O. Glen Wheaton

O. Glen Wheaton was born on July 20th, 1928 to Oscar and Mamie F. (Culver) Wheaton in Butler, MO, the second of five brothers; Charles, Glen, Kay, Jim, and Kent. A sharecropping family, the Wheatons moved often across Missouri's rural landscape in search of work during the Great Depression, carrying with them little but the clothes on their backs. Despite this, Glen’s childhood was rich with fond memories of the play, work, and mischief generated between the five stout-hearted farmboys, and from these memories were forged bonds of brotherhood that remained unbroken for the better part of a century.

After moving several times during his childhood, Glen joined the Air Force in 1948 serving as a staff Sargent at Sheppard Air Force base in Wichita Falls, TX doing engine and plane maintenance. Though he interrupted his schooling to serve, after leaving the military in 1952, he resumed his studies and obtained his teaching degree. He became a math teacher at Shawnee Mission North in 1958, a job he would keep until his retirement in 1994. But before that he moved to Warsaw, MO, where he met a beautiful young woman named Dixie Walters, who he married in 1958. The two would move into a cozy house on Outlook Street in Mission, Kansas, where they would spend the next 65 years devoted to one another as the prototypical midwestern suburban family, bringing up two excellent daughters; Cathi and Chris Wheaton.

Glen played many roles throughout his life; farmer, engine and aircraft maintenance, math teacher, Mason of the Scottish Rite, Shriner, husband, father, and all-around handyman. His interests included woodcarving, jewelry, reading, photography, small aircraft piloting, and math puzzles. His somewhat stoic demeanor belied a lively and curious mind; he could spend endless hours poring over new problems and old memories with friends and family, and he had a lifelong love of learning. He enjoyed challenging his grandkids with new math problems at every family gathering. Yet, equally so for his good humor, Glen will be remembered for his service to those around him. Be it by his military service, teaching students, promoting charity through his Masonic lodge, or simply always being available to fix any problem with a truck and a shed full of tools, Glen was an impassioned force for small, yet meaningful, acts of good in the world.

Glen died of pulmonary disease on December 3rd, 2024. He is survived by his two daughters, Chris Wheaton and Cathi Halberstadt (husband Tom), his brother, Jim, his grandchildren Lynza (wife Lauren), Weston (husband Juan), Jaret, and Isaac, and his great-grandchild Harvey. Through his 95 years of life, Glen witnessed astonishing changes in the world around him, yet never lost touch with the humble, earnest, and inventive farmboy roots that endeared him to all who knew him.

A memorial service for Glen will be December 21st at 10am at Merriam Christian church (9401 Johnson drive, Shawnee KS) with a light lunch there following the service.

Private burial service December 21st at Oak Grove cemetery (38000–38190 E Hillside School Rd Oak Grove, MO) 

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Merriam Christian Church 9401 Johnson Dr, Merriam, KS 66203 for a lawn statuary/bird bath.