter DER-244 at Newport, Rhode Island beginning in February 1953. She was a Destroyer Escort converted to a Radar Picket Ship. In September 1954, he was transferred to the USS Knapp DD-653.

After the Navy, with help from the GI Bill, John attended the University of Oklahoma to study Electrical Engineering. It was in Norman he met the love of his life, Carol Joann Rutz. In John’s own words, “One day I saw a notice on the bulletin board in the dorm inviting us to a dance at the nurse’s dorm at Central State Hospital on the East side of Norman. I asked some of the other guys if they wanted to go, but they were all too busy, so I just went by myself. There I saw this pretty dark headed girl who was tall and slim and I asked her to dance. Neither one of us knew how to dance very well, but we danced in the room for a while, then went outside on the patio and danced some more. She said her name was Carol Rutz and she was from Canton. I had never heard of Canton, but she explained about where it is. I asked her to go to a movie with me and that was the start of something still going strong.” Carol and John were married June 22, 1958.

John worked as an electrician for 74 years. He was a long time member of I.B.E.W Local 1141 in Oklahoma City. He had an incredible work ethic and never did anything halfway. John loved photography, producing slideshows for family entertainment, and considered every family gathering an opportunity for a group photo. He was an avid music lover. One of his favorite stories was reminiscing about playing his trombone in the 1950 Cotton Bowl with the Oklahoma A&M band. He was always up for an adventure and loved family road trips to the mountains. In his retirement, he was a member of the OU New Horizons Band for 10 years.

John's love of the Lord and his family was deeply evident. His long life was a blessing to the entire family. He was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Norman. He truly had a servant's heart and was always stepping up to meet any needs he identified.

John is survived by his wife of almost 66 years, Carol, and their four children: Donna (John) Reynolds, Matt (Christy) Wheeler, Paula (Dennis) Swing all of Norman, and Anna (Chuck) Horner of Bella Vista, Arkansas, along with his 10 grandchildren (Jacob, Graycen, Luke, Abby, Rachel Ann, Rachel Marie, Johnny, Carson, Sophia and Charles) and 4 great grandchildren (Sam, Emerson, Avonlea, and Amelia).

He was preceded in death by his parents, Farris N. Wheeler and Neva (Porterfield) Wheeler; sisters, Neva Lou Pollack and Maribel Baker; and brothers, Robert Wheeler and David Wheeler.

A funeral service for John will be held Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1777 E Robinson St, Norman, OK 73071. Following the funeral service will be a committal service at 1:00 PM at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery, 2301 E Indian Hills Rd, Norman, OK 73071.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in John's memory may be made to Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief, ATTN: Disaster Relief, 3800 N. May Ave., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73112 US, https://www.okdisasterhelp.org/donate/.