‘Small Town, Big Love’: Tarkington couple finds love at first stamp

In the heart of Tarkington, Texas, where time seems to moves at the gentle pace of the surrounding landscape, a love story that has stood the test of time continues to bloom.

This week, in the final installment of “Small Town, Big Love” leading up to Valentine’s Day, Bluebonnet News brings you the endearing tale of Floyd and Barbara Wheeler, a couple who have navigated the journey of life together for an astonishing 65 years. Their story, like many great love stories, began in the most unexpected of places. For them, it was the Romayor Post Office, which in the late 1950s was located inside Hudgins Grocery Store.

Barbara, a beautiful brunette with sparkle in her eyes, was working a weekend job at Hudgins Grocery Store, earning $2.50 per day, working every weekend throughout her junior and senior years at Hardin High School.

Floyd, a newcomer to the community and a striking figure at 6’2 with a cowboy hat and boots to match, stepped into the store one Saturday, changing the course of both of their lives forever. He had only come to buy a stamp. Their initial encounter was brief, marked by a moment of mutual awe, but it sparked a flame.

Barbara recalls that it was a few days before she saw him again. Floyd later told her that he had gone home to tell his mother that he had met the girl he was going to marry.

“We were in love, almost at first sight. Well, it was for him. It took him about six months to persuade me to date him. Growing up at the Chain O’Lakes on the Romayor side, I got to swim in an artesian swimming pool. This was my favorite thing to do, so after I met Floyd, if he wanted to be around me, he had to swim, too. He tells most people he was waterlogged, so after we married I could hardly get him in the water anywhere.”

After their initial meeting, the two were inseparable. Floyd was a year ahead of her at Hardin High School, graduating in 1958. She graduated in 1959.

Floyd and Barbara went out on dates every Saturday night and then went to church together every Sunday. Floyd was the song leader during his senior year of high school and Barbara played the piano at church that year. Both also had a shared interest in basketball. They both learned to play basketball on a dirt court using a basketball goal mounted on a telephone pole. Barbara grew up playing with three older brothers and a couple of nephews. Maybe that is why it was a little easier for them when they actually got to play on a real court.

Barbara was the first female student athlete at Hardin High School to letter all four years of high school, earning a jacket every year. She still has a gold basketball for All-Tournament. Floyd loved basketball, too, and he played for Corrigan ISD before moving to Romayor and attending Hardin High School. Due to interscholastic rules at the time, he was not allowed to participate in basketball after the move to Hardin.

In the summer of 1958 and before entering Lamar Tech University, Floyd went to work at PlusTex Poultry, a company that processed chickens for wholesale. Still earning minimum wage, he then worked for Porta Kamp, where they were manufacturing portable buildings.  Floyd really missed getting to play basketball and still had that desire when he made it to Lamar Tech, though he was surprised to find that at 6’2, he was on the shorter end of the players that year as many were close to 7 feet tall.

After a year at Lamar Tech, he left college to continue working for Porta Kamp Manufacturing. In the summer of 1959, an uncle, Fred Wallis, got him a job at Gilson Floor Covering in Houston, which started his career in floor covering.

In September 1959, Floyd and Barbara were married. Floyd started college classes at night at South Texas College of Law in downtown Houston. Work kept him busy throughout the day and then college filled in whatever time he had left in the evenings. Even so, Floyd excelled in his work at Gilson’s through hard work and endurance, which was recognized by the company’s owner, Harold Gilson.

Gilson so respected Floyd’s work ethic that he arranged and paid for Floyd to take drafting courses at the University of Houston. This allowed him to move up from installing floor coverings to selling them. In 1961 the Wheelers moved into their first tract home in a nice little neighborhood in Houston. In April of 1962, they started their family with the birth of their first son, Chip. Their second son, Troy, was born in November of 1963.

In 1965, Floyd and Barbara bought some property at Macedonia, a small community that is part of Tarkington Prairie. Owning the land in Macedonia was the fulfillment of a dream of Floyd’s to become a cattle owner and breeder.  A few years later Floyd had the opportunity to purchase another 112 acres near their homestead. 

He worked in the floor covering business each day and then spent every waking minute at home with his cattle business.   Floyd did well, becoming Gilson’s top estimator and salesperson.  After working for Gilson’s for about 15 years and earning enough to start his own business, in 1973 he opened Contract Floor Covering, which became one of the top 10 floor covering companies in the US at that time. The main office was in Houston with a 16,000 square foot warehouse and also offices in other locations: Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, Texas, and New Orleans, La. 

The manufacturers liked him, often inviting him to their plants and asking him to speak at their seminars because of his expertise in the flooring industry. ‘He liked him so much that he sent him to University of Houston to take some drafting courses so he could start selling, moving up from installation.   In 1961 they moved into their first tract home in a nice little neighborhood in Houston and in April of 1962, Floyd & Barbara started their family, with the birth of their first son, Chip. Their second son, Troy was born in November of 1963.

In 1965 Floyd and Barbara bought some property at Macedonia, which is a small community and part of Tarkington.  The couple welcomed daughter, Melinda, in 1968.

Owning property was also part of Floyd’s dream to become a cattle owner and breeder.   A few years later the Wheelers had the opportunity to purchase another 112 acres near their homestead.  Floyd worked in the floor covering business and every waking minute at home he was involved with the cattle business.  

Floyd did well, becoming Gilson’s top estimator and sales person.  After working for Gilson’s for about 15 years and earning enough to start his own business, with the right people to help him, in 1973 he opened Contract Floor Covering, which became one of the top 10 floor covering companies in the US at that time. The main office was in Houston with a 16,000 square foot warehouse and also offices in other locations: Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and New Orleans, LA.  The manufacturers liked him, often inviting him to their plants and asking him to speak at their seminars because of his expertise in the flooring industry.

At one time, Floyd bought an 18-wheeler and an employee began hauling oilfield equipment for him. On another occasion, he bought a log truck and cut timber off the national forest.  He even bought heavy equipment and did some clearing with a bulldozer.  He leased property at Tarkington Prairie, Shepherd, Humble and Bastrop for pasture land for his cattle.  At one time the Wheelers owned about 650 head of cross-bred cattle. 

Today the Wheelers have about 70 head of Beefmaster crossbred cattle and are enjoying a new cross with two beautiful Angus bulls purchased last year.

During this same time frame, Floyd served on several boards, including Tarkington ISD Board for 11 years, Liberty County Central Appraisal District Board, Dairy Day Board and the Floor Covering Union board.

After about 15 years of operating Contract Floor Covering, Floyd’s partner decided to sell his share and Floyd had the opportunity to sell, also.

After staying out of the business for a few years he opened Coastal Flooring, Inc., in 1985, where he has worked helping his family for the past 38 years.  It has always been another dream of his to have a family business. Today, nine out of 12 employees are members of the Wheeler family.  The other three have been with him so long they seem like family.

The Wheelers have been married for 64 years. In addition to their three children and two daughters-in-law (Chip and Monica, and Troy and Shelley, and Melinda), the Wheelers have eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Note: The Wheelers’ daughter, Melinda, contributed to this article.