A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 1, 2020, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Atlantic. Visitation, with the family present, will be held prior to the service starting at 12:00 p.m. Burial will in the SS Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery. The family asks that everyone wear masks; social distancing is to be followed.
Roland Funeral Service is caring for Natalie’s family and her arrangements. Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com
Natalie Wheatley Merritt, 53, of Platte City, Missouri, formerly of Atlantic, Iowa, died Friday, April 17, 2020, at her home.
Natalie Jo was born on September 21, 1966, in Atlantic, Iowa, the daughter of Wayne L. and Donna M. (Sieck) Wheatley. She grew up on the family farm northwest of Atlantic; likely starting her love of the outdoors and adventure. Natalie took to anything that could go fast from motorcycles to snowmobiles and enjoyed the trek to a nearby farm pond to go ice skating. Her love for music also started at a young age, always surprising her mom at how she knew the lyrics to every song. Family vacations were always at the top of her memorable times as a kid; enjoying trips to northern Canada fishing and Yellowstone National Park. She was a cheerleader and graduated from Atlantic High School in 1985. Following graduation, she attended Southwest Texas State University in San Marcus, TX; graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree. She continued her education in the years to follow at the University of Central Texas in Killeen, TX; earning twelve credits towards her Master’s Degree in Science Management.
In 1990, she started working for Temple Coordinated Child Care Council Inc. (Temple 4-C) in Temple, TX as their Finance Director. Natalie later worked for the counties of William and Bell County, TX, as an Internal Control Auditor. In 2005, she took a job that opened her eyes to the devastation that happens during floods, tornadoes, fires, etc., as a Farmers Insurance Group Catastrophe Claims Representative. She traveled all over the United States covering tragic situations such as Hurricane Katrina, flooding in Houston, and forest fires in California and Colorado to name a few. She saw things that tore at her heart and at times lived in her car filling out claim paperwork lit by a flashlight.
In 2015, she moved to Kanas City, Missouri; later moving to Platte City, Missouri where she purchased her condo. Natalie worked full-time at the Platte County Assessor’s office as a Personal Property Assistant until the time of her death. She loved this job; valuing the friendships she shared with her coworkers.
Natalie will be remembered for her caring personality, putting others before herself, and how could you forget her infectious smile. She was an awesome cook and could often be found watching one of her favorite cooking shows on the Food Network. Natalie loved to attend concerts, plays, and shows. She looked forward to taking her Texas Chopper out for rides on weekends with her sister, Jana and friends, and also attending bike rallies in Sturgis, South Dakota and Fayetteville, Arkansas. If it was football season, Natalie was sure to be cheering on her Texas Longhorns; a fan through and through. She was also a strong supporter to the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals.
Natalie loved to travel and doing it with family and friends made it even better. Her most memorable adventures included ones to New York City sailing, a trip to Texas kayaking with friends, and riding a motorcycle across the Golden Gate Bridge while with her mom and sisters in San Francisco. Almost every year she vacationed to Texas to visit her sister and very dear friends. Natalie wasn’t afraid of anything even in the days prior to her passing; she lived life to the fullest with her family and neighbors at her side. A trip for ice cream and making her famous chili in her final days will be cherished memories for her family. There was one thing you never doubted with Natalie and that was how thankful she was; whether it be something simple or her mom staying with her after her diagnosis she always said, “Thank You” followed by that smile that lit up the room.
Natalie will be deeply missed by her mother, Donna Wheatley of Atlantic; sisters, Jana (Terry Zieber) Wheatley of Smithville, MO and Dana Wheatley of Dallas, TX; grandmother, Elleen Wheatley of Marne; many aunts uncles and cousins; and countless friends.
She is preceded in death by her father, Wayne L. Wheatley, and grandparents, Lester and Mildred Wheatley and Henry and Ida Sieck.
