Obituary of Gary Eldridge Wheeler

Funeral Services for Gary Eldridge Wheeler of Old Monroe, MO will be at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 28, 2023 at First Baptist Church Winfield near Winfield, MO. Bro. Fielding Poe, church pastor, and Rev. Mike Ryan, pastor of Horseshoe Bend Baptist Church in Lake Ozark, MO, will officiate with burial in New Salem Cemetery near Winfield. Gary, 82, passed away early Wednesday morning, September 20, 2023 at his home near Winfield. Born January 17, 1941 in St. Louis, MO, he was the son of Dalton Eldridge and Frances Elaine Jung Wheeler. Gary was a graduate of Pattonville High School. He was united in marriage on June 18, 1960 in Bridgeton, MO to Clarinda Ann Birkhead. This union was blessed with three children: Janie, Mark and Donna. Gary worked as a Building Inspector for the cities of Olivette, St. Charles and Hazelwood. He also owned a lawn mowing business. Active in the Winfield community, Gary served on the New Salem Cemetery Board and as Deacon at First Baptist Church Winfield. He and Clarinda loved to travel and camp. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dalton and Frances Wheeler; one brother, Jim Wheeler; and one sister, Karen Carothers. Survivors include his beloved wife of 63 years, Clarinda Wheeler of Winfield; their children: Janie Staley and her husband, Matthew, of Old Monroe, Mark Wheeler and his wife, Shelia, of St. Paul, MO, and Donna Earl of Old Monroe; twenty-two grandchildren; eighteen great-grandchildren with two more on the way! Gary also leaves one brother, Lynn Wheeler and his wife, Shirley, of Fort Meyers, FL; one sister-in-law, Jabet Wheeler of Fort Meyers; several nieces, other relatives and friends. Visitation will be held from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 at First Baptist Church Winfield. Memorials may be made to BCI (Boone Center Inc., a Sheltered Workshop) in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home, 3838 East Highway 47, P.O. Box 253, Winfield, MO 63389.