Newton and Mary Wheat

Wheat, Newton Leo, 10/11/23-8/15/15 Wheat, Mary Gamble Driggers, 5/31/24-6/19/11 Newton Leo Wheat, wonderful husband, father and grandfather, died peacefully in his sleep on August 15, 2015. His wife, Mary Gamble Driggers Wheat, preceded him in his death in 2011. Newt was a naval aviator, avid skier, golfer, an amazing storyteller, and a good friend to everyone who knew him. Newt was born in Ziegler, IL to James Elton Wheat and Clara Ann Bayless. He lied about his age and joined the Navy at the age of 17. His first assignment was on an icebreaker in the Aleutian Islands. He often joked about being seasick the entire time, and how it motivated him to apply to Navy flight school. That started him on an exciting Navy career that lasted 32 years. Newt became a test pilot and one of the first helicopter pilots in the country. Newt flew the F4U, the A4D, the F7U, the F4B, the SO3S and was proud of having flown 22 jets in all. One of his commanding officers wrote “that Newt Wheat – he can fly anything!” He attended the University of Texas in Austin, TX and Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey, CA. Newt became a carrier pilot and served on the USS Philippine Sea, the USS Princeton, the USS Coral Sea and the USS Ranger. When in port, Newt found time for excursions, usually skiing, but one of his favorite accomplishments was climbing Mount Fuji. Newt had carrier landings on 10 different aircraft carriers and was part of three wars, specializing in nuclear weapons, strike operations and intelligence. As part of an assignment with the VX-5 Air Development Squadron, Newt was stationed at China Lake, CA Naval Ordnance Test Station where he met his future wife, and life-long love, Mary Driggers. Mary was an accomplished mathematician in charge of a group that collected and analyzed data that included trajectory, path, landing, and ballistics on the Navy's missiles and rockets, most notably the Sidewinder missile. Newt’s assignments took him, Mary, and their daughter Julie to Albuquerque, NM; Quantico, VA; Moffett Field, CA; Bremerton, WA; San Diego, CA; and Oslo, Norway. In his Norway assignment, Newt was the naval intelligence representative for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Newt’s Navy recognition included the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy Unit commendation, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with device. Newt retired from the Navy as a Commander in 1973 and worked for a government contract agency in Las Vegas, NV managing projects at the Nevada Test Site until 1980, including Operation Morning Light, a recovery mission in Canada for a downed Russian satellite. Newt and Mary then moved to their favorite place, Albuquerque, NM, where they enjoyed skiing, travel, and especially golf with their friends at the Four Hills Country Club. Mary died in 2011 and Newt moved to Reno to be with his daughter Julie, her husband Michael and his grandson Zane. Newt is survived by his daughter, Julie Brown, son-in-law, Michael Brown and grandson, Zane Brown, all of Reno, NV. Funeral services and reception will be Sunday, September 13, 2015, 2:00 p.m. at FRENCH - Lomas. Please come and share a sea story. Newt and Mary will be buried on Monday, September 14, 2015, 10:30 a.m. at the Santa Fe Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Navy Marine Corps Relief Fund at http://www.nmcrs.org/.