Jerome Wheeler, Sr.

Jerome C. (Jerry) Wheeler Sr. was born in Washington, DC on February 22, 1956 and at six weeks old he was chosen to expand the family of James Bernard & Sadie Mae Clarke Wheeler.  At five years old, he welcomed his sister Bunni Marie to the family.

Jerry attended St. Gabriel Catholic School from kindergarten thru grade 8 where he made his first communion, was confirmed and served as an altar boy. He excelled academically throughout school and earned honors in all subject areas.  He was an avid member of St. Gabriel’s Cub Scout and Boy Scout troop where his dad served as an assistant Scout Leader. He loved to attend the jamborees with his dad and other scouts at Goshen, Virginia.  Jerry’s secondary schooling was at Archbishop John Carroll High School, where he developed his musical talent as a trumpeter. He traveled internationally with the school’s orchestra and band.

As high school graduation approached, Jerry decided to pursue his passion of airplanes and aerospace. After a competitive testing & placement process, in 1972 he was admitted to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.  While he loved studying aeronautics, homesickness led him to return home to Maryland.  Jerry eventually joined the US Postal Service where he served for over 30 years, retiring in 2019.

Jerry never lost his passion for “anything air.” Whenever there was a local airshow, you would find him there, with Jerry Jr. and Jennifer in tow.  He would return every day of the multi-day events – always there with his eyes to the skies. Transportation was his love. He loved tinkering with model trains from the first set he built with his father, to the vintage Mustang he enjoyed repairing in his later years.

Always a big kid at heart, Jerry loved amusement parks and fast rides. Even in his sixties, he’d head straight for the roller coaster.  He amassed an extensive Star Wars memorabilia collection.  He was a Trekkie who enjoyed delving into intergalactic, beyond-this-world existence. A quiet soul with a vivid imagination, he truly was a science and sci-fi geek.

The Washington Redskins had in Jerry a diehard, take-no-prisoners fan from childhood. He and his dad would be glued to the television for every game, determined to catch every minute of play time. He passed that Redskins fever to his own family; they frequently attended games at FedEx Field together.

In 2007 Jerry’s wife Marion Agnes Mills Wheeler made her transition to spirit. Some years later he had the good fortune to reconnect with his high school sweetheart, Lisa Washington, and their connection remained until the end.

He leaves to mourn his passing son Jerome Clarke Wheeler, Jr.; daughter Jennifer Michele Wheeler; a sister Bunni Young and brother-in-law Randy; his mate Lisa Washington; and a host of cousins and loving relatives.

We remain stunned at the suddenness of his illness and his quick passing. It seems he was taken from us at “warp speed”, a Trekkie reference that Jerry would appreciate.

We can best celebrate him with one of his favorite quotes:

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return,” by Leonardo da Vinci.