Mr. Wesley Charles Waddle

Wesley Charles Waddle was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was fair-minded with a helpful and gentle disposition that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was kind, loving, and respectful. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

He was born to William and Alpha Waddle on December 4, 1924 in Picher, Oklahoma.

Wesley has one sibling; a younger sister, Lillie. They are 16 months apart in age. He and Lillie experienced the death of their parents at a very young age. Wesley was 5 years old when his father died of tuberculosis and 7 years old when his mother died of the same disease.

After the death of their parents, Wes and Lillie went to live with their maternal grandmother, Mary Williams. Soon thereafter, the family moved to Kansas City, Kansas to be closer to other relatives, including cousins who were similar in age to Wes and Lillie.

Wes experienced many hardships as he grew up. The dustbowl was affecting Kansas, as was the great depression. Wes often had to stand in soup lines to eat. His grandmother did what she could to provide for the children by taking in ironing and washing clothes, but money was very scarce. When Wes reached the eighth grade, he left school to work. School had been hard for him, and he knew that he had to help bring in money for the family. He became a farm-helper working to plant, harvest, and repair farm equipment for area farms.

For fun, Wes loved to fish. It would continue to be his favored past-time throughout his life. Also, owing to his calm, easy-going nature, he was often expected to get his little sister out of trouble during their early years.

As the Great Depression wore on, Wes and all of his family moved to Lodi, California to seek better work opportunities. There, he worked in agriculture for a time, but then sought work that would provide better pay; he found a job as a ship fitter.

When he turned 18, he enlisted in the Army during World War II. He was in the 211th Army Air Force Base Unit. He was assigned to an Airborne unit and an Engineering Unit. He was a medic and spent most of his time in England caring for wounded soldiers in the military hospitals. However, he was later sent to the front line in Belgium and Luxemburg during the Battle of the Bulge where he was a field medic. In total, he was in the army for three years. He received several awards recognizing him for his service, including a Bronze Star, Good Conduct Medal, Honorable Service Button, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal. When his tour ended, he re-enlisted in the Air Force; however, after only three months he was honorably discharged due to medical reasons.

His time on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge had triggered schizophrenia and Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. After his discharge, he spent time in several Veterans Hospitals being treated, including through the use of Electric Shock Therapy. He hated the hospitals and escaped from at least one of them. During this time, he began riding the rails across the United States looking for work and inner peace. He also began to drink heavy and would continue to do so for many years to come.

After a hospitalization in California, Wes went to live with his sister in Stockton, California. There he met Marie Barnette and eventually married her. She had a son from a previous relationship, Butch. Again, to provide for a family, Wes worked in the agricultural fields, planting and harvesting crops. Over time, the family grew to include a daughter, Janice, and a son, Kent. Marie then gave birth to another son, Henry, who was fathered during an extramarital affair. However, Wes accepted the child and gave him his last name.

In 1952, Wes was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. It started on his back and spread throughout the right side of his face and neck. The only treatment available was extensive surgery. The prognosis for recovery was bleak, but against the odds, God spared his life. When he returned home from the surgery, he found Marie had resumed her affair. Soon, she bundled up his clothes and set them outside for him to find when he came home from work. Her cruelty hurt him and he began to drink more heavily. He also returned to life on the road, riding freight trains and hitchhiking aimlessly. When he did return to Stockton, he would occasionally stay with his sister, but often went to stay and work at a Rescue Mission. If that was not possible, he would live on the streets.

On one trip by freight train, he found himself in Portland, Oregon. There he went into the Rescue Mission and met Elizabeth Bjorseth. She and her husband ministered to the homeless and provided food and shelter to those who wanted to rehabilitate. Wes stayed with her twice. The second time, he decided to continue living there. He gave his heart to the Lord and stopped drinking. He never drank again.

It was during this time that he met two of his closest friends – Jack Graham and Obert Bjorseth. They both had come from the streets and understood Wes’ struggles. They would remain good friends for the rest of their lives. When they met, they all began attending Maranatha Church of God. Maranatha is where Wes found Mae Wagoner.

On September 18, 1971 Wesley exchanged wedding vows with Mae LaVonne Wagoner at Maranatha Church of God of Portland, Oregon. Gentlemanly and loyal, Wesley was committed to making his family happy.

Together, Wes and Mae began their life together. She worked for the Oregon Health Science University, and helped Wes become employed there as a groundskeeper. They both continued to work there until their respective retirements.

In August 1973, they welcomed their daughter, Elizabeth, into the world. Life now settled into relative normalcy for Wes and his young family. In 1981, Wes and Mae purchased their family home. They would continue to live there until May 2008 when they moved into a retirement village.

Unfortunately, Wes again developed health problems. In 1982, Mae was informed that he was within twenty-four hours of death from internal bleeding. Again, God intervened and spared his life. The doctors were unable to explain the recovery. During this time, Wes also had multiple surgeries on his feet and intense pain in his back. He was told later that the issues with his feet likely resulted from severe frostbite during the Battle of the Bulge. His back pain was caused from trauma to his body. Recent x-rays showed that at different points in his life almost all of his bones had been broken.

When Wesley’s retirement finally arrived in 1983, he was well prepared. His new life involved tending his garden more carefully and expanding the already large selection of plants and vegetables. He planted and tended a personal garden every year until 2000.

Because Wes had been given a second chance at life through the kindness of strangers taking him into their home, he and Mae carried on that ministry. Throughout the years, many needy people, including those from prisons, would call the Waddle home their home. For some, the time spent was life changing, for some it was just a stopping point. Either way, they experienced God’s love and where given the help and opportunity to get on their feet again.

In September 2000, Wes was diagnosed with lung cancer and given a 10% chance to live out the year. In spite of the prognosis and his age, 75 years old, he was determined to believe God for life and fight. He had surgery to remove the upper quadrant of his left lung and then went through chemotherapy. By God’s grace, he once again survived the odds and lived another ten years, enjoying life and experiencing many of his life’s dreams.

Wes found pleasure in fishing, especially deep sea fishing. He was quite good at it and even in his 70s would often land the biggest fish on the ship. Into his eighties, he and his good friend, David Wiley, would go fishing together. Sometimes they caught something; often they brought home fish stories.

Wes’ faith was important to him; it sustained him. He was a member of several churches throughout his life. After coming to Portland, he was involved in the church choir at Maranatha Church of God. He later became a Licensed Minister at the Full Gospel Community Church of Milwaukie and was one of the Associate Pastors. Wes’ dedication to the preaching of the Gospel also led to him and Mae ministering with the Oregon Prison Ministries. His last home church was the Dwelling Place in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Wes enjoyed traveling and time away on vacations. It was a chance for him to renew and relax, to visit new places and experience new things; although, for many, a Waddle vacation would not be considered relaxing. Wes was afraid to fly, but he loved to drive and could comfortably drive twelve hours a day, sightseeing alone the way. His love of driving and longevity behind the wheel passed to Liz. When Wes became too ill to drive, Liz took over so the family could continue to travel. Although he, Mae, and Liz, traveled the USA extensively, he was most fond of Yellowstone and took his family there often; any day that he could watch buffalo in the wild was considered a good day. Wes also longed to see Alaska, so in August 2005 the family took a cruise to Alaska. Everyone loved the trip, but Wes considered it a trip of a lifetime.

In 2006, they drove the entire Lewis and Clark trail, plus a couple of side excursions. Liz drove 5500 miles in eighteen days and Wes loved every minute of it. In total, he and his family drove through 26 states during their family vacations.

In April 2009, Wes’ health took a serious turn for the worse. His breathing became extremely labored and he was losing energy; although, not the will to live. He was enrolled in Hospice and was cared for by Mae, his friend Dave Wiley, a health aide, Alice, and Hospice staff until he was transferred to a nursing home in February 2010. Until the day he died, he thanked God for every day given to him. Just before his move to the nursing home, he told Liz, “every day is harder to survive, but I thank God for every day.”

Wesley passed away on May 2, 2010 at Avamere Clackamas Rehabilitation Center. Wesley died of a multitude of problems largely cause by the lung cancer he survived in 2000. He is survived by his wife, Mae; his daughters, Janice and Elizabeth, and his son, Kent; his grandchildren Laurie, Rhonda, and Lynette; and 5 great-grand children. Services were held at Lincoln Memorial. Wesley was laid to rest in Willamette National Cemetary.

Simply stated, Wesley was a good and kind person, an individual who will for all time be remembered by his family and friends as being a caring and giving person, someone who was a vital part of their lives. Wesley leaves behind him a legacy of life-long friendships and many cherished memories. Everyone whose life he touched will always remember Mr. Wesley Charles Waddle.