James M Wheeler

James Monroe Wheeler left this world on January 21, 2016, after fighting an uphill battle with a very cruel disease. He was born in Pontiac, Michigan on January 18, 1950, to Rudolph “Doc” and Lorretta Jane Wheeler. Memorial services will be held at 2:30 PM on Tuesday, January 26, Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, ND, with Rev. Scott Bauman officiating. Burial will be held at Fairview Cemetery, Bismarck. Jim was our hero. Our Superman. Pancreatic cancer was his kryptonite. He fought this horrible disease with every fiber of his being, with every super power he had, and yet, sadly he succumbed to its devastation and physical dominance. As we search for reasons why our loved one has passed so quickly, with our loss of Jim, we are pretty confident he was needed in heaven because God wanted to buy a classic! Jim would have been His first call to discuss make, model, options, and check prices. After discussing payment options and closing the deal, he’d bring it around, cleaned up, gassed up, and ready to be taken home. Another orphan adopted. Jim enjoyed and had an amazing ability to restore motorcycles, automobiles, and guitars to their original glory. He simply had the vision of how they should look. Just as we considered Jim a classic and adored him, Jim adored anything vintage and classic—cars, motorcycles, music, movies, guns, and his classically beautiful wife, Mary, were at the top of his list. Jim loved the vibe of the 60’s and 70’s and all the music and drama that went with it. If he heard a song, he could play it on his guitar and would spend hours jamming out, strumming whatever tune popped into his head. He instilled his passion for music into his children and niece, teaching them to play the guitar in his signature bluesy style. Jim was an avid fisherman, spending hours, sometimes days, at the lake searching for that monster bass. They often got close to catching that monster, but those bass were never quite big enough for Jimmy, the Bass Assassin, and were usually thrown back into the lake under the pretense of being too small (but in reality, he just didn’t like cleaning fish). Jim was always surrounded by friends and loved ones. Mary, the love his life, who he spotted from across the room the night they met and declared that she was the woman he would marry, a modern day Robin Hood and Maiden Marion fairy tale, was always by his side. Jim’s spirit lives on in his daughter Cory and sons Cody and Trevor, who take after him in so many ways. As we sit now in our solemn silence, what reminds us most that Jim is gone, is the lack of movement. Jim was a force of nature. And, as all things in nature must move on, we too have had a phenomenal man move on—an old soul, a great husband, father, friend, and mentor. Jimmy is gone, but his presence can still be felt. When you feel that gust of wind that fluffs your hair or whips your clothing, you will know that it’s Jimmy, in his Ray-Bans, cruising on by. Jim is survived by his wife, Mary; daughter, Cory; sons, Trevor and Cody; brother, Mike; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Jim was preceded in death by his mother and father. In lieu of flowers, the Wheeler Education Fund has been set up at Vue Community Credit Union, 818 E Main Ave., Bismarck, ND, in Jim’s honor.