Originally published July 8, 2019 in Volume 57, Edition 8.
Billy Joe Wheeler’s story is a unique one. He’s a man who left school in the eighth grade and became a board member of Howe Independent School District and a city councilman for the City of Howe. Born to nomadic dirt farmers, he vowed not to raise his kids from town-to-town but used his childhood farming expertise to plant deep and strong roots for his family in one city, one school, and one church. Volunteering for nearly everything and anything that had to do with Howe, his kids, or friends, Wheeler, now 85, lived his life as what community developers refer to as “the ideal citizen.”
Wheeler was born in Anna, Texas in 1934 to Marion Frances “General” and Melvina “Mellie” Victoria Wheeler, but didn’t stay there long. As a matter of fact, he didn’t stay anywhere very long as a child.
“My dad always seen the grass greener on the other side somewhere,” said Wheeler.
Their travels took them to East Texas, West Texas, and Stillwater, Oklahoma before finally settling down at Elmont (east of Van Alstyne). His first schooling began when he had to walk four miles as a first grader to Lone Star school near Weston. “There were trees grown over this muddy wagon trail and I’d walk there every day,” said Wheeler. “Then we moved to Oklahoma and all over. I even went to Howe for a little while.”
Wheeler’s sense of work came at an early age in the cotton and cornfields with a one-row planter. They had no electricity, only the coal oil lamps that he despised.
“I told my dad when I was 16 that I didn’t want to be a farmer,” said Wheeler. “He said, ‘Son, I wouldn’t say that because one day you might be glad to get on the farm.’ I said, “I might get on it, but I won’t be glad.'”
After working a few years in Dallas after deciding to leave the farm, he met Lucy Loftice in 1955 at Elmont Baptist Church and married her in October the next year. He quit a good-paying job with General Motors and moved to Howe to begin his life as a family man.
“I thought if I was going to raise kids, I didn’t want to raise them up down there in Dallas,” said Wheeler.
He went to work with Fant Milling Company in Sherman who was later purchased by Con-Agra.
“That was good for us because we got a big raise,” said Wheeler. Their first child Nita was born in the latter part of 1956 followed by Michael, Paula, and Mark.
When Wheeler arrived in Howe, there was not a bank, but there were three grocery stores – all in the downtown area.
Once he got settled in Howe, he purchased a downtown building, was elected to the school board and city council. He and Lucy also joined First Baptist Church in Howe where he later became a deacon.
As a city councilman, Wheeler pushed for a water line that was proposed to run west of the railroad tracks along Old Highway 6.
“I guess we didn’t have the money, but that line would have paid for itself in a hurry with all of the homes that were built out there,” said Wheeler. “We did some good things and some bad things. We could’ve done it better.”
One of the hardest things for Wheeler was being on the council when Howe Police Chief Ken Vickers was let go of his duties.
“I voted for him to stay because I was hoping he could get things turned around. We had a room full, but we had to let him go and that was hard to do,” said Wheeler.
He says the best thing that ever happened to his family was joining First Baptist Church in 1956. He’s served in just about every capacity there is from teaching Sunday School to the youth and helped with the elders.
“Harry (editor’s note – pastor’s name was Claude) Cone was the preacher there and he left two weeks after we joined,” said Wheeler. “He and Jack Norman came down and visited us about joining. We needed to get into church. We had kids and that’s the best thing you can do. If you’re not going to church, you need to get in a church.”
Wheeler says he was saved as a child in Elmont but was too young.
“I was drug down the aisle in Hess, Oklahoma,” said Wheeler. “I went down a sinner and come up a sinner. I was just a kid”
Later in life when his son Michael was baptized, Wheeler was baptized the same day. “I knew there was something lacking, so that’s why I did that,” said Wheeler.
In the mid-1970s, he worked alongside Gerald Hickox and Norman Dickey and others to construct Bicentennial Park where now sits Hash Field, North Field and a t-ball field. While volunteering to coach baseball, he once hit a fly ball to a young kid that bounced hard off his forehead. That little kid grew up to be Mayor Jeff Stanley.
“I went down to one of the council meetings a few years ago and told him, ‘I know I hurt you bad, but I didn’t know I hurt you this bad,'” Wheeler joked.
Tragedy struck Wheeler in March of 2016 when he lost his wife Lucy of 60 years.
“It’s like losing half of your life,” said Wheeler.
He found himself having to do things he never thought of such as cooking, cleaning, and housework. He says he eats out quite a bit now, but he can cook and bake a cake.
“I can do about anything if I want to,” said Wheeler who quickly changed the subject to his grandkids who he obviously cherishes and the time he gets with them.
Howe Bulldogs football is one thing that Wheeler has seen a lot of over the years. As his eyes looked off to the left, he began to talk about the 1970 regional championship team and of Rick Hanning’s high punts. Asked if that was the best team he’d seen; he began to stir over the 1985 Bulldogs team that his son Mark was a part of. With the team down 16-14 in the regional championship game against Groveton with seconds remaining and Howe within field goal range, Wheeler still believes Howe should’ve won that game in Corsicana.
“Groveton was pretty good, but I thought we were pretty good though,” said Wheeler. “If they’d have let him (Mark) try it, we’d have probably won the ballgame.”
Wheeler said he’s still a Bulldog fan and hopes Howe will do a better job of keeping their coaches.
As anyone who lives a long life, they begin to see their friends pass away and it’s been hard for Wheeler. He was recently shocked by Chuck Pelkey’s death and recently witnessed friends such as Norman Dickey and Marion Allison pass away.
Wheeler, himself, experienced bad health recently when he fell in his home which caused a bleed in his esophagus. Daughter Paula took him to the hospital where he stayed for two weeks before going to physical therapy. He’s back at home now and has a walker that he uses, although he says he doesn’t need it.
After years of driving his friends to the doctor and refusing money for anything he did, he’s now the one that has people checking in on him. The kids that he and Lucy reared in the church and disciplined are now the ones taking care of the ideal citizen who is aging. Howe needs more Billy Joe Wheelers.
Billy Joe Wheeler passed away November 29, 2019.
