Graveside
Obituary of JoAnne B. Wheeler
JoAnne (Jonnie) B. Wheeler, of New Canaan, passed away on May 20, 2023 at the age of 94.
Jonnie was born in 1928 in Glendale, California, to Herbert and Helen Baker. She graduated from Glendale High School and Glendale Junior College and transferred to the University of Oregon where she was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.
She married Raymond C. Wheeler, an executive with Mobil Oil, in 1950. They lived in La Cañada, California, before moving to New Canaan in 1964 on a business transfer with Mobil. They raised their three daughters: Lynn Lyons (Rod), Sharon Wheeler (Tony Napoli) and Anne Newman (Rick) and enjoyed lots of time with their granddaughter, Kate Leffingwell Fields (James).
Jonnie and Ray celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2020. She was predeceased by Ray in 2020 and her son-in-law Rod in 2017. They joined St. Mark’s Church and Jonnie sang in the choir for over 50 years. For the St. Mark’s annual May Fair, she and Ray gathered collectibles, furniture and books; she also chaired the book tent for over 40 years.
Jonnie was a dedicated Girl Scout leader in La Cañada and New Canaan (Troop 283). Along with her co-leader and lots of fundraising, they were able to take the New Canaan troop of 16 girls to Bermuda for a week. She worked as the office manager for Dr. Kenneth Goss, a New Canaan family practitioner, for eight years and volunteered her time over the years at the Center School library, Waveny Care Center and St. Mark’s Church. She especially enjoyed traveling all over the world with Ray and created fabulous scrapbooks filled with photos after each trip.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jonnie’s memory may be made to the St. Mark’s Church music fund or a charity of your choice.
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