Wesley Van Horn, 71

Wesley Van Horn, a longtime resident of Coeur d’Alene, passed away Sept. 30, 2015. Wes was born Nov. 4, 1943, in Fort Worth, Texas, to Rev. Elmer L. and Bernina Van Horn.

At an early age, he found his happiest times were spent outside: running, hiking, fishing, hunting, riding his bicycle, playing with his sister, Carol and brothers Elmer and Melvyn. He hunted and fished regularly with his Dad which helped solidify his love of the outdoors.

In his late teens he moved to Southern California where he graduated from Granite Hills High School. He served in the Army National Guard, completed two years of college then became a park ranger in his mid-20s. It became his mission to encourage and assist others in their enjoyment of the outdoors. While serving in this capacity, he met a girl who turned out to be the great love of his life, Susan Irene Thoma. They were married on Aug. 15, 1969. In the early years of their life together, they lived in various parks in San Diego County where Wes was promoted up the ranks as a Ranger. While stationed in Julian, Calif., they welcomed their firstborn son, Shawn Arlen Van Horn on Oct. 3, 1970. Wes was overjoyed at the prospect of having a son to love and nurture as well as to impart a deep regard for all things outdoors.

With great enthusiasm, Wes and Sue took Shawn on his first backpacking trip at the young age of 2 ½. It was during this trip that they took a picture of him wearing his partially homemade backpack which has become a hallmark of the family to this day. Then with great joy, on Aug. 20, 1979, Wes and Sue became the proud parents of their second son, Stephen Wesley Van Horn. Just as he did with Shawn, Wes bestowed upon Steve a deep passion for all of God’s creation. In 1980, they moved to the great Northwest and spent the majority of 26 years in the Coeur d’Alene area. Shawn is currently the lead radiation therapist at Spokane CyberKnife and Radiation Oncology and Steve is a full-time student at NIC majoring in biology.

With the birth of his first grandchild, Wes immediately became the consummate joyous Grandpa. He loved nothing more than to play with his grandchildren, read to them, explore with them and find buried treasure with metal detectors. Grandpa was legendary for his fun-loving willingness to do anything on the spur of the moment that involved running, jumping and especially chasing a ball.

Along with his passions for his grandchildren, hiking, fishing, camping and all things outdoors, Wes was highly skilled at working with wood. He was often known to go to great lengths to find just the right pieces of wood and then spend weeks carefully crafting a beautiful piece of furniture, all done with a specific family member in mind.

While enjoying time hiking and recreating in Moab, Utah, soaking in the beauty of Arches and Canyonlands National Park, Wes suffered a heart attack that took his life.

He is survived by his wife, Susan; sons Shawn and Steve; daughter-in-law Cheri; grandchildren Katherine, Caleb, Luke and Josiah; brothers Elmer and Melvyn; sister Carol; as well as numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and countless friends whose lives he deeply touched. He will be remembered by all of his family and friends as a passionate, loving man who left this world far too soon.

Memorial services are scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015, at Hennessey Funeral Home, 1315 N. Pines, Spokane Valley, Wash., (509) 328-2600.