Dorothy Wheeler

Dorothy Wheeler, 88, of Martin, SD, passed away at Hospice of the Hills in Rapid City, SD, on Tuesday February 17, 2105. Her death followed a lengthy illness. Dorothy was born December 19, 1926, near Griswold, Iowa, at the farm home of her parents; the eldest of six children of Frank and Vera (England) Ray. She attended elementary school at a country school near their home and graduated from high school in Griswold. She told about hard times during the war and how they had to make do. She was a learned seamstress and made herself a couple of suits out of cast off men's suits. She admits that she never knew how her folks got the money to send her to business school in Omaha, NE. There she excelled in typing, shorthand, and bookkeeping. She returned to Griswold and landed a job at a law firm there. It was at the boarding house where she stayed that she met a handsome young man that had come there after being discharged from the U.S. Navy. Burnell Wheeler was working in heavy equipment construction for his cousin. He had been stationed in the southern Pacific during combat. They were married in Council Bluff, IA, on September 22, 1947. Shortly after, they decided to go west. Burnell had roots in South Dakota and the only living member of his immediate family lived in the Harrington community. His brother, Leonard with his wife Eva and sons Harold and Donald ranched there and Eva was the Harrington school teacher. They moved to Vetal in May 1948, where Burnell was engaged in the road construction on U.S. Highway 18. Dorothy substituted at the school for Eva for a few weeks, thus getting acquainted with the first folks she met in South Dakota including the O'Neills, Byrds, Byrnes and Johnsons. Using his own trucks, Burnell worked on various road construction jobs near Gettysburg, Midland, and Mission. Dorothy said that there were times she got real homesick but the people in these areas were some of the nicest she had ever met. She had to toughen up and eventually came to appreciate this "forsaken" country. They moved to Martin in the spring of 1949 where Burnell operated a small service station, hauled freight and delivered mail. He later purchased a semi truck and trailer to start his trucking business that continued for the next forty plus years. Dorothy did all the bookkeeping for their own business and also some years for Martin Lumber and Coal. In her younger years, while raising a family, Dorothy enjoyed belonging to a bowling league and canasta club. She was a Cub Scout and 4-H leader for several years. Dorothy was a member of the Presbyterian Church, the American Legion Auxiliary and Rebecca Lodge. In later years she kept books for the Martin Laundromat and Bingo's Drive-In. She was nearly 80 and still doing a good job when her family had to convince her it was time to retire! To all who knew her, Dorothy was a quiet, little lady with a caring heart, gentle soul and a friendly smile. Up to the end she was still able to flash that smile and say something that proved she had not lost her sense of humor (when we least expected it). Son, Ron was her most dedicated caregiver possible 24/7. Survivors include three sons, Richard (Sherry) Wheeler and Ronald Wheeler of Martin and Larry (Diane) Wheeler of Tampa, FL; two daughters; Rose (Carl) Bauman of rural Kadoka and Terri Wheeler of Anaheim, CA, five grandchildren; Pam Brown, Jody (Brad) Stout, Joy (Phillip) Hetle, Casey (Sarah) Bauman, and Zachary Wheeler and ten great-grandchildren; three sisters, Cleo Steffen of Griswold, IA, Joan (Vernon) Lafrenz of Atlantic, IA, and Sharon (Ray) Curran of Prescott, AZ. Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband Burnell, her parents and two brothers.

Service:

Friday Feb. 20, 2015 10:30 AM

Lindsey Memorial Presbyterian Church Martin, SD



Visitation:

Thursday Jan. 19, 2015 7:00-8:00 PM

Bennett County Funeral Service Martin, SD