Wes was a fourth generation Montanan. He grew up on a ranch on Beaver Creek, east of Winston, and his education started in a one-room schoolhouse there. He went on to Broadwater High School and then to Red Lodge High after his family moved to Roberts.
After serving in the U.S. Army, Wes joined Mountain Bell in Great Falls, having trained as an electrician. But in 1958, he started a new career in the paint business. Eventually, he moved his family to Clancy, and he joined Benjamin Moore, where he would work until his retirement in 1997.
Wes was always on time, and he didn’t tolerate tardiness; his dealers always said they could set their clocks by him. He was very conservative, and knew how to squeeze a dollar out of a dime. Most of all, he was a hard worker who wanted the best for his family.
He enjoyed the outdoors, particularly riding horses, chopping/stacking wood, hunting and fishing; he and his buddies and grandsons made annual fishing trips to Saskatchewan. He and I traveled extensively, visiting all the U.S. states and most Canadian provinces, as well as several European countries.
He was also an active supporter of Jefferson High School, especially the girls basketball teams. When his daughters, Debora, Gail and Wendy played, he always scheduled his business travels around out-of-town games.
Wes was active in the Masonic organization, among many others. He was a longtime member of Boulder/Basin Lodge #41 where, with his fellow Masons, he spent many hours on the restoration and maintenance of the building and grounds. The scholarship program and garage sale were two of his great achievements.
