Wesley "Keith" Wiley
Wesley
"Keith" Wiley, 83, Ephrata, Washington, passed
away on April 6, 2011. He was born on May 29,
1927, in Whitetail, Montana, to Herbert S. and
Olive (Longacre) Wiley. As a young child, the
family moved to Bonners Ferry, where he learned
to hunt and fish from his father, which became
his passion for the rest of his life.He graduated from Bonners Ferry High School and joined the Navy, serving in the Asiatic Pacific Campaign. After the military, he attended WSU and later Kinman Business School in Spokane.
At WSU, he met Martina "Joan" Bush of Ephrata, and, on February 19, 1950, they married in Spokane, where they lived for several years while Keith finished Kinman Business School. After graduation, he and Joan, along with their two-year-old son, David, moved to Ephrata, where Keith began a career working for the Grant County Public Utility District.
Starting as a meter reader, he ended his career as District Manager at Grand Coulee, Washington.
Keith was always involved in community events and gave countless hours volunteering for the Ephrata Fire Department, Ephrata Junior Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Little League Baseball, gun safety instructor, the Lakeview Golf and Country Club and making sure the lights were lit on the Beasley Hill flag, star or whatever the occasion was.
He is survived by son and daughter-in-law, David and Kim of Leavenworth, Washington; son, Dan, Soap Lake, Washington; his grandchildren, James and wife, Dzhan, Ben and Katie J. Wiley, great-grandson, Sylvan James all of Leavenworth; and his sister, Glenda (Wiley) Coleman of Arizona. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joan; and his sister, Juanita Mathieson of Redwood City, California.
Keith enjoyed many things in his life. He looked forward to elk hunting each year, and fishing on Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake were probably his favorites. Other activities were golf, snowmobiling, boating and tending to his strawberry patch. His favorite pastime was pulling pranks or tricking someone. We will all miss that crazy laugh he had.
Our special thanks to the staff at Garden Oasis Assisted Living and Central Washington Hospice and to all who stopped by to visit him.
Come join us for a Celebration of Keith's Life at the Lakeview Golf & Country Club in Soap Lake on Saturday, November 19, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. If you have any stories or pictures you would like to share, please bring them.