Woman who died protecting friend leaves strong legacy
After 6 1/2 years of marriage, there is no question what Mark Wheeler's wife meant to him. She left their two young children a strong legacy.
In the week since April Wheeler and her friend, Kelli Alexander, were ambushed and killed, Mark Wheeler has struggled to come to terms with the tragedy. It's easiest to remember his wife in the simplest terms.
"She was the most amazing woman I ever knew," he said. "I just want them to see and know that she gave her life for a friend."
The Wheelers met in the U.S. Marine Corps and married three months after they started dating.
They had taken in Alexander and her three children six weeks before the women were killed. Alexander's family has openly credited April Wheeler for the happiness that she experienced the final weeks of her life. Mark Wheeler says his wife was only doing what she believed any friend would do.
"I don't want people to see that this bad thing happened to April and say, 'She was helping a friend, so I don't want to help a friend. I don't want that to happen to me,'" he said.
Mark Wheeler is uncertain of his future, but he is clear on the message his wife would want him to share in the years ahead.
"She was selfless," he said. "She was just doing what friends do - what more friends around need to do. We just need to take care of each other."
A trust fund has been set up on behalf of April Wheeler's two children. If you would like to help, send donations to:
April Wheeler's Children's
Trust
c/o Morgan Stanley
700 Corporate Park, Suite 500
Clayton, MO 63105