Mary L Wheeler

Mary L. Wheeler, 104, passed away peacefully in late July at Tequesta Terrace Senior Living in Tequesta, Florida. Mary was born in 1921 to Charles and May (Deming) Luscomb at her grandparent’s home in Farmington, Connecticut. She was a descendant of Thomas Hooker, a founder of the Connecticut Colony in 1636. Mary moved as a child with her parents and younger brother Charles (Bud) to West Hartford, where she attended local schools and graduated from Hall High School in 1939. She then attended Edgewood Park Junior College in Briarcliff, New York, graduating in 1941. Returning to West Hartford, she found a secretarial job in the town offices. She married James E. Wheeler in 1945 and traded office work for being a homemaker. Mary and Jim lived in West Hartford until 1968, when they moved across the river to Glastonbury. They enjoyed summers at the Rhode Island shore and an active social life at home. Mary volunteered with the Junior League of Hartford and was a member of the Town and County Club of Hartford. Upon Jim’s retirement from Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in 1980, they purchased a winter home in Jupiter, Florida, eventually moving there full- time in 1997. Mary leaves her son, Stephen Wheeler, his wife, Kim Urbain and a grandson, James Wheeler of San Francisco, California and many nieces and nephews. Mary was predeceased by her husband James, her parents and her siblings Bud Luscomb and Betty Pratt. Mary was very outgoing and had many good friends throughout her life, from growing up in West Hartford to her later years in Jupiter. At 104, she had outlived many of her contemporaries but still enjoyed the company of her Jupiter friends in their 30’s to their 80’s. Mary was able to live at her home until September 2025 thanks to the generous help of her friends Ginger and Jamey Lee and Jackie Dearlove, as well as her neighbors at Jupiter Inlet Condominiums. The family would also like to thank the wonderful staff at Tequesta Terrace for their care for Mary while she lived there. Mary will be buried in the family plot at Riverside Cemetery in Farmington. Donations can be made to Bright Focus Foundation, 22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871, which researches for a cure for macular degeneration.

Mary L Wheeler

December 13, 1921 - July 23, 2026