Calvin Eugene Wheat

As per his punctual, early-riser persona, in the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 8, 2026, Calvin Eugene (aka Gene) Wheat peacefully passed away at the young-at-heart age of 88.79 years. The accountant in him, who could calculate sales tax or a grocery bill in his head and was adamant about balancing his checkbook on a weekly basis, would want us to be exact. His life, however, cannot be measured by a 30+ year accounting career, but instead by everyone and everything that surrounded that career. He was not only a loving family man that rarely met a stranger, but also the true definition of a well-traveled renaissance man.

Calvin/Gene was preceded in death by his parents - Ernest and Lucile Wheat, and his loving wife of 18 years and mother of his children - Laverne Campbell. Officially, he is survived by family members, including but not limited to, his children Suzanne and Kevin, his brothers Alton and James, James's wife Elaine, his brother's respective families, multiple nieces, nephews, cousins and his extended family by marriage; all of which he considered to be his immediate family and loved dearly. Unofficially though, he is survived by many, many more - a plethora of lifetime friends, friends of his children, former coworkers, neighbors new and old, and of course, his beloved cats, Missy and Mac. He considered each and every one to be part of his family and all were equally loved and often spoiled with treats (culinary and otherwise).

Calvin/Gene was also fortunate enough to have traveled the world. Domestic destination highlights include the likes of family vacations back home to Belton, TX, every summer to visit family, Yellowstone National Park (multiple times), Disneyworld and Epcot, Cape Canaveral, FL to watch the Space Shuttle launch, Big Bend and Garner State Parks, following his daughter around the nation as a traveling nurse, and anywhere else that he could tow a travel trailer. International destination highlights include Russia, India, China, Greece, Ecuador, Germany, Turkey, Mexico, Egypt, Peru (3 months after his 3rd knee replacement), Italy and Paris twice (once with his brother Alton).

As if the prior were not enough, Calvin/Gene was a high school Drum Major, graduated from Lamar State College of Technology (now Lamar University) with a BBA, BUILT a house (with his father and father-in-law and likely other family/friends) in Beaumont, TX (that never flooded, which is equally amazing). Moreover, he maintained all of his own vehicles, could back in a 30-foot trailer with precision, and could operate a sewing machine...all with the ease and skill as if it were his chosen profession. Last but not least, and definitely not to be forgotten, his favorite and most well-known skill was cooking. There is way too much to list, but if Calvin/Gene was cooking, you didn't want to miss it. Main course - got it. Multiple side dishes - no prob. Dessert - you better believe it! And for those that had the pleasure, just once or for a lifetime, I think we can all agree - everything was always delicious.

To our Dad - we love you and will miss you dearly. Know that you were, and always will be, our hero, and truly the best father anyone could have asked for. Thank you for all of your love and support in everything we did throughout the years - from marching band to sports, bicycles to vehicles, colleges to careers, friends to pets, and everything in between. We will never forget any of it. You will be remembered every time we pet a cuddly animal, spot (and try to identify) a cool looking bird, have an awesome meal or taste a fantastic dessert. Rest in peace, Dad - you earned and deserve every single bit of it! You will never be forgotten as your legacy lives on in so many that you touched.

To all reading this: Suzanne and Kevin have created a list of things that we consider to be some of our favorite memories and/or foods that are distinctly our father, Calvin/Gene Wheat. If you knew him, personally or by proxy, please let us know what some of your favorites are. If you didn't have the pleasure of meeting or knowing our father, that's ok too. Please don't feel obligated to write or add anything. We're just glad that you had the opportunity to learn a little about the man we called Dad. Below are some teasers from our curated list. In the coming weeks, we would like to gather all of the responses and share them with everyone!

• The ever-present 5/5:30am internal alarm clock followed by breakfast, at least one cup of coffee and the morning paper...religiously and without fail

• Vacations at Yellowstone National Park - specifically almost running out of diesel fuel in a remote mountainous location while towing a 32' Airstream travel trailer somewhere along the way, the local gas station not having any and having to wait on drums of it to be flown in via helicopter

• Getting up wayyy before dawn to watch the Space Shuttle launch in Cape Canaveral, FL (which was an awesome experience)

• Towing a 21ft Prowler travel trailer 700 miles with a Ford LTD sedan to Big Bend State Park to see Halley's Comet, but it was 100% cloudy to actually see it...and illegals stole our shoes

• Brisket, BBQ chicken, steak...always delicious, never dry or over-cooked and made on a grill that was manufactured in the 1950's

• Red Velvet cake, Jell-O Ice Box cake, cheese pie, Damn Good cake (that's a damn good cake) and Carolina Dream Cake that got Grandma in trouble at her Dr. appt the next day

• Christmas Trees - yes plural...and if you know, you know. How many ornaments???

• Dad and pets (and other animals): dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish...and then there was the armadillos, possums, raccoons, squirrels, birds, deer, hogs, etc.

A kind soul with a lifelong caring for the smallest among us, Calvin was a lover of kittens. Over the years, he opened his heart and home to many fosters, giving them a safe haven and a fighting chance. In honor of his gentle spirit and dedication to animal rescue, the family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his memory to BARC and FRIENDS FOR LIFE.

https://www.houstonbarcfoundation.org/how-to-help/#donate

https://friends4life.org/donate/make-donation/