Donald Dexter Wheelwright

Donald Dexter (Dex) Wheelwright 

Donald Dexter (Dex) Wheelwright was born on Dec. 30, 1938, in Rexburg, Idaho. Dex was the first child of William Donald and Thelma J. Wheelwright. WWII was raging and, during this time, the young Donald contracted rheumatic fever. He became the first non-military person to receive a dose of precious penicillin, which saved his life. His family had the right connections to acquire that single dose of penicillin. Dex graduated from Twin Falls, Idaho Sr. High and received his further education at Idaho State University. He married Norma Jean McCallister in 1958. This marriage produced two sons, Kevin and Brent. Dex was proud of his heritage, being a direct descendant of John M. Browning, the gunsmith. His mother was a Browning. He and Norma also had the privilege of being part of the family of Dr. E.G. Wheelwright. Dr. Wheelwright contributed so much to the nuclear industry. Dex spent most of his career working at the Hanford Site. After an early retirement, he and Norma would spend part of the year in the Tri Cities, WA area and part in Palm Desert, CA, at a beautiful country club with lots of fun things to do. Dex’s health declined starting in 2015 when he suffered an aortic dissection which he miraculously survived. He died on Aug 2, 2025, after a lengthy battle with metastatic colon cancer.