Bruce E. Wheeler, 60, of Williston, ND passed away on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at Sanford Medical Hospital in Bismarck, ND.

How to sum up someone's life in a few paragraphs is a daunting task. There are no sources left to get the dates, timing and names correct. So we'll have to do the best we can with the information we have, and our memories. I apologize in advance if it gets vague at times.

Bruce Eugene Wheeler was born in Williston, North Dakota to Arthur William Wheeler and Nona Lee (Haugen) Nelson on March 24, 1960.

Bruce went to high school in Dickinson ND and Bremerton WA. He received his GED and went on to school in Texas and NDSU where he studied computer hardware and software. He worked for a time for our family business, Nelson Enterprises Hydro Instant Lawns. He started working in the oilfield with geophysical seismograph companies. He spent time working for a company mapping the ocean floor in the Gulf of Mexico. He started working on the big oil rigs.

He was married and divorced and had several step children and step grandchildren. He went to Colorado to study Directional drilling and upon completion; he became a directional driller on the big oil rigs. He loved riding motorcycles and horses, drawing, working on computers. He had a great sense of humor and never hesitated to cut it up and become goofy for the entertainment of others. He sometimes had a mischievous side to him that once resulted in the disappearance of the family Thanksgiving turkey. He had a well-deserved reputation for a ravenous appetite. He should have competed in eating contests. He could easily eat three full course meals with all the trimmings and still want more. Our late cousin, Dirk and Bruce absconded with the Thanksgiving turkey once, and they ate the entire thing, I'm not exaggerating! Needless to say, they weren't too popular with the rest of the family who didn’t see the humor in this prank!

Bruce’s intelligence and the ability to think outside the box, was impressive, even at a young age. When we were young, Bruce, Dean and I shared a bedroom and Teresa had her own. We talked our mom into letting us have an old black and white TV in our room. Bruce was only in the fourth or fifth grade at the time and he wired the TV to a toggle switch control board he built, that he attached to his headboard complete with a crystal radio. He ran ear buds and the wiring under the carpet and each of us had an ear bud at the headboard of our beds. From that toggle board, he could turn on and off the TV and the lights and we could watch tv or listen to the radio without mom ever knowing. Sometimes we, would let out a laugh or giggle at night when we were supposed to be sleeping, and mom would hear it and quietly try to check on us. We could see her shadow coming under the door and Bruce would hit the toggle switch and turn off the TV and mom would quietly open the door and we would pretend to be asleep. She would then close the door and we could see her shadow moving away from under the door. After a minute or two, click... he would turn the TV back on. Mom never knew what we were doing at bedtime. Around the same time, Bruce designed a three wheeled vehicle using half a motorcycle married to two wheels up front, a conventional cab and steering wheel, including body lean in the turns. It was extremely well thought out and was a highly detailed drawing. ln just the last decade, similar designs have been popping up that are now on the streets. A few years ago, I was following one and it was so similar to Bruce's design that I could have sworn it was stolen 'from Bruce's mind. I was shocked (his design was at least 50 years ago!)

Bruce is survived by his father, Arthur William Wheeler; aunts and uncles, Dick Wheeler, Bill Wheeler, Bruce and Kathy (Wheeler) Brogger and Joan Haugen-Wolff; brothers and sister, Kurt A. Wheeler, Dean Wheeler and Teresa L. Wheeler Monson; brother-in-law, Rick Monson; niece, Dacotah Monson and several stepchildren and step-grandchildren, numerous cousins and friends.

Bruce was preceded in death by his mother, Nona L (Haugen) Nelson; maternal grandparents, Julian A. Haugen and Lila I. (Dixon) Haugen; paternal grandparents, Victor J. Wheeler and Marcella G. (Weyrauch) Wheeler; uncles, David Wheeler and Leon Haugen; cousins, Dirk Haugen (and baby Jenny), and Raef Haugen.