ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Family and friends gathered for the 5th annual Jack Hamilton Wheeler Memorial Golf Tournament on Saturday.
RELATED: Friends remember Creekside High senior killed in DUI crash
It’s a story about love, loss, and remembrance. Despite the hardship for the family, they have been able to help students thrive beyond high school.
“So loving and friendly,” Winslow and Cat Wheeler, Jack’s parents, said. “You’d hear him coming from a mile away because his laugh was so huge.”
Other family members said once he got into a laughing fit and couldn’t stop, he’d run out of breath and it became a silent laugh.
They shared unforgettable memories of Jack at the 5th annual memorial golf tournament held in his name.
“The support that we have received from this community is immeasurable,” the Wheeler family said. “This community lifted us when we couldn’t stand.”
In 2019, Jack Wheeler, only 18 years old at the time, died in a crash. He was a passenger in a car when it left the road and hit a tree. Police said Wheeler was thrown from the car and later died at the hospital. A 16-year-old was driving under the influence.
RELATED: Drunk Driving: DUI deaths on the rise nationwide
The motto they like to say is “Live like Jack.” He was a senior at Creekside High School: he had a 4.3 GPA, was an athlete, and had plans to attend either FSU or UCF. He even told people he was considering being a nurse.
“So we’re kind of in a way sending Jack to college with all these kids,” his parents said.
“Live like Jack” is the motto used by friends and family of Jack. (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)
Since the Jack Wheeler Foundation was established in 2020, it has awarded over $50,000 worth of scholarships to high school seniors who need assistance with college expenses.
“It’s definitely cool to just kind of see how this has all sustained over time too, it’s all the people that kinda still come around every year and lend us all these hands and everything,” the Wheeler family said.
The golf tournament held at South Hampton Golf Club raises money, but also spreads awareness for drunk driving and wearing a seatbelt.
“There’s a lot of pressure when you’re growing up too, ‘oh it’s fine, get in the car with someone, they’ve only had a couple of drinks,’ but don’t be afraid to speak up and listen to that voice in the back of your head like, ‘oh, I don’t think this is safe,’” the parents said.
Beyond the accomplishments, he was loved deeply by his friends and family, and he was known as a respectful, compassionate, and outgoing kid.
“Don’t drink and drive,” they said. “Don’t do it. If our message and our philanthropy can save one life and spare one family, from this kind of ordeal, then mission accomplished.”
Click here to donate to the event.
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
