William Wesley Wilkerson

Wesley Wilkerson, 66, of Odessa, passed away surrounded by family on Thursday, July 30, 2015. Wesley was born on May 4, 1949, in Holly Ridge, Louisiana, to the late Marvin and Mary (Tarver) Wilkerson.

Wesley was a family man and gave everything he had to those he loved. One of his favorite things to do was to sit outside on his deck and visit with family and friends. He always made everyone laugh with his quick-witted humor and “no holds barred” mentality. He believed in telling it like it is and holding true to your word. He was a very generous man and always helped others. That old saying “he would give you the shirt off his back” described him perfectly. He gave without asking anything in return. Before his illness, Wesley enjoyed playing pool, fishing, drag racing, rebuilding engines, and working outside.

On March 7, 1969, Wesley married his one and only true love, Betty (Wallace) Wilkerson. After he laid eyes on her the very first time, there was no turning back. He had found his blonde beauty, his soul mate. They spent the next 46 years together. It was described by him as love at first sight and loved telling the story of when he first saw her. They met in 1968, married in 1969, and looked forward to building their family together. Within only a month of marriage, Wesley was drafted into the Marines and headed off to intense boot camp at Camp Pendleton, and was later sent to Vietnam to fight for his country. He was a fierce soldier and fought every battle of his life, all the way to the end, with the same vigor and plight. He was, in every sense of the word, a Marine. He lived his life with endurance, courage, knowledge, initiative, decisiveness, integrity, dependability, and loyalty. He embodied the motto of the United States Marine Corp, “Semper Fi,” meaning always faithful, always loyal.

Wesley was a tough man who believed in a hard day’s work and had an unparalleled work ethic. He started working at the tender age of 8 to earn money to help take care of his mother and 7 other siblings. He shined shoes, sold donuts, copper wire, and started working on the drilling rig when he was just 15 years old. He worked for several oil companies before starting to work for Basin Well Service for the next 20 years. He finally found his home at Rock Tool Company and was there for the past 30 years until his passing. To say he was good at what he did would be an understatement. He was a fisherman and considered by many to be the best in his field.