Obituary

A proud son of Cartersville, Georgia, Daniel Webster Wheeler, Jr., was born May 8, 1950, to Mr. Daniel Wheeler, Sr., and Dr. Susie Weems Wheeler. He grew up in a close-knit community, surrounded and nurtured by loving family and friends on Fite Street.

Affectionately known as “Danny,” he enjoyed time with his father, a businessman and his mother, a noted educator. He was an active youth member of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Cassville, Georgia, where he often played piano.

Dan attended Summer Hill Elementary School in Cartersville. In 1964, a bold and courageous Danny became the first black student to attend Cartersville High School. He completed his high school education at the Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Kingston, Pennsylvania, where he lettered in football. Dan went on to matriculate at the University of Pennsylvania and later transferred to Morris Brown College in Atlanta to experience the best in HBCU education.

While at Morris Brown, a mutual friend introduced Dan to a young lady from Birmingham, Alabama, who shared his same last name. Dan Wheeler and Clovia Wheeler were not related, but that introduction turned into a courtship and marriage that spanned more than 50 years.

Dan moved to Birmingham after college and went to work with South Central Bell, later known as Bellsouth. He married Clovia, his college sweetheart, on June 7, 1975. Following a model set by his parents, Dan and Clovia enjoyed several business ventures. They launched a very popular Baskin-Robbins franchise in West Birmingham. Their shop was the highest producing Baskin-Robbins at the time the company discontinued its ice cream shops in Birmingham.

Dan was an active member of Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, serving for many years as a troop leader for the Boy Scouts of America. He enjoyed camping trips, cooking outdoors, and watching Scouts achieve their goals. He was awarded the Whitney M. Young Service Award and the Silver Beaver Award by the Central District of the Boy Scouts. He was also a member of the Evelyn G. Hardy Men of Distinction men’s choir, the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Deacons.

In June of 1990, Dan entered the brotherhood of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and was a member of the Omicron Lambda Chapter. He held several positions over the years, including membership chairman.

Dan loved family time, especially traveling with his wife and children and following the Samford University football team as his son, Derrick, played in college. Family time expanded in his later years with the addition of two beautiful granddaughters, also known as his two heartbeats, Giselle and Ella Grace.

Dan transitioned to eternal life on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at the age of 72. He leaves cherished memories of his energetic joy with his wife of 47 years, Clovia; children, Alisha and Derrick Wheeler; grandchildren, Giselle Elizabeth and Ella Grace Wheeler; cousin/sister, Faye (Donald) Jones; motherin-law, Veraneice Wheeler; brothers-in-law, Herbert (Odessa) Wheeler and Vincent (Peggy) Wheeler; sister-in-law, Sherrel (William) Stewart; and a host of other family members and friends. 


Services

Public Visitation: Friday, February 17, 2023 from 2pm - 6pm at W.E. Lusain Funeral Home Chapel, 249 6th Avenue SW, Birmingham, Alabama 35211. 

Funeral Service: Saturday, February 18, 2023, 10am at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, 1101 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Birmingham, Alabama 35211. 

Professional services provided by W.E. Lusain Funeral Home and Crematory, Birmingham, Alabama.