John Wheeler was born on November 25, 1942, to Mike C. Wheeler and Vera Mae (Levad) Wheeler in Forest City, Iowa.  After living a long and very active life, John passed away surrounded by loved ones on Friday, February 10, 2023, at Monument Health Hospital in Rapid City.

As one of his good friends stated, John was a true "people person."  The number of close friendships he fostered during his life are impossible to count.  You could not go anywhere with John in public without knowing you were going to have to wait while he stopped to talk with someone he knew.  He was a regular at Post 22 baseball games.  He was an avid reader and history buff.  No one was allowed to call him during Jeopardy.

John graduated from high school in Wayzata, Minnesota, and then attended the University of Minnesota, St. Cloud State, and ultimately the Minnesota School of Business, where he graduated with a court reporting degree.  He worked for over 40 years as a court reporter in South Dakota, starting out as a free lance reporter with the firm Thiewes and May in Sioux Falls.  He moved to Rapid City in 1969 where he worked as an official court reporter for the 7 ^th Judicial Circuit for the Hon. Thomas Parker and then for the Hon. John Konnenkamp.  The stories he would tell about the cases he reported on were fascinating.  In 1981, John became the first court reporter in South Dakota to pass the National Certificate of Merit Exam, which included speeds up to 260 words per minute and the passing of a written knowledge test.  John left the 7 ^th Judicial Circuit in 1986 and started his own freelance court reporting business, which he creatively named Wheeler Reporting.  It was at one time the largest court reporting business in South Dakota.  If you go to the Pennington County Courthouse today, you will find many court reporters who worked with John at Wheeler Reporting.  John continued working as a free lance court reporter until he retired.  John was a long-time member of the National Court Reporters Association, where he served on the national membership committee, and also the South Dakota Court Reporters Association, serving on numerous committees and as the Association's Treasurer for 10 years.

John's greatest pride and joy were his children and grandchildren.  John was married for 25 years to Susan (Kvikstad) Wheeler, of Thief River Falls, Minnesota.  They have three sons, Mike, Brad and Luke, all of whom reside in Rapid City.  He was an amazing father who always took time to be involved in the activities his kids were pursing such as swimming, baseball and golf.  He traveled and transported kids throughout the State for swim meets, and he coached nearly every baseball and basketball team his children participated on.  He further dedicated his time to serving on organizations such as the Timberline Little League Board of Directors, the Black Hills Pony League Board of Directors and the Post 22 Baseball Parents Inc.

John also loved hunting and fishing with his children, grandchildren and good friends.  Many weekends were spent chasing grouse, pheasants, geese and deer as well as fishing for trout in the Black Hills or trying to catch walleyes in Pierre.  The memories created by all the fun hunting and fishing trips will be cherished by many.

John joined the South Dakota Army National Guard in 1965 and was honorably discharged in 1972.  He maintained his service to the community by being actively involved in the American Legion where he was a member of Post 22 in Rapid City.  He served for 17 years as the Athletic Officer and on the Board of Directors for Post 22 Baseball.  He held numerous offices at Post 22 including President, Vice President and Secretary-treasurer of the Board of Directors, Membership Chairman, Adjunct, and was the Commander of Post 22 in 2008 and 2009.  He also started the Sons of the American Legion and served as the Commander and Chief Financial Officer for that organization and was a charter member of the American Legion Riders.   When John left Post 22 he joined the American Legion Post 311 in Piedmont.

John was preceded in death by his parents and his younger brother, Dr. Michael P. Wheeler of Laurel Montana.  He is survived by his sons; Michael Wheeler, Bradley (Kary) Wheeler, and Lucas (Angie) Wheeler all of Rapid City, and his grandchildren; Ben, Hannah, Lillie, Pryor, and Lincoln, and Susan Wheeler, step grandson, Tyler, step great grandchildren; Will, Lana, and Avery.

He is also survived his very special friend and long-time partner Gail Hall.

Friends and family are invited to a memorial service on Friday, February 17 at 2:00 p.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapid City.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Calvary Lutheran Church or Rapid City Youth Baseball.