Michael Warren Wheeler passed away peacefully at home after a brave 5-year battle with Gallbladder cancer. Mike was born to Ethel Goldie Holland and Warren Amos Wheeler in Alice, TX.
“Mike” as he was affectionately known, grew up in the small town of Donna, TX just minutes from the US/Mexico border.
Mike grew up as the apple of his mother’s eye. He was raised on a small ranch and embraced farm life, taking care of animals daily. Throughout his teenage years, Mike became involved in and excelled in 4-H and also in his high school band, playing the tenor saxophone. Mike participated in many local and county fairs, showing prize pigs, lambs, chickens, and goats. Mike had a many beloved horses, including Babe and Babe Sis.
After graduating from Donna high school, Mike attended Pan-American College in the neighboring town of Edinberg, TX and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, becoming the first member of his family to graduate college. After college, Mike moved up to the big city of Houston, TX and got his first career job with Dresser Industries (now owned by Halliburton) as a Credit Manager. Mike nobly served his country after being drafted in September of 1970 and spent a very brief time in active duty before finishing out his service in the Army Reserve and achieving the rank of Specialist, SP4/E-4 and a National Defense Service Medal as an Expert Rifleman.
Fate and the Lord Almighty intervened in Mike’s life in 1971 when some friends set up Mike on a blind date with a young woman named Alice, from neighboring McAllen, TX. The two struck it off on that first date and soon were engaged and later married in December of 1973. It was thru Alice and her Polish Catholic parents, that Mike experienced and converted to the Catholic faith. Alice was the love of Mike’s life for over 50 years of marriage, celebrating their 50 th wedding anniversary last December.
Mike and Alice had three children; Andy in 1977, Chris in 1979 and Katie in 1983. In 1980, Mike was transferred from Houston, TX up to Oklahoma City with Dresser, shortly before changing jobs for the first and last time in his career. In 1981, Mike went to work for oil industry competitor, Schlumberger, working as a credit manager for them for over 35 years before retiring in January 2016.
Mike was incredibly involved and devoted over the years to both the grade school and the parish of St. Charles Borromeo. Since finding the welcoming and loving community of St. Charles in the very early 1980’s, Mike showed many fun and zany sides of himself. It was through spearheading the annual magazine subscription sales fundraiser for many years that Mike soon found his new alter- ego; “Mr. Weepul,” entertaining the kids and motivating them with prizes and skits. Mike showed his own kids that it was ok to act silly by performing occasionally in the SCB Talent Show. Following a Parish Stewardship Drive one year, Mike started sharing his gift of floral handiwork with the parish by creating the flower arrangements each week for Mass and especially for Christmas and Easter seasons. Not long after discovering and developing this talent, Mike learned that he could handle floral duties for weddings of all sizes. Over the years, Mike loved spreading joy with his “Floral Creations” for friends, fellow parishioners and even for his own children’s weddings.
Mike was also involved in the Knights of Columbus council, Mobile Meals, Parish Council, the annual Halloween carnival, as well as always bringing furniture, filing cabinets or bookshelves or anything else Schlumberger was updating and getting rid of that the school could use, up to SCB. Mike also loved supporting Alice and her hundreds of 3 rd grade students over the years, at both Christ the King and St. Charles, as well as the other public schools that Alice went on to teach at. Mike made many, many wonderful friends over the years at St. Charles, forming many lasting and meaningful relationships that continued until his very final days. Mike’s example of service to the church showed his children the importance of being and staying involved in parish life and serving others.
Mike was a devoted Father to Andy, Chris and Katie. He and Alice attended as many soccer, T- ball, Basketball & Baseball games, cub scout pinewood derbies, and jazz & tap dance recitals as they could. Mike would often be “that parent” that would lead cheers for his kid’s sports teams at the end of every game, win or lose. Mike loved to vacation and enjoyed taking his family each year to either Estes Park, CO or down to South Padre Island, TX. Once the kids were off to college, Mike continued to be a supportive father by attending Texas A&M Aggie football games to watch Andy march in the band, driving up to Chris’s fraternity events at OSU and helping Katie decorate her college apartments in Norman. Later in life, Mike went from “Dad” to “Papa” as he and Alice were soon blessed with grandchildren. Mike loved being around, playing with and of course spoiling his eight grandkids. Mike enjoyed showing them how much he loved them and again, that it’s ok to act silly.
Mike is survived by his best friend and loving, loyal wife of 50 years, Alice; his daughter Katie Hoefling and her husband Ben Hoefling, of Yukon, OK; son Andy Wheeler and his wife Dr. Nicole Giguere, of Weare, NH; son Chris Wheeler and his wife Shannon Wheeler, of Owasso, OK; grandchildren Bailey Hoefling, Maddie Hoefling, Paige Wheeler, Silas Wheeler, Dylan Wheeler, Eli Wheeler, Gabriel Wheeler and Thea Wheeler; sister-in-law Angela Smith and husband Dan; brother- in-law John Kuhn and wife Christine; nieces Samantha Shapiro and Cassidy Smith, and nephews August Kuhn, Roman Kuhn, and Marcus Kuhn. Mike is further survived by extended family members Howard Coulter, Patsy Andres, Becky Brown, Melissa Sizemore, and Diane Tray.
A Wake Service will be held on Sunday November 17 th , 2024 at 6pm at Buchanan Funeral Service at 8712 N. Council Rd. in Oklahoma City. A Funeral Mass will be held on Monday November
18 th at 11am at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church at 5024 N. Grove Ave. in Oklahoma City, with Fr. Rick Stansberry officiating. Mike’s final resting place will be at Resurrection Cemetery on NW Expressway. Mike loved flowers, so in lieu of flowers, please send more flowers! Prior to his passing, Mike had requested that those attending his funeral please consider wearing colors instead of black, as he wanted his funeral to be a celebration of his life.
