Albert J. Wheeler, 86, of Hampton, formerly of Waynesboro, Virginia lost his battle with cancer, Wednesday night, July 22, 2026, surrounded by his loving wife Ruth of 44 years and his family.

He retired December 29, 1995, from Army and Air Force Exchange where he spent over 35 years at Langley Air Force Base.

He was preceded in death by two daughters, Margaret Wheeler and Nanci Huggett; his parents James and Margaret Wheeler; three sisters, Virginia Robinson, Francis Jackson, and Dorothy James; four brothers, James, Wade, William, and Bobby Wheeler; as well as his great granddaughter, Karsyn Wright; he is survived by his wife, Ruth Wheeler; three children, Joseph Huggett and wife Courtney, David Huggett and wife Linda, and Leslie Hill and husband Ellis; grandchildren, Brandon Wallace and fiancé Mackayla, Eric Wright and wife Savannah, Jamie Johnson and husband Jawahn, Ellis Hill, Colt Huggett, Austen Huggett and wife Jackie, Lynn Wheeler, Alissa Wheeler, Charlotte Hill, Josie Hill, Kaylee Huggett, Victoria Huggett and husband David, Megan Huggett, Isabella Huggett, Myraya Huggett, and Jordan Wallace; great-grandchildren, Callie Wright, Dawson Wright, Dalton Wright, Kaynslei Johnson, Kaelanei Johnson, Bailey Wright, Jasper Wright, Sophie Wright, David Huggett, and Olivia Huggett; his brother and sisters-in-law, Charles and Wendy Boengle and family and David and Diane Insley and family.

Albert Wheeler raised four grandchildren, Lynn Wheeler, Jamie Johnson, Brandon Wallace, and Alissa Wheeler, showing his legacy is not measured by what he left behind, but by the generations of love, strength, and family that exist because he never stopped choosing the people who mattered most.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home, in downtown Hampton.