Montezuma’s Wheeler to head parade

MONTEZUMA — Guests at the 2025 Montezuma’s “Let Freedom Ring” Celebration are in for a “Good, Great and Wonderful” treat with the naming of Harold Wheeler as the grand marshal.

Wheeler, a lifelong community and school supporter and business owner, will headline the parade that gets underway Saturday, July 5 at 9:30 a.m.

Wheeler, was born and raised in Montezuma and is a 1971 graduate of Montezuma High School.

He attended Ellsworth Community College for two years, then transferred to Iowa State University to study animal science and veterinary medicine. After two years, he switched gears, earning a teaching degree in vocational agriculture.

He spent seven years teaching vocational agriculture at Williamsburg High School before returning to Montezuma in 1983.

“It was sod busting 101,” Wheeler said of teaching the course.

He met his wife, Pat, in 1981 at the Montezuma United Methodist Church. Pat was a fourth grade teacher in Montezuma, arriving in town one year earlier in 1980.

He said the now late Loel Ferguson, a longtime agriculture, shop teacher and FFA adviser at Montezuma, saw Wheeler at church.

“Wheeler, I have someone you need to meet,” he told me. “Meet me in the back of the church after the service.”

Ferguson introduced Pat to Wheeler and the rest is history.

The couple married June 11, 1983 and just celebrated their 42nd anniversary.

That same year, Wheeler partnered with his dad, Frank, in the family-owned Wheeler Construction business. His dad founded the construction business in the 1950s.

The duo has built a number of homes and completed many home construction projects in the Montezuma and Poweshiek County areas.

Wheeler is often seen at community and school events wearing his trademark white hard hat while driving his faithful 1987 Chevrolet pickup.

It’s not uncommon for Harold to be wearing his hard hat while pitching to Little League players during the early summer months.

A few years ago, Wheeler, Frank and longtime employee, Larry Doonan of Barnes City were working on a basement replacement project in Williamsburg.

The roads where icy and Wheeler, who was behind the wheel, slid off the road, down an embankment and through a fence.

All were shaken, but no one was hurt in the incident. However, the truck took a hard hit and appears to be nearly bent in half, but still runs well and is a common sight around town.

“He ought to drive the truck in the parade,” said Pat with a smile and chuckle.

Wheeler continues to operate the construction business. Helping him is Mike Doonan, son of Larry, who worked years for his dad.

Wheeler is a member of the Montezuma Knights of Pythias and is active in the Sons of the American Legion in Montezuma.

He serves on the Montezuma Library Board and the Montezuma Light Plant Board. On Friday nights in the fall, Wheeler can be found at Badger-Gabriel football field calling the play-by-play with his beaming voice at Braves’ home games.

He and his family all most always attend Montezuma basketball games and are strong supporters of the school’s sports programs.

And from 2006 to 2015, Wheeler and his dad delivered Des Moines Register newspapers to subscribers in Montezuma.

Wheeler is also a longtime bus driver for Montezuma Schools and will be back in the driver’s seat this fall after a year hiatus due to some health issues.

And he’s known for making some of the best and most popular homemade ice cream in Montezuma and Iowa.

It all started in 1990, when Wheeler and his three sisters gave their dad, Frank, a new White Mountain ice cream maker.

In the early days Frank made ice cream, using a modified recipe that came with the ice cream maker, for family events. That changed when his brother-in-law, Brian Applegate, who works as a mechanic at the airport in Marshalltown, used a motor and gear box from an airport hangar to mechanicalize the ice cream maker.

Word soon got out and Frank and Wheeler were called on to make ice cream for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, family reunions and community events. It’s a tradition that Wheeler continues to this day.

The couple are parents to four children, Audrey, 33, of Creston; twins, Nathan, 31, of Pella and Natalie, 31, of Orange City. And their youngest daughter, Allison, 26, also of Orange City.

When you see Wheeler in the parade, be sure to wave and yell out his trademark saying, “Good, Great and Wonderful” as he rolls along the parade route.