Walter Richard "Dickie" Wheeler 73
Beloved Husband, Father, and Grandfather Walter Richard "Dickie" Wheeler, a man of Christian
faith was called home at the age of 73. Dickie was battling an aggressive form of cancer when he passed
away at his home in Wauchula, FL on the morning of Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
Dickie was born on April 5, 1949, and was a long-time resident of Arcadia. He attended Desoto
County High School where he met the love of his life, Belinda Claire Boyette. They married on the 29th of
June, 1969 in Homestead, FL. Together they raised 4 children and were the proud grandparents of 7.
After high school, Dickie Joined the U.S. Navy serving honorably for 4 years during the War in Vietnam.
He worked as a real estate agent in Arcadia before relocating to Miami to join the family business,
Boyette and Sons Land Development. Together they became prominent builders in Miami and Kendall
throughout the 1980s. He continued a career as a Civil Engineering Superintendent, specializing in road
construction throughout Miami-Dade and Broward County. In the early 2000s, he relocated to Wauchula
in anticipation of retirement and worked his final years as a State Correctional Officer, retiring in 2011.
Dickie was preceded in death by his grandparents, Arthur and Sada Wagner. His adoptive
parents, Walter Robert Wheeler and Virginia Violet Altman. His stepmother Alene Fiegle Wheeler. His
biological mother, Velma Elizabeth Hollingsworth. His sister, Marilda Smith. His step-brother Jerry D.
Fiegle. His step-sister Lilian Pearl Fiegle. His half-sister Sylvia "Patsy" Hansel. Dickie is survived by his wife
of 53 years Belinda C. Boyette Wheeler. Son, Richard E. Wheeler and his wife, Cheri K. Stobart Wheeler
of Deltona, FL, and their son Shawn D. Wheeler. Daughter, Kerri L. Gordon, her husband Jerry Gordon
of Tamarac, FL, and their children Haley N. Gordon and Ryan J. Gordon. Son, Brian T. Wheeler and his
wife Rebecca Hampton Wheeler of Orange City, FL, and their children Jacob T. Wheeler and Riley J.
Wheeler. Son, Timothy A. Wheeler of Deltona, FL, and his children Timothy Mason Wheeler and Avery E.
Wheeler. He is also survived by his sister, Velma Thomasina England of Gaston, SC, and half-sister, Velma
Hollingsworth Vickery of Perry, FL, half-brother Vernon Hollingsworth of Clermont, FL, step-sister,
Janette Fiegle Foley of Arcadia, FL, step-sister Inez "Cookie" Johnson, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A service with military honors will be held on Friday, June 16th, at 11:30 am at Sarasota National
Cemetery, 9810 State Rd 72, Sarasota, Florida.
Dickie was an amateur genealogist. A hobby he took up after reuniting with his older sisters
Marilda and Velma Thomasina, from whom he was separated as an infant due to adoption. It was his
wish to leave his story for his descendants who would research their own ancestry. Dickie was born
Walter Pierce Reed to Velma Elizabeth (née Myers) Trump and Thomas Pierce Reed in Arcadia, FL. He
was adopted as an infant by Walter Robert Wheeler and Virginia Violet (née Wiseman) Wagner. Walter
and Virginia soon divorced and Dickie was raised by his loving grandparents Arthur L. Wagner (aka John
F. Wiseman) and Sada Rankin.