Ellen Janet Rogge Pierson Wheet, 80, died June 29, 2026 at her home in Ft. Worth, Texas. Ellen was the great great granddaughter of early Bates County pioneers, Daniel and Emma Jane (Chase) Sherman, who emigrated from New York state in 1867. Her maternal grandparents were James Wallace Sherman and Chrystal Theora (Johnson) Sherman. Jim Sherman, back in the day, was a well known Bates County farmer and custom butcher.
Ellen was the only child of Raymond Franklin and Berneice Marie "Bee" Sherman Rogge. She was born on November 26, 1945 at Butler Memorial Hospital, Butler, MO. For the first ten years of her life, she and her parents lived on the Sherman family farm, located one mile north of the Butler square. They lived with her grandparents, Jim and Chrystal, her great grandmother, Hattie ( Short) Sherman, and her mother's youngest sibling, Howard James Sherman. About 1956, after her grandparents had passed and Howard took over the farm and business, Ellen's parents bought a small farm on Mill Street that adjoined Oak Hill Cemetery. Ellen attended Butler public schools and graduated from Butler High School in 1963. She and her mother were members of the First Baptist Church of Butler. Ellen always talked about what a wonderful childhood she had on the farm, playing with her Sherman and Rogge cousins on the weekends and summer vacations. She loved animals and besides the farm animals there were dogs and cats and she always had a horse to ride. When it rained and she couldn't play outside there was usually a marathon Monopoly game going on inside or a cowboy TV show to watch.
After high school graduation Ellen moved to Kansas City for work and later met Floyd Eugene Pierson. They married on March 17, 1967 and lived in Kansas City for a few years. Then they moved to Ft. Worth, Texas for Floyd's new job with Home Depot. While they had no children, they enjoyed raising and breeding bulldogs for many years. Ellen also worked in the Ft. Worth court system in various positions.
Floyd passed away in 2004 after a number of years of serious illness. In 2006 Ellen found love again when she married Travis Wayne Wheet. They had 5 beautiful years together until he passed away in 2011.
Ellen was kind and outgoing and made many good friends in Texas and while keeping in touch with family and friends in Missouri and beyond. Family was always very important to her and she remained close with Floyd's family, especially his sister Janet, and always attended the Pierson family reunions. When her Sherman cousins grew up and scattered across the country, it was Ellen who kept up on everyone and helped arrange some memorable "cousins reunions". Even though her health was declining and making it difficult to travel, she ventured out one last time to the Sherman cousin reunion in French Lick, Indiana in May of last year.
Perhaps Ellen's most admirable quality was that she made the best of whatever life threw at her. In the early 1990s when Floyd first became seriously ill and both her parents were terminally ill, she traveled between Ft. Worth and Butler caring for all three. After Travis died she said that she was determined not to sit around and feel sorry for herself so she joined a gym and did daily workouts, joined a bowling team, and traveled all over the country with family and friends. When her health severely declined this year and she needed home healthcare, she was still upbeat and commented about what nice young ladies her nurses were and how much she enjoyed having them in her home.
Ellen's family and friends miss her very much. Her survivors are her five Sherman cousins and their spouses, Sheri Sherman Swann (Keith Swann) of Martinsville, IN, Donna Kithcart Zeller (Greg Zeller) of Springfield, MO, Alan McCoy (Michelle McCoy) of Cincinnati, OH, Sharon Kithcart Tourtillott (Lenny Tourtillott) of Rich Hill, MO and Barb McCoy (Michael Schoenfeld) of Pinole, CA. She was predeceased by her parents, her aunts and uncles, many Rogge cousins and two Sherman cousins, James William Sherman (2020) and James Nathan Kithcart (2006). No public services were held and she was laid to rest at Oak Hill Cemetery in her family plot within view of her childhood home.
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