Wesley Eb Moreland, 77

Wesley Eb Moreland passed away on March 1, 2008, at Sullivan Care Center in Spokane, Wash., after battling cancer. He was 77 years old.

Wesley was born on May 30, 1930 in Polson, Mont., to Eb and Doris (James) Moreland. The family moved to the Spokane Valley, where Wes completed the eighth grade at Greenacres Elementary School, and his parents worked in an armament factory during World War II.

The family moved again, this time to Trout Creek, Mont., where all the family logged and farmed with mining being a hobby. Wes and Eb would take months “off” to spend time prospecting. Some winters would be spent confined in a small cabin with snow all around.

Wes volunteered for the Army on Aug. 9, 1951 and completed cook school. He then was stationed in Korea for two years. He worked for the Parks Road District out of Athol, Idaho, operating road maintenance equipment until the late 1960s, while his parents farmed on leased land outside of Farragut State Park.

The family moved to Cocolalla, Idaho, area where Wes worked for the Cocolalla Sawmill until it closed. He built his own sawmill on the family farm and was self-employed. He was very creative mechanically and built multi-purpose vehicles for his own use. An example of one that he built was a 1925 Model A truck frame and engine with a bucket on one end and a blade on the other.

In 1971 he married Ruth Hatfield, who brought to the union three children. They were divorced in 1977. In 1995, Wes moved back to the Spokane Valley where he was reunited with a friend and companion, Thelma Mackenzie. Prior to their marriage, she suffered a massive stroke. Wes visited Thelma every day at Sullivan Care Center until her death on Feb. 1, 2007. He divided his time between the valley and his home in Cocolalla until December 2007, when his health declined.

Wesley is survived by the Opal Peterson family of Brush Prairie, Wash.

Wes was preceded in death by his father, Eb, his mother, Doris, and his companion, Thelma.

There will be no formal services at his request. Wes will be interred in the Moreland family plot at Pine City Cemetery in Washington state.