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Westley J. Walker - 10/25/2008

Class of 1940

Westley J. Walker, lifetime resident of Pleasant Grove, Utah, passed away on Saturday, October 25, 2008, after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s. Westley was born June 29, 1922, the third of four children to Joseph Shipley and Idella Fage Walker. He married his dear Mary Burns on May 8, 1942, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. Mary passed away in 1989. He and Mary raised seven children. He found love and companionship with his wife Metha Garrett of Quincy, Washington, in their retirement years. He has struggled with dementia for several years, but he stayed active as the sun was setting on his mental abilities. “You name it and I’ll rope it,” sufficed when his intellect failed.

Wes was a farmer, an excavator and a true pioneer. He proudly tended the East-bench land of his father. He served in the Navy during WWII as an aviation mechanic. He returned to run two successful excavation businesses, Walker Construction (with his brother Cyril) and Wes Walker Grading. When it came to grading and running heavy equipment, it was said, “He was the best there ever was.” When you see the erosion control terraces along the Wasatch Mountains, think of Westley. He loved to help others. He was a practical man. He was the consummate worker and could run, fix or move anything.

His pioneering efforts were demonstrated in many arenas. If he needed something that didn’t exist, he invented it. Try building a chain saw from a Model-T Ford sometime. Westley learned to fly his own “aeroplane.” He water-skied; snow-skied and started snowmobiling before almost all others. He climbed to the top of Mount Timpanogos in 1997, at the age of 75 and shot a Rocky Mountain goat. He was an Eagle Scout and one of the first “Skunkers” in the old 3rd Ward, of “Monkey Town”. He vacationed the world, and loved to go “trippin”. His mischievous nature was always welcome and he could spin a good yarn, “Savvy”?!

He was a dedicated provider. He leaves behind a loving family including Metha, his seven children Sam (Katie), Ned (Marda), Val (Olivia), Jerry (Colleen), Mary Ann (Paul), Scott (Jill), Joe (Becky), 39 grandchildren, and a gaggle of great grandchildren. He is the last of his generation in our dear family. What a reception it must have been. If you listen closely, you may hear “Beer Barrel Polka” accompanied by Wes playing the spoons.

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