Sherman Joe Wheeler Jr.

SHERMAN WHEELER JR. (PAYNE), LOVINGLY KNOWN AS “CHAMPAGNE,” WAS BORN ON APRIL
20, 1969, IN DAYTON, OHIO. ON DECEMBER 24, 2025, AT HOSPICE OF DAYTON, SURROUNDED
BY PEACE AND CARE, SHERMAN TRANSITIONED FROM THIS LIFE AT THE AGE OF 56.
BORN TO THE LATE GWENDOLYN BONNER WHEELER AND SHERMAN J. WHEELER SR.,
SHERMAN WAS ALSO THE DEEPLY LOVED SON OF THOMAS PAYNE. HE LATER ADOPTED THE
NAME “CHAMPAGNE,” A NAME THAT REFLECTED HIS BOLD SPIRIT, CONFIDENCE, AND
UNFORGETTABLE PRESENCE.

SHERMAN WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HIS GRANDPARENTS MARY LOUISE GRIFFITH, MARY
REED, JOHN GAULDING, JOHN AND MARY WHEELER, ALDORA PAYNE, AND HENRY FROST; AS
WELL AS HIS SIBLINGS LATISHA HANCOCK, ADREIAN PAYNE, AND JR. GRANT.
THOSE LEFT TO CHERISH HIS MEMORY INCLUDE HIS FATHER, THOMAS PAYNE, WHO HELD
HIS HAND UNTIL THE VERY END; HIS SIBLINGS NICOLE (JAMI) ISRAFIL, MELANEE WHEELER,
TAMIKA OGLESBY, PATRICE (CARL) GENTRY, THOMAS HANCOCK, ANTOINE PAYNE, JAMAR
JOHNSON, D’ANGELO JOHNSON, JAH’NATHAN PAYNE, LASHANNON OLDHAM, SHAWN
(RASHIDA) FLOYD, EBONY GRANT, JEANETTE LANE, TONI OWENS, TAMARA JOINER, AND
TAMIKA HARDING; ALONG WITH MANY AUNTS, UNCLES, NIECES, NEPHEWS, COUSINS, AND
CHOSEN FAMILY.

SHERMAN WAS RAISED BY HIS GREAT-GRANDMOTHER, MARY REED, WHOSE GUIDANCE AND
INFLUENCE SHAPED HIS VALUES, RESILIENCE, AND STRENGTH THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE.
HE WAS A GRADUATE OF COLONEL WHITE HIGH SCHOOL AND EARNED A BACHELOR’S
DEGREE IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. SHERMAN WORKED AS A STATE TESTED NURSING
ASSISTANT (STNA) AND ALSO SERVED IN DIETARY AND HOUSEKEEPING ROLES, ALWAYS
CARING FOR OTHERS WITH COMPASSION, DIGNITY, AND DEDICATION.
SHERMAN WAS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY AND WAS KNOWN FOR
EMBRACING LIFE FULLY AND UNAPOLOGETICALLY BEING HIMSELF. HE LOVED MUSIC,
ROLLER SKATING, AND LAUGHTER, AND WAS REMEMBERED AS FUNNY, FEISTY, AND FULL OF
LIFE. SHERMAN’S VIBRANT SPIRIT AND UNMISTAKABLE PRESENCE LEFT A LASTING
IMPRESSION ON EVERYONE HE MET.

THOUGH HIS TIME WITH US FEELS FAR TOO SHORT, THE RHYTHM OF SHERMAN’S LIFE
CONTINUES TO ECHO IN EVERY LAUGH, EVERY SHARED STORY, AND EVERY ROOM WARMED
BY LOVE. HE LEAVES BEHIND A LEGACY OF JOY, CONNECTION, AND MOVEMENT—A
REMINDER TO LIVE FULLY, LOVE DEEPLY, AND NEVER STOP DANCING OR SKATING EVEN
WHEN THE MUSIC GROWS QUIET.

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