George E. Wheatley, Jr.

George E. Wheatley, Jr., long-time resident of Groton, MA, passed away peacefully on April 12, 2024 at the age of 91. He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years Margaret A. Wheatley (Thompson). 

Born to George E. Wheatley, Sr. and Arline (Hubbard) Wheatley, the Wheatley Senior family moved to Groton in 1945, where George Jr. attended Lawrence Academy and Huntington Prep, before enlisting in the Navy in 1953. He was active duty through 1956 and Naval Reserve until January 1961. He graduated from Lowell Tech in 1961.

After working for MIT Lincoln Labs, George began working in the family hardware business in Arlington, MA. From the later 1960’s until his retirement, George took great pleasure in sharing his knowledge about the products, answering questions and helping customers find what they were looking for.

George met the love of his life in middle school, Margaret Thompson. They married in 1955 and lived together in Groton until the end. In various ways, they met and made many great friends in and around Groton throughout their lives. Margaret’s family also had built a summer home on Drakes Island in Wells, Maine, which created another circle of great lifelong friends.

As a young adult, George was committed to raising a family. Later on he embraced green thinking and environmental concerns that were close to home, both in Groton and on Drakes Island. Not really a hobby guy, he spent a great deal of time outside with yard work and maintenance at both of their homes. After retirement, his greatest passion was Groton history and any preservation of that. He served as a member of the Groton Historic Commission and worked on concerns of the Groton Historical district. The essence of George was humble, introspective, old-school, consistent, methodical to a fault, and caring whenever needed. He was a genuinely nice and good-hearted person.

In addition to being survived by his wife Margaret, George is survived by his sister Elizabeth Odle (Ben) and nephew Nathan Odle, brother Paul Wheatley (Jeanine); and his children Cheryl Williams (Jim), Mark Wheatley (Andrea) and David Wheatley (Kelly). Grampy George leaves behind four grandsons, Justin Williams (Danielle), Nicholas Williams (Ashley), Todd Wheatley (Jessica) and Brad Wheatley (Jill). He also has five great-grandchildren, Haley and Connor Williams, and Jordana, Norah and Asher Wheatley.

 A celebration of life will be planned in the future. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in George’s name to the Groton Historical Society, P.O. Box 202, Groton, MA, 01450 (www.grotonhistory.org)