Jimmy was born the son of Ebb and Viola Morton Wheeler. He was two weeks old and his mother passed on, so her sister ,Mae Rule and her husband John Rule raised him as their own. They lived in Raiford, Oklahoma and owned Rule Grocery and gas station. He attended school in Raiford and later Hanna High School. He served in the United States Army. He married his sweetheart , Ona Lee Dickens and they had five children, James Keith, Johnny Kelvin, Bruce Stephen, Carolyn Kay and Tracy Bryan. Bruce Stephen died at 7 days old Dec 24, 1953 and Johnny died at one year and 11 months,Jan 17 1954. Ona Lee died at just 33 years old and had just had Tracy 4 and 1/2 months earlier. He then married Lela Phillips of Eufaula and adopted her daughter Sabrina who was four years old.
He served the people of McIntosh County for thirty-two years as County Commissioner, Court Clerk, and County Tax Assessor. In addition to being a public official, he was a rancher and cattleman and raised chow dogs, boxers, and rotweillers. After he retired from public office, he worked at Black Funeral Home in Eufaula until he became ill with Melenoma cancer.
When he was diagnosed, I was the one that was with him at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa , when the doctors came in the room and told him. I cried and he comforted me saying," Don't cry sis, I'm ready to go, it'll be alright." His words have given me peace and I still can hear him speak to me.