Delores Elaine Wheat

Dolores Elaine Wheat, 90, danced into heaven Jan. 20, 2026, in Moses Lake, Wash., with her daughters, Cindy Gender and Susie Courtright, and son-in-law John Courtright by her side.

She was born in 1935 in Terry, Mont., to Pauline and Gottlieb Naasz. She was the eldest of three children, Joan Naasz-Childers (deceased) and Reuban Naasz.

Dee was married to Roy “Buck” Wheat (deceased) for 64 years. They had four children: Jay, Scot (deceased), Cindy and Susie. They have seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

She was a curious and active little one, speaking only German until she was in kindergarten.

The family moved to Yakima, Wash., in 1942, where she attended school and graduated from Yakima High School. She enjoyed many school activities, including playing the clarinet in band, majorette activities and attending many dances and other activities with friends and her many cousins.  

Dee began working as a secretary and bookkeeper at Yakima City Hall during her senior year of High School. She was very proud of this first “real” job; she truly enjoyed working with numbers just like her father, and this job helped the family financially during very tough years after her father’s heart attacks. The extra money also enabled her to travel to California and the Oregon coast, as well as Chicago, Ill., to visit family.

In 1957, Dee was introduced by friends to the love of her life, Roy ‘Buck’ Wheat, on a blind date. She fell in love, and they were married in 1958. She remembers that he had to be a great guy because he carried a photo album of his family around with him in his pickup.

They moved to Prosser, Wash., later in 1958, where Buck started a flying operation called Aircraft Applicators, Inc. While Buck was busy crop dusting, flight instructing and running an air ambulance, Dee kept the books for their business and tended to the mini farm, with a prune orchard and farm animals, along with three of their children in tow. Buck and Dee’s two younger brothers lived with them during the summer months to assist as flag boys with the crop dusting.

She was a significant support to her husband in all their many activities in Prosser, including helping to build a Ferris Wheel and “box ride” for the Prosser City Park. They were very active in the Prosser Jaycees.

In 1962, they were offered an opportunity to lease the Richland, Wash., airport and created Richland Flying Service, where Buck’s dad and brother Bill joined them. She continued to do the bookkeeping for this business again while managing a household with three busy children.

Dee was a woman of faith and raised her little ones to know Jesus, memorize their Bible verses, as well as pray for her husband daily as he was flying the skies either for flight instructing, aerobatics, many skydivers, gliders, Hanford Project scientists or air ambulance. Together, they also put on several air shows at the Richland airport. She also became quite adventurous as Buck flew the family to nearly everything they did. The family spent many weekends attending fly-ins throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho, gathering with other flying enthusiasts and friends.

In 1969, they moved the family to Moses Lake, Wash., so that Buck could be a flight instructor at Big Bend Community College.

The first year they were here, Dee took the opportunity to welcome a Japanese agricultural exchange student to live with the family, and they stayed in touch for many years. It was a great cultural experience for all. She continued to do bookkeeping for all of Buck’s flying side businesses, as well as taking part-time jobs at a florist, ceramic shop and church volunteer. She and Buck also enjoyed the house being full of kids after school, athletic games or weekends; most of them called them mom and dad. She loved supporting her family by cheering on the sidelines in sports or cheerleading and all of her children’s successes. She was a great listener and person to lean on in difficult times with words of wisdom and prayer. Before retiring, Dee worked in banking for many years as a teller, branch manager, secretary and eventually, a personal banker.

Through the years, she continued to enjoy outdoor adventures: skiing, traveling, gardening, golfing, long walks and time spent with family and dear friends.

In 1980, Buck retired from BBCC, and they were able to move back to Yakima to help with her parents.

In 1990, they returned to Moses Lake and lived here for six months out of the year to be with daughter Susie, husband John and their four boys and had a winter home in Sun City, Ariz., to be near eldest daughter Cindy and her two children. While in Arizona, Dee golfed and joined a Women’s golf club where she enjoyed playing with a good friend from their Prosser days. For many years, Dee and Buck thoroughly enjoyed being volunteers at the Mariners' spring training along with the Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz. One year, at the Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Tiger Woods actually met them in passing along the golf course and laughed at “Buck Wheat’s” name tag and asked if he wanted his Phoenix Open hat signed, of course, Buck said, “You bet.”

Dee loved to serve at their local church in various capacities for events, senior luncheons and even in the church library.

They enjoyed traveling to Buck’s Air Force reunions all over the United States. She was quite the planner and travel agent for these events and many sightseeing adventures.

They went on numerous vacations with their children and grandchildren, many cruises with family and friends and many trips to Florida to visit their oldest son, Jay, and his family. They received a special invitation to tour and attend NASA’s final launch of the Atlantis Space Shuttle from one of Buck’s flight students, who was the pilot for this final mission.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Gottlieb and Pauline Naasz, her sister JoAnn, her husband Buck Wheat, and their son Scot Wheat.

Dee is survived by her daughters, Cindy Gender of Peoria, Ariz., Susie Courtright and husband John of Moses Lake, son Jay Wheat and wife Recheane of Melbourne, Flo., daughter-in-law Linda and husband Mark of Wickenburg, Ariz., and her brother Reuban Naasz and wife Carole of Bothell, Wash.

Her heart’s joy was to spend time with her children, sevengrandchildren, and her 10 great-grandchildren. She loved each one dearly and enjoyed attending many of their singing, dancing, and sporting events, being fully immersed in their lives. They all loved their Gramma Dee and will miss her!

The family would like to give a special thank you to Dr. Pimentel Jahns, Dr. Thomas and Dr. Turner for their exceptional care, along with the many nurses who cared for her at Samaritan Hospital over the past several months, and to Assured Hospice for their compassionate care and guidance to our family.

We would also like to give a very special thank you to all the staff who took such compassionate care of our dear mom at The Monroe House. You all have a special place in our hearts, and we thank you for walking beside, loving and caring for our mom. You truly helped make these past several months so much easier for her.

A special thank you to The Moses Lake Presbyterian Church for your love and support of our dear mom and our whole family.

She has finished her race and now rests in the loving arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ, where there is no more pain, only joy everlasting.

Memorials can be made to the Scot Wheat Memorial Fund via the Big Bend Community College Foundation, 7662 Chanute St. NE, Moses Lake, WA 98837.

A celebration of life will be held Feb. 14, 2026, at 11 a.m. at the Moses Lake Presbyterian Church, 1142 W. Ivy Ave., Moses Lake, WA  98837.