Mary Frances Bowman Wheeler, 92, of Germantown, Tennessee passed away Thursday, April 22, 2021 after suffering a massive stroke. She was born June 6, 1928 in Blytheville, Arkansas to the late Melvin Carl and Bessye Lee Bowman, later moving to Monette, Arkansas. She loved the hometown where she lived with her siblings, Karlene and Lee Allen. Their home was Grand Central Station, full of home cooking, sewing machines and teachers, where she would later learn her calling in life was to teach, teaching the first grade. Mrs. Wheeler loved church where you might even find her on Sunday morning at the pulpit ready to sing a solo of “In The Garden.” She was also known to run away with strangers always knowing the road to home! Mrs. Wheeler learned to sew from her mother at a young age and would stay up all day and night to make whatever she was working on perfect. Mrs. Wheeler loved looking beautiful and her red lipstick. Going on a blind date, she met John Thomas Wheeler and he ended up being the love of her life for 63 years. Mr. Wheeler loved and spoiled Mary Frances, as Jesus talks about in the Bible. Their families and countless friends witnessed their love, as their grandchildren, who they worshipped and adored with all their hearts and then the great grandchildren came along and the spoiling became bigger. Mary Frances did not mind using a ping pong paddle or her voice if needed when it came to discipline, but a stick of gum, a hug and a kiss was much better. She could talk all night long to her best friend, Sarah, loving the years teaching about Jesus to children in Sunday school together. Christmas was her favorite holiday, always giving of herself making sure everyone was ok, not going away hungry and giving one more gift. Mary Frances loved as Christ does for us. She was preceded in death by her parents, Melvin Carl and Bessye Lee Bowman; husband, John Thomas Wheeler; siblings, Karlene and Lee Allen; grandson, Robert Martin “Marty” Pollan; and sisters-in-law, Katherine Wildy and Lura Bates. Mrs. Wheeler is survived by her daughter, Vinita Wheeler Pollan (Bobby); son, John Clifton Wheeler (Sabrina); grandchildren, Mary Allison Sehnert (Sam), Amy Pollan Barrick (John), Cliff Wheeler (Jessica) and Nichole Wheeler Dunivan (Spencer); sister-in-law, Louise Dennis (Dan); nieces and nephews, Mel, Brian, Allen, Lonnie, Mary Beth, Laurie, Karen, Charles, Ann, Mary Katherine, Diann, Adam, Daniel; and countless friends. The family will receive guests beginning at four o’clock until six o’clock in the afternoon of Sunday, April 25th, 2021 with a funeral service to follow at ten o’clock Monday morning, April 26th, 2021 at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 3700 N. Germantown Road, Bartlett, TN with Bro. Barry Baker officiating. Honored to serve as pallbearers will be Cliff Wheeler, Sam Sehnert, Spencer Dunivan, John Barrick, Mel Redman, Alan Bowman, Brian Bowman and Lonnie Wolfe. The family requested in lieu of customary remembrances, Mary Frances be remembered, by donations made to Gracewood Baptist Church, 8551 Getwell Road, Southaven, MS 38672. The family also welcomes online condolences and remembrances be left at www.memphisfuneralhome.net
