Josephine Theresa Wheeler

Josephine Theresa Brons Wheeler, 91, passed away on July 18, 2020. A long-time resident of the Rio Grande Valley and most recently, Austin, TX, Josephine was retired from a successful nursing career at Valley Baptist Medical Center. She was known and loved as Jo, Mom, Nurse Wheeler, Aunt Jo and Grandma. Never one to shy away from a challenge, she embraced being a mother to her eight children, and her stubborn streak and independence were much-loved. Her fabulous sense of humor and love of the occasional prank endeared her to many. Reliable sources report she cheated at the domino game of Chicken Foot, a skill much admired by her grandchildren. Following a stroke, she was led by her love of art to overcome the challenge of decreased functionality on her dominant side by relearning to paint with her left hand, and her indomitable will became an inspiration as she created art influenced by her appreciation of nature in all its forms for the remainder of her life. The love she shared with her husband was legendary to her family and served as an example to all. Preceded in death by her husband, James R. Wheeler and their son, Jon Wheeler, she is survived by her seven children: Mary Jenson, James Duff Wheeler, Chris Wheeler, Stacey Wheeler, Laurie DeLong, Darby Wheeler and Casey Wheeler. Her love of life has been passed on to her grandchildren: Meredith Jenson-Selen, Natalie Brown, Kelly Sandoval, Andy Wheeler, Michael Wheeler, Brittany Vinciguerra, Amanda Wheeler, Christian Wheeler, Ty Wheeler, Chance Wheeler, Jonathan DeLong, Kyle Wheeler, Brooke Wheeler, Anthony Wheeler, Hannah Merritt, Blake and Zach Ochoa, and her great-grandchildren Scarlett Hall, Scarlett Cottrell, Lucas and Nicolas Sandoval, and Samuel and Rosalie Brown. “The world was her inspiration; life was her canvas. We loved her dearly.” Services to be held at Fort Sam Houston. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to Sea Turtle Inc. Donations can be made online at https://seaturtleinc.org/ or with a check made payable to Sea Turtle Inc. and mailed to P.O. Box 3987, South Padre Island, TX 78597.