Wesley Alderson, 78

This is my last chance to have anything printed in a newspaper, so I’m writing my own obituary.

I was born March 6, 1946, in Carlinville, Ill., to the best parents anyone could hope to have, Dorothy Griffiths Alderson and William W. (Bill) Alderson. In August 1954, when we were leaving Nilwood, Ill., the only city employee and mayor were changing the city population sign from 200 to 197. My father liked to tell people we were on our way to Alaska but Coeur d’Alene, Idaho is where we ran out of money! After six months of fishing and hunting in Idaho, I knew I would live here forever. I attended Borah for third Grade, Sherman for fourth and fifth then the South & North Junior High School in 1964. My father was a member of the I.B.E.W. No. 73 Union and I was lucky enough to start in an electrical apprentice program in 1966, good pension, good wages, and excellent health & welfare benefits- everyone should be so lucky.

I had two children, Todd in 1965 and Amy in 1967. Their mother and I divorced in 1981. Todd and Amy have given me eight grandkids and one great-grandchild. Horses, dogs, housecats, motorcycles, snowmobiles, four-wheelers, jeeps and country music (I played the steel guitar) were all worked into my hunting and fishing lifestyle. A lot of waking up in the woods with a smile on my face!

A final thought before I end up at the Historic Hunt Cemetery in Kingston, Idaho, is don’t let the "Idaho Freedom Foundation" and far-right extremists ruin Idaho! Make donations to the Kootenai Humane Society. To engage with Wesley’s online tribute, please visit www.englishfuneralchapel.com.