Mr Frank Wesley Guthrie's Obituary
Wes passed away on Weds., Jan 20th, after a long and hard fought battle with renal cancer. And, as his Aunt Janie, said, "His 57 years on this earth were very well lived!" No truer words spoken.........
He met Joyce, the love of his life, when he was only 22 and she was 18....they married a few years after that. Michael, their only child, was born several years later. And, as most would agree - especially Wes..., marrying Joyce was the best thing that ever happened to him - he would go just to the very edge of living and Joyce would reel him back in. "Grizzly Adams" If anyone was asked to describe Wesley, that always seemed the description that suited him the best......an avid outdoorsman, loved to fish, camp....live off the land. Nothing made him happier than camping on their land on the Suwanee River, or taking his boat deep sea fishing, spending many nights fishing off of the Skyway.
Bigger than life Uncle Wesley was idolized by his son, nieces and nephews....each one loved to spend time with him, along with others that joined in and became part of his family (Boone, Jake and Joe) - learning how to fish, how to shoot, going up to the river knowing that no matter what outlandish things they did, he'd probably either join them or be the instigator...and listening to his stories....hands down...there was nobody that told tales better than Uncle Wes! For those of us familiar with his story telling, we'd normally turn to look at Joyce to see how much of what he was saying was true and she'd quietly shake her head "no" and laugh. But he never backed down!! He loved to tease them all, rattle their cages, push them to do things they would not have done on their own.....he was fearless and that was contagious. As their parents, we would simply hold our breath and pray and wait for Joyce to calmly say, "Wesley!" The long nights with all of them around the huge camp fires, turning beer bottles into molten glass shards, or playing cards while Wes changed the rules mid stream if he was losing.
He was an amazing cook - especially fish. If anyone was having a party, Wesley was to bring the fish...it rarely made it on a serving plate...everyone would be lined up around the grill waiting for the bacon wrapped snook to be ready, while he yelled and swatted you away....nobody ever went far!! And the oatmeal cookies - the best ever! The trick was to find out where they were hidden as he'd stash them so they were not eaten all at once. His pineapples....grown all over his yard and try as you might to grow them yourself at home, they never produced as much fruit or tasted as sweet.
Wes worked as a traffic signal and street lighting technician for over 30 years. He trained many apprentices and as Michael pointed out, "He trained many and fired even more!" He also established life long relationships with coworkers.
Because of his larger than life personality, Wes had and made friends where ever he went...some were childhood friends, others were people he met while on the job, or through a shared love of fishing, card playing or having a good time.
Wesley is survived by his wife of 32 years, Joyce, his son Michael (Melissa), his brother Wallace Newlon (Karin), his Uncle Michael Green (Carol) and Aunts Janie Hart and Patsy Green, brother-in-law Kenny Graham (Susie); sister-in-law Anita Watling (Keith), sister-in-law Marcia Graham (Scott); sister-in-law Marty Bosy Newlon and the nieces and nephews - Renee, Robbie, Alex, Sarah, Ryan, Zach, Eric, and Josh. He also leaves behind many cousins and their families. And last but not least.....his constant companion, Shorty.
In lieu of flowers consider a donation to your favorite charity.
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