November 20, 1926 - April 17, 2020
On April 17, 2020, Billie Thalia Wheaton (née Bratcher) passed peacefully in her home surrounded by her loved ones. She was 93 years of age. Billie was born in 1926 in Newcastle, Oklahoma to parents Thomas & Dovie Bratcher. When she was young, the family moved west and ultimately made a home in Stockton, California. In 1944, she married her late-husband John E. Wheaton and together, they raised six children.
She worked 32 years for Tri Valley Growers in a multitude of capacities from line supervisor to quality control. The last 17 years of her life were spent in Acampo, California where she could spend copious amounts of time with her family, tending to her flower gardens, quilting, and teaching her grandkids how to make her famous apple pie.
Billie, known affectionately as Mema by her grandchildren and all alike, was the quintessential matriarch. She was the epitome of strength, grace, and resilience. Billie loved her family with fierce determination and impacted the lives of many. Anyone who knew her was better for it.
Billie is preceded in death by her late-husband John E. Wheaton, siblings Vernon Bratcher, Pearl Parsons, Pauline Gryder, Opal Gryder, Thomas Bratcher, Harold Bratcher, and grandson Timothy Jones. She is survived by her children Billie Ann Jones, Gerrie Winstead, John Wheaton and wife Carmen, Yvonne Guthrie and husband Paul, Diana Wheaton, and Gwen Angoletta and husband Aldo. She leaves behind 16 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren, as well as her siblings Mary McKee, Irv Bratcher, and Barbara Wardrobe.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Hospice of San Joaquin at HospiceSJ.org or the American Heart Association at Heart.org. Funeral and memorial services for Billie Thalia Wheaton will be a private, family only event.
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