In 1958, Lexington pharmacist William K. “Buddy” Wheeler opened what he once said he thought would be “a small drugstore that I could operate for a few years, then move on to having a big store.”

Instead, Wheeler Pharmacy became a Romany Road landmark that remains in operation 66 years later. Wheeler, 89, died Thursday.

Wheeler sold the business to his daughter, pharmacist Claire Wheeler Lewis, in 2020, but he remained very active behind the scenes.

“He was back in his office crunching numbers,” Wheeler Lewis said in an interview. “He was there and telling all of us what to do.”

Indeed, Wheeler Lewis wrote in a Facebook post that her dad “told me 2 weeks ago to replace the carpet in the pharmacy department because he noticed it was worn. He even told me that my mother would pay for it.”

Wheeler was a 1956 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.

He told former Herald-Leader columnist Don Edwards in 1988 that he started his business “on a shoestring,” with “$20,000 in borrowed money and a line of credit from a Cincinnati drug company,” Edwards wrote.

At that time, his Chevy Chase location was on the edge of Lexington’s suburbs.

An obituary provided by his family said Wheeler “embraced innovation, being among the first in the region to implement a computerized dispensing system. He was also a pioneer in pharmacy education, welcoming students for learning rotations, providing guidance and mentorship that many would carry throughout their careers.”

He was “committed to serving his customers and patients with unwavering dedication and kindness,” it stated..

While the store expanded over the years, Wheeler’s maintained its neighborhood feel. A loyal following continues to enjoy hanging out at its soda fountain, which serves breakfast and lunch.

Regulars can still order a Buddy Burger, named in honor of the man affectionately known as “Mr. B.”

Lee Tolliver, who said she has worked at the lunch counter there for 26 years, said Wheeler “was a sweetheart” who cared about his customers and employees alike.

“Snow days, he would come pick me up, or he would call me: ‘Are you ok? Do you need a ride?’” she said. “He was just a very caring person and made you feel cared about.”

Though Wheeler was retired, Tolliver said, “he’d still come in and say, ‘Let’s go to work, girls!’ I always loved hearing him say that.”

In 1988, when Wheeler was celebrating the pharmacy’s 30th anniversary, he told the Herald-Leader he didn’t have any plans to retire.

“I’d like to last another 30 years,” he said then. “Besides, what would I do? You can’t fish 24 hours a day.”

Wheeler was a native of Mount Sterling and graduated from Mount Sterling High School in 1952 before coming to UK.

He was married nearly 70 years to his wife, Lucy Clay Wheeler, and had four children, several of whom are still involved in the business.

Claire Wheeler Lewis said her dad recently described opening the pharmacy as his life’s greatest accomplishment.

“I disagree,” she wrote in an email. “While this is an amazing thing, I would say that his FAMILY was his greatest accomplishment. What a legacy he has left in all of us.”

Milward Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Milward — Man O’War, 1509 Trent Blvd. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home