Elizabeth Yvonne Wheeler
April 4, 1935 — October 30, 2023
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved wife and mother, Elizabeth Yvonne Barger Wheeler on October 30, 2023, in Jacksonville, Florida. While her absence is heartbreaking, we rejoice in knowing that because of her faith in Jesus Christ, she is in the presence of the Lord experiencing the wonders and joys of eternal life in heaven. Yvonne faithfully attended New Life Baptist Church and was dearly loved by her church family. Her sweet, encouraging spirit was a blessing to those who knew her.
Yvonne, or Tweety as she was affectionately called by her husband, was born in Aragon, Georgia on April 4,1935, to loving parents, Kary and Winnie Barger. She was the middle child of three, along with brothers Gerald and Sonny, who doted on their sister, but also enjoyed teasing her, never letting her forget about the boy she accidentally shot with a BB gun when she was a little girl. While no one was hurt, she got in a lot of trouble that day and her brothers loved retelling the story whenever their families gathered together.
Yvonne married her husband, Jack, in 1956, after dating for only a few weeks. Yvonne was a devoted wife who supported Jack during his 20-year Navy career and varied post-retirement ventures. Their time in the military took them to Japan, Virginia, Mississippi and finally to Florida, where they chose to retire. However, they enjoyed traveling home to north Georgia as much as possible to visit family, eat at the Varsity and attend high school reunions, as 1953 graduates of Roosevelt High School.
Yvonne was a lifelong homemaker who enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, and especially her grandchildren. She was an amazing mother who managed to raise four children and put wonderful meals on the table every night, even though she didn't drive and had a very limited budget. She loved, encouraged and supported her children and welcomed all their friends into her home for food, fun and sleepovers. As a grandmother, Yvonne spent many hours caring for her grandchildren and riding along on golf excursions. She taught them that Grandma's house is where you get to build forts, conduct experiments, make messes, eat ice cream on the couch, enjoy your favorite foods and drink lots of sweet tea!
She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Herman Jack Wheeler, Jr., along with their four children Miriam O'Hagan (Tommy), Marcy Dell (Gene), Jackie McCurdy (Steve), and Michael Wheeler (Rebeccah); grandchildren Patrick McCool (Holly), Nicholas Novelly (Leah), Jerrad Novelly (Allison), Cory Gray (Hunter), Kayla Dell, Matthew McCurdy (Sara), Daniel and Alison McCurdy, and William and Andrew Wheeler; great grandchildren Connor and Nolan McCool, Addyson, Bristol and Cannon Novelly, Walker McCurdy and Collins Gray; and her older brother, Gerald Barger (JoAnn). She was preceded in death by her parents, Kary Hughstrong and Winnie Golden Barger, and her younger brother, William "Sonny" Barger (Claudette).
Memorial services will be held at the Jacksonville National Cemetery on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Guests should pull into Procession Lane 1 and arrive by 10:15am to be escorted to the pavilion.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to a charity that supports childhood literacy, like Dolly Parton's Imagination Library at �< https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/ >, or an organization that funds research and treatment for dementia, like the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org < http://www.alz.org/ >.
Yvonne, or Tweety as she was affectionately called by her husband, was born in Aragon, Georgia on April 4,1935, to loving parents, Kary and Winnie Barger. She was the middle child of three, along with brothers Gerald and Sonny, who doted on their sister, but also enjoyed teasing her, never letting her forget about the boy she accidentally shot with a BB gun when she was a little girl. While no one was hurt, she got in a lot of trouble that day and her brothers loved retelling the story whenever their families gathered together.
Yvonne married her husband, Jack, in 1956, after dating for only a few weeks. Yvonne was a devoted wife who supported Jack during his 20-year Navy career and varied post-retirement ventures. Their time in the military took them to Japan, Virginia, Mississippi and finally to Florida, where they chose to retire. However, they enjoyed traveling home to north Georgia as much as possible to visit family, eat at the Varsity and attend high school reunions, as 1953 graduates of Roosevelt High School.
Yvonne was a lifelong homemaker who enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, and especially her grandchildren. She was an amazing mother who managed to raise four children and put wonderful meals on the table every night, even though she didn't drive and had a very limited budget. She loved, encouraged and supported her children and welcomed all their friends into her home for food, fun and sleepovers. As a grandmother, Yvonne spent many hours caring for her grandchildren and riding along on golf excursions. She taught them that Grandma's house is where you get to build forts, conduct experiments, make messes, eat ice cream on the couch, enjoy your favorite foods and drink lots of sweet tea!
She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Herman Jack Wheeler, Jr., along with their four children Miriam O'Hagan (Tommy), Marcy Dell (Gene), Jackie McCurdy (Steve), and Michael Wheeler (Rebeccah); grandchildren Patrick McCool (Holly), Nicholas Novelly (Leah), Jerrad Novelly (Allison), Cory Gray (Hunter), Kayla Dell, Matthew McCurdy (Sara), Daniel and Alison McCurdy, and William and Andrew Wheeler; great grandchildren Connor and Nolan McCool, Addyson, Bristol and Cannon Novelly, Walker McCurdy and Collins Gray; and her older brother, Gerald Barger (JoAnn). She was preceded in death by her parents, Kary Hughstrong and Winnie Golden Barger, and her younger brother, William "Sonny" Barger (Claudette).
Memorial services will be held at the Jacksonville National Cemetery on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Guests should pull into Procession Lane 1 and arrive by 10:15am to be escorted to the pavilion.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to a charity that supports childhood literacy, like Dolly Parton's Imagination Library at �< https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/ >, or an organization that funds research and treatment for dementia, like the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org < http://www.alz.org/ >.
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