Robert Wheeler

Velva

Robert (Bob) Wheeler, 92, who lived most of his life in Minot, died August 22, 2023, at a Velva, care center. Until recent years when his health began to fail, he maintained a life full of activity and adventure as an attorney, a sportsman, and community activist with a known capacity for organizing people and events.

He was born March 5, 1931, in Minot, a son of Walter Wheeler and Martha (Aalund) Wheeler. He grew up in Minot, and attended Minot schools, graduating from Minot High School in 1949. He spent the year 1951-1952 at Eastern Illinois State College in Charleston, Ill., before switching to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree there in journalism in 1954. He spent a year as a reporter at the Minot Daily News He then took a job for a year as night editor for the Boise, Idaho, Statesman. He returned to the Minot Daily News and spent the next five years there as city editor.

On Dec. 26, 1955, he married Betty Ann Olsen in Grand Forks. They lived in Minot until moving back to Grand Forks when he entered the UND School of Law. He earned his law degree, and was president of the class of 1966. He was a member of the Order of the Coif at UND.

In 1966 he and Betty returned to Minot where he joined the law firm of McGee, Hankla and Backes. He remained there until retiring in 2001.

During his law career, he served on the North Dakota Bar Association’s Committee to draft ND Mineral Title Standards, which became a model for standards adopted by the bar associations of several oil producing states. In more recent years, he and Betty were involved in mineral title work they labeled Wheeler Title Searches. He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America category of Natural Resources and Environmental Law, a national publication.

He was president of the first board of the Minot Public School Foundation, was a board member and president of the Minot Area Development Corporation, president and rodeo chairman of the Minot Y’s Men’s Club. He once was the club’s member of the year. He was a member of the church council and moderator of the Congregational United Church of Christ.

Many of his activities were focused on sport. He was the winner one year of the Minot Country Club’s Senior Men’s Golf Tournament. He was a member at that facility, now known as the Vardon Golf Club, and club president. Betty accompanied him on one memorable trip to play golf in Ireland. For that event, he appointed her as his caddy and “gopher” to find his lost balls.

For some thirty years, he and Betty owned sailboats they plied on the waters of Lake Sakakawea, and they won many regattas scheduled on the big lake. He also was the founder of the Fort Stevenson Dockowners Association. He was a member and founder commodore of the Dam Yacht Club.

He was a co-developer of Rolling Hills Addition, a rural Minot residential area.

He is survived by his wife Betty; daughters, Deborah Ann Wheeler, Ridgway, Colorado, and Pamela Kay (Edward) Burkardt Minot; grandchildren, Blythe Burkardt, (Paul Notareschi), Prattville, Alabama, Caitlyn Burkardt (Sean Shanahan) Rochester, NH, Maren (Thomas) Burghardt,, Minot, Peter Tashi Hackett, Salt Lake City, Utah; brother, Ralph (Jacqueline) Columbus, NC; great-grandchildren, Ailyn Burghardt, and Bridger Roan Shanahan, Rochester. Numerous nieces, nephews and cousins also survive.

Funeral services: A memorial service will be held Thursday, August 31, at 10:30 a.m. at the Congregational Church of Christ in Minot.

Inurnment will be at a later date at the Cottonwood Farm at the Olsen Family Cemetery in Manvel.

Thompson-Larson Funeral Home of Minot is completing arrangements. Visitation is one hour prior to the service at the church.

Memorials are preferred to the choice of the donor.

The service will be livestreamed for the public to view and can be accessed by going to the Thompson-Larson Funeral home website: www.thompsonlarson.com

Those wishing to sign the online register and share memories may access the online obituaries section at (www.thompsonlarson.com).

Published by The Minot Daily News, Aug. 26, 2023.