John Franklin Wells

John Franklin Wells passed away April 21, 2022 at home with his family in Lebanon OR. He was born September 21, 1941 in Springfield, MO, to Dewey Pearl and Margaret Emma (King) Wells. He attended Houston High School, graduating with the class of 1959. He then attended University of Missouri-Columbia. He married Nancy Elizabeth Sharpe in Reno, NV on July 3, 1971. He adopted Nancy’s two daughters in 1972 and they divorced in 1981. On March 23, 1992 he married Ellen (Ray) Vogel in Bristol, TN.

Mr. Wells graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in May 1965 with a BS in Forest Management and a minor in Biology. He began his career with the U.S. Forest Service on the Bitterroot National Forest on the Magruder Ranger District, building trails and as a lookout. He also worked in inventory and engineering on the Kootenai National Forest, before working on the Sequoia National Forests, the Stanislaus National Forest, the Regional Office in San Francisco, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest McCloud Ranger District, the Kootenai National Forest, the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, and the Washington Office Timber Management Staff. John retired from the Forest Service in 2004 as the Branch Chief of Information Resources Management for the Forest Management Staff in Washington DC. In December 2004, John and Ellen moved to Brentwood, TN and he began an unplanned career as primary caregiver for his wife Ellen. He moved to Lynnwood WA in 2017 with Ellen and his daughter Amy, where Ellen passed away in 2018. John relocated to Lebanon OR in 2021.

The job John loved most and received the most satisfaction from was being Daddy to his three daughters and Papa John to his grandchildren and great grandchildren. John was an avid outdoorsman; he loved fishing, hunting, backpacking, hiking, bird watching, and observing nature. He particularly enjoyed steelhead fishing on the Klamath River and trout fishing on the Kootenai River (in his backyard) and his time living, fishing, and hunting on the National Forests near where he worked in California, Montana, and Idaho. He also traveled often, enjoying trips to all the 48 continental States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Jamaica.

After retirement in 2004, John became active in the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) organization. He was the Newsletter Editor and Webmaster for the local Nashville Chapter of NARFE, and Legislative Chairman, Vice President, and President of the NARFE Tennessee Federation of Chapters. After moving to Washington, he served as the NARFE WA State Federation District II Vice President for the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett regions.

John is survived by his sister Deanna Kathleen Wells of Seattle WA, and his three daughters Tracy Elizabeth Carroll and Wendy Ellen Tessmer of Lebanon OR and Amy Elizabeth Wells of Lynnwood WA; his grandchildren Jacqueline Esprit Wells, Kendal Alexander Tessmer, Kolby Axel Tessmer, Klayton Arthur Tessmer, and Jazlyn Ellen Tessmer of Lebanon OR, Nicholas Trevor Wells of San Diego CA, and Laura Elizabeth Ochse of Vernonia OR; and Great Grandchildren Ocean Felicity and Pearl Julianna Tessmer of Yucca Valley CA, and Nora, Maren, and Leyna Ochse of Vernonia OR.

John was an amazing father, grandfather, and friend who valued his family and friends deeply. He believed in living life to the fullest. He will be missed more than words can say, but we take comfort in knowing that this is not the end of his trail, as his legacy lives on in the memories we all carry in our hearts.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Museum of Forest Service History ( https://forestservicemuseum.org/support-donate/ ) in Missoula, MT.