John W Wheeler

John W. Wheeler, 88, passed away on September 5th, in Ocala, Florida. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Margaret (nee Montgomery) of Ocala, two sons, Mark and his wife Kathy of Virginia Beach, VA, Craig and his wife Liz of Ocala, and five grandchildren: Dylan and his wife Stephanie, Emory, Blake, Erin and Nicholas. He was predeceased by his parents Sydney and Mae (nee Holden), and sisters Nancy Newton of Royalston, and Martha Heilmann. As a child John enjoyed summer visits to Royalston, where with his family he picnicked and swam in the brook by the bridge on the old road. He was a descendant of the Nichols, Wilder and Holden families of Royalston. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps as an eighteen- year -old, eventually joining the Flying Tigers 74th Fighter Squadron, 23rd group, in Kweilin, China, under General Claire Chennault. Between 1942- 1945 John flew P40’s and P51’s and was shot down twice by ground fire. He attained the rank of 1st Lieutenant and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air medal, and the Purple Heart for his efforts.  After serving in WWII John returned to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where in 1948 he received a degree in mechanical engineering. John was a fifty-two year resident of Barrington, RI, and was the former owner of Narragansett Concrete Company and John Wheeler Yachts. He was an avid sailor and waterman and owned and built classic wooden boats. Three years ago while in failing health, John and Margaret moved to Ocala, FL, where he lived the remainder of his life with his son and family. A graveside service with Military Honors will be held at Lawrence Brook Cemetery in Royalston, on Saturday, September 15th, at 2:00 P.M.  In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, www.bgca.org. Higgins-O’Connor Funeral Home, 146 Main Street, Athol, MA is directing local arrangements. For further information or to share a memory with the family go to:www.higginsoconnorfuneralhome.com    . $(document).ready(function(){ });