Murray O. Wheeler

Murray O. Wheeler of Tolland went home to his Heavenly Father and his beloved wife Jean on November 7, 2015 at the age of 92. He was deeply loved and will be sorely missed by his family and many, many friends.
He was the son and only child of C. Kenneth and Annie J. Wheeler and was born in 1923 in Presque Isle, Maine. The three moved to their newly purchased dairy farm in Madison, Maine in 1930 where Murray grew up. Raised during the Depression, Murray worked on the family farm in addition to multiple odd jobs, and learned from his father to deliver their dairy products in the local area and often trade their milk and cream for other neighbors' goods, such as home-made butter, bread and garden produce. He also began his lifelong love of tinkering with cars, starting with his father's Model T, and the dickering that he used throughout his life in buying and selling cars. After graduating from Madison High School in 1942, Murray drove to Connecticut and began his career at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. In December of that year, he took a leave from Pratt and joined the Army. After basic training he was sent to the Missouri Aviation Institute in Kansas City, Missouri and trained as an aircraft engine mechanic.
While there, he met the love of his life, Alma Jeane Enloe ( she went by 'Jean'), in the choir of the Calvary Baptist Church. They were married in that church on August 12, 1944 just before Murray was deployed with the 504th Bombardment Group in support of the B-29s based on Tinian. He was stationed there until the end of the war and, while he was gone, their first son, Murray Kent, was born. Once the War was over, the young family moved to Connecticut so Murray could return to work at P & W Aircraft. Their daughter, Patricia Ann, and a second son, Howard J. were born here before Murray transferred to the Vendor Quality Control division of Pratt. He was sent first to cover a vendor in Sydney, New York then, in 1953, to Hamilton, Ohio where their third son, Paul D, was born. After a short stint in Joplin, Missouri, the family was sent back to Connecticut in 1965 and Murray was soon promoted into management. Murray and Jean later spent three years in Norway, again on assignment for P & W A, as part of the F-15 NATO project. While based there, they travelled throughout western Europe. Murray and Jean were always active in the local Baptist church and were founding members in new churches started in Ohio, East Hartford (now First Baptist of Manchester) and Tolland. Murray had always loved to sing and had a beautiful tenor voice so he often led the singing, in the early days, while Jean played the piano. He was active in both the church and senior center choirs until his health recently declined.
Murray and Jean had always loved to travel. They had set a goal to visit every continental State and every National Park in the U.S. and had accomplished that by 1965, usually towing a camp trailer behind the family Ford station wagon. Alaska and Hawaii were added later. Upon his retirement, after 38 years at Pratt, Murray became active in the Gideons and loved giving away Bibles at all types of locations. He also joined the Southern Baptist Mission Service Corps, where he served for over 10 years and became the director for the New England Region.
Murray is predeceased by his parents and his beloved wife, Jean - they were nearing their 70th anniversary. He is survived by his four children, their spouses, eleven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, several cousins and close friends in Maine, all Jean's relatives in Missouri and innumerable friends through his church family and the Tolland Senior Center. The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to the Visiting Nurses of Vernon, especially Stella, Beatrice and Kathy, for their wonderful, loving care of Murray in his final days.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Nov. 12, at 10:00 AM at the First Baptist Church of Manchester, 240 Hillstown Road. Burial with military honors will follow in the Hillstown Road Veterans Cemetery in Manchester. Visiting hours are Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 4 PM to 7 PM at the Holmes Funeral Home, 400 Main Street, Manchester.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Gideons International, Northeast Camp, 86 Crystal Pond Road, Eastford, CT 06242. To leave a message for his family please visit www.holmes-watkinsfuneralhomes.com .



Visitation DetailsWednesday, November 11th, 2015 4:00pm - 7:00pm, Holmes Funeral Home
Service DetailsThursday, November 12th, 2015 10:00am, First Baptist Church of Manchester
Interment DetailsHillstown Road Veterans Cemetery