Richard Wheeler Obituary, Death – We want our community to know that we are deeply sorry and grateful. On November 7, 2022, Mr. Richard G. Wheeler passed away at the age of 94. He was a Life Trustee of the Board of Directors and an Honorary member of the Admiral Farragut Academy Foundation Board. He was loved and supported by his family and friends.
Journalism and English have been two of the subjects that Lt. Col. Richard G. Wheeler, who is now retired from the United States Army, has been teaching in Farragut since 1972. Between the years 1976 and 1987, he served as the headmaster of the southern school. After the end of the Vietnam War, there was a decline in enrolment in military schools, and he managed the management of the southern campus.
He served as a Trustee for both the North and the South campuses for 35 years. In 1994, he was appointed to the positions of Superintendent and Board President at the Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg. Mr. Wheeler was promoted to the rank of rear admiral by the board of directors. After he stepped down as Chairman of the Board in 2007, he continued to serve the institution in an advisory capacity for several years.
Before serving on the Farragut, he had a noteworthy career on the USS Chemung in World War II. During the Korean War, he served in both the 555th Field Artillery Battalion and the 5th Regimental Combat Team as an artillery forward observer. During his service in Vietnam, Mr. Wheeler was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. In the school year 1989-1990, Mr. Wheeler was instrumental in assisting Farragut in becoming coeducational for girls. In 1998, with his assistance, the Lower School that would later be given the name of both him and his wife was opened. His granddaughter Julie Neri, who graduated from Farragut in 2012, is currently employed there.
Both “A Tale of Two Campuses” and “Yes, We Wrote It Down” are works of literature that Mr. Wheeler has penned. He talked about his life as if it were a gift from God given to an everyday person.
Military honors will be bestowed upon Mr. Wheeler and will take place at Memorial Park in St. Petersburg on Sunday, November 13, at noon. In lieu of sending flowers, the family has graciously requested that memorial contributions be made to the Admiral Farragut Academy Foundation in his honor at https://farragut.org/funds/founders-fund/.
In a short while, we will reveal how we will commemorate the years Mr. Wheeler spent at the Academy.
