Mr. Freddie Lewis Wheatley Jr., 70, of Tangier Island, passed away on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at VCU Medical Center in Richmond.
Born on Tangier Island on Aug. 23, 1954, he was the son of the late Freddie L. Wheatley Sr. and Henrietta Charnock Wheatley.
Freddie was a 1972 graduate of Tangier Combined School and worked as a waterman. He was an extremely hard worker and loved being a waterman; he started working on the water when he was in the fourth grade. His passion was crab dredging, but he also enjoyed crab potting and oystering in the winter with Tracy Moore.
An avid sports fan, he enjoyed watching and rooting for the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, and the Washington Redskins (Commanders). He loved eating sweets and visiting his family on Sunday mornings.
He was a wonderful “Poppop” who loved to tease but also enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and taking them on the boat. He also always had his faithful pet dog companion, “Minnie,” wherever he went. Freddie was a very well-known and generous man. He knew no stranger and would help anyone who needed it.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Cynthia Smarr Wheatley; his daughter, Jenny Dise and her husband, Dan; three grandchildren, Alyssa McCready and husband, Isaiah, and their two children Evan and Roman McCready, Castella “Cassie” Dise, and Daniel Dise; his brothers-in-law, Bryan “Spanky” King and Larry Parks; his sister-in-law, Lisa Pusey; and several nieces and nephews.
Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter, Heather Wheatley Dise; his sister, Sandra Wheatley King; his mothers-in-law, Docia Pruitt Smarr and Patty Parks; his father-in-law, Grover Smarr; his sister-in-law, Donna Parks; and his brothers-in-law, Grover “Butch” Smarr and Ernest Ed Parks.
A memorial service was held on Tuesday, May 6, at 2 p.m. at the Swain Memorial Church on Tangier, where sharing was from 1 to 2 p.m. The Rev. Charles “Chuck” Parks officiated and the speakers were Dan Dise and Elder Duane Crockett.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be sent to the Tangier Fire Department, 16344 Main Ridge Road, Tangier, VA 23440.
Arrangements are in the care of Bradshaw & Sons Funeral Home in Crisfield, Md.
To send condolences, please visit www.bradshawandsonsfuneralhome.com
