Eldridge A. Wheeler, 96, of Vero Beach, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on March 5, 2016, at the Gardens of Port Saint Lucie.
He is survived by his son Gerald Wheeler of Covina, Calif.; his daughter Janet Mills (Reggie Mills) of Fort Mill, S.C.; his son Mark Wheeler of Bridgeport, Conn.; and his daughter Lynn Nesmith (Bobby Nesmith) of Bridgeport, Conn. He is also survived by his six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren: Shonda Ponder (Richard Ponder) of Fayetteville, Ga., and their children, Jalyn, Nylaj, Tiana and Alana; Simone Robertson of Las Vegas, Nev., and her children Jacquelynn and Darcel; Linette Jones of Middletown, Conn., and her children Lyneisha and Jekiya; Mareril Campfield of Miami; Demeika Wheeler of Bridgeport, Conn., and her son Isaiah; Rhondalyn Ware of Memphis, Tenn., and her children Ashley and Jeremy; Keenya Wheeler of Cleveland, Ohio and her children Ranee and Jahari; his four step-children Adrian Tomlin, Beverly Baker Brown, Julius Baker Jr. and William Baker; and his brothers and sisters-in-law Ronald Hudson, Eddie Hudson, Harry Hudson, Nicey Williams, Doris Wright and Emma Hudson.
He was predeceased by his wife Beronzy Wheeler, his son Eldridge Wheeler III and his daughter Jacqueline Robertson. His acts of support and service and his love of family and friends will be remembered by all.
Wheeler was born in Memphis, Tenn., on Aug. 6, 1919. After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School, he enlisted and served seven years in the U.S. Navy, during which time he was stationed on the USS Yorktown, crisscrossing the country, and travelling to distant parts of The Pacific.
In June of 1944, with an honorable discharge, he returned to Memphis. In April of 1946 he married Odessa Perkins in Baltimore, Md., and subsequently moved to Bridgeport, Conn. While working as a machinist and a part-time chauffeur, Wheeler obtained an Associate’s Degree from Bullard Technical School.
After 40 years working as a jet engine mechanic at Avco Lycoming he retired to Vero Beach where he met and married Beronzy Hudson in 1993. He was a real salt of the earth, hardworking man who believed, “you earned your keep by the sweat on your brow,” and would often say, “If you make a quarter you should save a dime.”
He worked as a grove manager for The Walker Family for more than 30 years. He was a devout Episcopalian. In Bridgeport he and the family actively attended service at St. Mark’s Episcopal. For many, many years after moving to Vero Beach he served as Lector and Lay Eucharistic Minister at Trinity Episcopal, then St. Augustine’s of Canterbury Episcopal Church.
Wheeler was an excellent mechanic. He could build and take apart an engine with ease. He also was an excellent cook. He was an avid baseball fan, and loved the New York Yankees. He could quote the stats of all the players. He and his son-in-law Bobby could talk baseball for hours. He loved movies and music. Comedies were his favorite because he loved a good laugh. He also enjoyed a wide variety of music; Show Tunes (The Kind & I, Annie Get Your Gun), Motown, Classical, even Country. He loved to travel. During his life he had the good fortune to travel the globe, to learn about and appreciate different cultures. He said he had seen it all after his trek to the Holy Land in Jerusalem.
Visitation hours will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, at Strunk Funeral Home, 916 17th Street in Vero Beach.
The Memorial Service will be at St. Augustine’s of Canterbury, 475 43rd Avenue in Vero Beach, at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 11, followed by internment in South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made In Memory of Eldridge Wheeler to the Treasure Coast Hospice, 1201 SE Indian Street, Stuart, FL 34997.
