Joseph Wheeler
CORRECTION: An earlier version misspelled the name of Jodie Langston.
COLUMBIA — Joseph Wheeler always had time for his friends and family, as well as the 2-year-old black Lab, Bo, he trained as a puppy.
Mr. Wheeler, of Columbia, died Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011, of cardiac arrest. He was 19.
He was born July 8, 1992, to Lyle and Jeanne (Townsend) Wheeler.
After he graduated from Hickman High School in May, Mr. Wheeler was ready to start classes at Moberly Area Community College this fall.
He worked for his family’s lawn-mowing business. He was well-liked by adults and always made a positive impression on his teachers, his father said.
Mr. Wheeler developed a love for sports when he began to play in the Daniel Boone Little League, his father said. When he was 12, he made the all-star team. Lyle Wheeler said Joseph would play “anywhere they’d put him.”
Whether it was for deer, pheasant or turkey, Joseph loved to hunt, and in his spare time he enjoyed target practice, his father said. The family took annual trips to Canada and South Dakota to hunt and fish. When they visited a lake in Canada, Mr. Wheeler was always in the boat with his older brothers, he said. His oldest brother, Mike Wheeler, recently introduced him to bow fishing.
Mr. Wheeler is survived by his parents, Lyle and Jeanne Wheeler of Columbia; two brothers, Mike Wheeler and Jon Wheeler of Columbia; a grandfather, Chuck Townsend of Columbia; three uncles, David Townsend of Columbia, Robert Wheeler of Independence and Mike Wheeler of Bates City; two aunts, Misty Langston of Boonville and Patricia Wheeler; and four cousins, Sarah and Jodie Langston and Blair and Charlie Townsend.
Three grandparents, Lloyd Wheeler, Marcille Wheeler and Shirley Townsend, died earlier.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011, at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W. Services will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Missouri Department of Conservation, 2901 W. Truman Blvd., Jefferson City, MO, 65102, or the Daniel Boone Little League, P.O. Box 1885, Columbia, MO 65205.
Tributes may be left online at memorialfuneralhomeandcemetery.com.
