Opal Juanita Wheelock

Opal "Jean" Wheelock, 78 of Gray, TN entered the gates of Heaven on 9/22/25 at Abundant Christian Living in Johnson City, TN. She came to live in Gray when she was 16 years old, where she met the love of her life, Bobby Lee Wheelock.

She was born in Spartanburg, SC on July 31, 1947 as the youngest of eight children. She spent most of her youth in Spartanburg, but after she lost her mother at the formative age of 13, she came to live with Ralph and Amy Asbury in Gray, who loved her as their own.

While working at the Nancy Ann Restaurant in Gray as a waitress, she met Bobby. While she often admitted that he was very handsome in his Marine Corps uniform, she thought he was too cocky. He pursued her, but she rejected him several times. His persistence paid off, and after one too many times crashing her dates with other men, she finally agreed to date her stalker. Thus began a love affair that produced two children, two grandchildren, and a lifetime of love, laughter, and sometimes tears. For 57 years, Bobby and Jean toughed it out, through good and bad. Neither would give up on the other, and even through the hardest of times, they stood by each other. They demonstrated to their children what it took to make a marriage work.

Jean was a force of nature. She loved deeply and was fiercely protective of her family, especially her children. She was spunky, feisty, and never without an opinion. Many would say her daughter is the same way, which her daughter would consider an honor. She was flashy and loved shiny, sparkly things. If it could be bedazzled, she commissioned it to be done. She looked to Dolly Parton for inspiration, and we think Dolly would have approved.

Jean came from poverty, and Bobby considered it his duty to provide her with most of what her heart desired. She was widely known in the community, and it would not be an understatement to say that she was, at one time, Gray's most glamorous woman. Bobby's bank account would not have disagreed.

Jean was an exemplary model of motherhood, working hard to provide the kind of childhood for her children that she never had. Her house was the central gathering spot in the neighborhood for never ending rounds of baseball, basketball, football, and bottomless Kool Aid stops. Always present for her children, Jean was the mother who showed up at school with cupcakes, hosted slumber parties, and ferried her children and their friends to movies, parties, the pool, baseball games, and Skate Inn. She was a fantastic skater and never failed to impress her children and their friends with her prowess in the rink.

She left an everlasting impact on Stacy, teaching her about makeup and etiquette, organizing a Brownie troop, and providing dating advice. When her daughter was dating, Jean provided invaluable advice on what she should find acceptable in her date. During one event, when it became obvious that her daughter's date had stood her up, Jean tossed her the keys to her sportscar and said, "Be gone when he calls. And when he calls, I'll handle him." And she did, by proceeding to tell the wayward date that her daughter was out with friends in the sportscar. The date was never late again, and he later became Jean's son in law, who she deeply loved.

She taught both of her children to never back down from a bully, and that one should stand up for others when witnessing injustices. We often witnessed her interceding for others when they needed it. She taught them to seek out the outcasts to offer kindness and a friendly smile. Her children do the same to this day.

A typical 80s mom, Jean's favorite pastimes were shopping and suntanning in her backyard while drinking Tab and reading Cosmo. She loved Christmas and always showered her family with gifts, food, warmth, and love. Jean may have loved pretty clothes here on Earth, but she knew her true treasures were in Heaven. She loved Jesus with all her heart and was saved as a little girl in a small country church. She modeled a Christian worldview and ethos to her family every day. We have carried her lessons with us, and we believe she would be proud of that. Our family is comforted knowing she's with her Savior, free from suffering, and waiting to be reunited with her family.

Jean leaves behind her husband, 1stSgt Bobby Lee Wheelock (USMC Ret), daughter Stacy (Robby) DeBord, son Justin (Natasha) Wheelock, son Brad (Jean) Wheelock, granddaughter Danica DeBord, and her devoted pup, Piper.

The family would like to extend its deepest thanks to the wonderful staff at Sycamore Shoals Hospital and Abundant Christian Living for their support, guidance, and kindness during Jean's illness. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Johnson City/Washington County Animal Shelter.