James Wheeler saw life through the lens of God's grace.

He shared the resulting joie de vivre by encouraging youths and adults with special needs to pursue their dreams without being limited by their disabilities.

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He danced enthusiastically with people in wheelchairs.

He took them to a tree house community in Costa Rica.

He jetted down the ski slopes with them.

Wheeler, executive director of Central Christian Camp and Conference Center, died Monday after suffering two strokes. He was 37.

His friends and colleagues said the world lost "one of the good guys," but he left an incredible legacy that will live on through the countless campers who attended sessions of Make Promises Happen, an outdoor recreation program for children and adults with disabilities.

Friends said Wheeler also made a positive impact as a beloved mentor for numerous camp counselors who worked at the Guthrie center, 1 Twin Cedar Lane, over the years.

"Our motto is 'No Limits. Know Success' and he lived that every day," said Robert Franklin, Wheeler's mentor and colleague at Central Christian Camp.

Franklin said Wheeler spent much of his life helping others through his work at the camp.

Wheeler first visited the camp with one of his siblings who was deaf and used a wheelchair, friends said. Then a pre-teen, Wheeler loved the camp's premise so much that he became a volunteer counselor.

"He was a volunteer at our camp since the age of 12, and he essentially never left," Franklin said.

Wheeler, of Edmond, eventually became the camp's director of programming, and then went on to become the nonprofit's leader. Franklin said Wheeler became executive director of the camp and conference center, affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination, in 2013.

He said Wheeler helped expand the Make Promises Happen concept and was thrilled when it became an increasingly popular avenue for people with disabilities to engage in adventures they had never experienced. Franklin said Wheeler coordinated ski trips and other adventure excursions for people with special needs so that Make Promises Happen campers got to see a bit of the world.