Valerie Joan Wheat

Valerie “Dut Girl” Joan Serpas Wheat

Cherished Mother, Meme, and Rebel

Valerie Joan Serpas Wheat, 75, passed away in the early hours of April 21, 2023 at St. Tammany Hospital in Covington, LA. According to legend, she was born to Agnes and Wallace Serpas Sr. on a stroke of lightning the stormy night of May 28, 1947.

As dramatic as her entrance would suggest, Valerie was determined to make the greatest fun of life. She went forth to light up every room she entered with her poise and witty spirit. 

It was this spirit that led her to marry Jerry Ross Wheat, the late Alabama National Guardsman and Southern Natural Gas operator. It was a romance that spanned almost 50 years of fireworks, travels, and adventures. 

After years in the banking and education industries, Valerie retired to a life of high profile gambling exploits (with her Keno Queens), gardening, jewelry collecting, and cooking. In her spare time, she found great comfort talking about everything under the sun with every one under the sun and providing beauty consultations wherein she would tell us what we needed to do and never the other way around… She didn’t need any input, she was simply that good. 

Though some of us may be unaware, Valerie prayed for us until her final breath. She wanted the best for us own on our own terms. She wanted us to know it truly means to live and make the most of life. We are, all of us, better from having her in our lives. 

And though the midday sun may now be slightly dimmer, the songs of cardinals and neighborhood finches somber, the aroma of honeysuckles and magnolias less profound… anguish, agonize, suffer we will not. 

For in memory of Valerie, this force of a woman, we will move forward heads high, in grace and unwavering confidence, and make the most of ourselves. She would have accepted no less. 

She is preceded in death by her parents, Agnes and Wallace Serpas Sr.; her husband and soulmate, Jerry; and her lifelong best friend and sister, Patricia “Patsy” Serpas Romero along with Adam and Edna Melerine. She is survived by her children, Kelly and Kris Wheat (Chantal); her grandchildren, Cameron Gonzales, Evan Wheat, Jake Wheat, Lauren Harris, and Austin Harris; her siblings, Wallace “Dee Dee” Serpas, Jr. (Virginia), twin Valance “Dut Boy” Serpas (Hyacinth), and Justin “Georgie” Serpas (Deborah); in addition to her many beloved nieces and nephews. Special thanks are due to St. Tammany Healthcare System, Hospice staff, as well as nurses Tim, Shelby, and Regina. A celebration of life will be held Saturday June 10, 2023 in the Chapel of Bagnell & Son Funeral Home 75212 Highway 437 Covington, Louisiana 70435. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a service to follow at 12:00 p.m.