Click here to view the virtual Celebration of Life held for Wes Marshall on July 5th, 2020
Ekalaka, Montana
Wesley Dale Marshall, DVM, 85, died Friday October 11th, 2019 at the Dahl Memorial Nursing Home in Ekalaka, Montana, following a great life and many, many experiences and stories.
Wes leaves his wife of 62 years, JoAn (Carey) Marshall; his daughter, Kerri and her husband Andrew; his son, Daniel and wife Aida , and his son Matt and wife Sara; two grandchildren Michelle and John, and a multitude of close friends including liberal and conservative firebrands in Montana and California!
Born in Riverside, California, the son of Wesley Charles and Alice Crawford Marshall, “Dr. Wes” practiced veterinary medicine with “Dr. Jody” (JoAn) for 40 years in Lompoc, California, before “retiring” to run a cattle ranch in the Chalk Buttes near Ekalaka, Montana, where JoAn's family had a homestead.
Early on, Wes helped his family packing pears, apples, and other fruits up and down the West Coast and they laughed and called themselves “fruit tramps”. He graduated from high school in Omak, Washington, in 1951 then attended veterinary school at Washington State University, graduating with distinction in 1958. The more important “score” at the time was winning over the only woman in his veterinary class (JoAn), with 25 other eager men hoping to be her catch!
Wes spent two years as a first lieutenant in the Army Veterinary Corps, inspecting the meat packing facilities throughout Colorado. After his Army service, Wes practiced large animal veterinary medicine in British Columbia and central California, before settling in Lompoc for the majority of his career in small animal veterinary medicine at West Valley Veterinary Clinic.
At their veterinary hospital in Lompoc, CA, Dr. Wes and Dr. Jody created a legacy of quality and compassionate care for the animals in their community that is still remembered today. Dr. Wes had a special interest in cardiology and orthopedic medicine, but was just as happy to see a puppy or kitten and help them get off to a good start with their new family. The team from the West Valley Veterinary Clinic are considered a part of the Marshall family to this day.
Wes had numerous passions, and was a longtime member of the Lompoc Rotary Club. Wes was very active in the local Democratic community, president of the local Lompoc Democratic Club, and once headlined a protest rally against the US involvement in the Vietnam conflict. Later, Wes and JoAn had much fun attending the Clinton Inauguration in Washington, DC. Wes welcomed all opinions...as long as he could argue about it!
Wes favorite hobbies were horses and fly-fishing. Many days of his life were spent with his family at Santa Anita racetrack, mornings horseback rides at Surf Beach in Lompoc, and afternoons riding around La Purisima Mission State Park in Lompoc and later at the family ranch in Montana. In Montana, he bred, raised and trained two beautiful Arabian foals from birth, the mare “Kharma” went on to win top 10 awards in 25 and 50-mile endurance rides ridden by his daughter. Wes also enjoyed Russian literature such as Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekov and used these classics as bedtime stories for his children. He later named the second foal, a gelding with 3 white legs “Troika”-which is a Russian sleigh pulled by a team of three horses.
Wes was an avid fly fisherman. He fished the Campbell River with JoAn on Vancouver Island, Canada and the Thompson River in Kamloops, Canada and taught all of his children to fly fish. They returned the favor last summer by taking him on a bucket list fly fishing trip on the Big Horn River in Montana. As always, he out fished all of his children.
Wes lived life in full and gave all he gained from life to others.
A celebration of life party is planned for next summer at the Montana ranch, details to be determined. Be there or be square!
A big debt of gratitude is owed by the Marshall family to Dahl Memorial Healthcare in Ekalaka Montana, the administrators, physician’s assistants, nurses, staff, and members of the community of Ekalaka and friends from Washington and California that would stop by to say “howdy” or sing a Washington State fight song with Wes during the three and a half happy years he spent there. In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to Dahl Memorial Healthcare, PO Box 46, Ekalaka MT 59324 and note that it is for the Wes Marshall Memorial.
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