Obituary of Wesley Keech

Wesley Ronald Keech of Camrose passed away on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at the age of 90 years. Wes was born in Barrhead, Alberta on August 20th, 1926 to John and Maud (Hazlehurst) Keech. He enjoyed life with his family of four brothers and three sisters. He later met and married Betty Gibb. It was during this short marriage that his daughter Gloria was born. Wes loved hockey and played goal for various teams as a teenager and into his 20's. His goaltending got him an invitation to play in Camrose where he met Ethel Wickland. They moved to Penticton, BC where Wes drove truck until enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1951. Wes and Ethel were married on January 4th, 1952 and began their adventure travelling back and forth across Canada. Daughters Nora, Cheryl and Cathy along with sons Bill, Doug, Kevin and David were born in various cities as Wes accepted transfers, promotions and various assignments throughout his career. He became a licensed aircraft technician, managed ground support, flew on a search & rescue crew and at the end of his career managed the Canadian Forces newspaper the Sea-Land-Air. Wes rose to the rank of Warrant Officer, which was a gateway back to the west where he wanted to retire. In 1975 Wes and Ethel moved to Camrose, where they met 25 years earlier. Wes's love of hockey and years of experience in arenas throughout Canada inspired him to open "The Skate Shop" in the CADRECA, now the Max MacLean Arena. He also drove school bus, which fit perfectly with his evening and weekend hours at the skate shop. He drove the first Handi-Van in Camrose, volunteered with the Bethany Helpline, was an active member of the Rose City Amateur Radio Club and continued to be hockey's greatest fan right to his passing during his favorite tournament, the world Juniors. Wes was self-taught in many skills. While never holding tickets in trades such as electricity, construction and carpentry he was known as a master in each. He has built many garages, shops and sheds from the ground up and wired them to the marvel of the inspectors. Even in the last couple months of his life, he was making bird houses and pvc pipe creations. Wes was predeceased by his parents, his first wife, all his siblings and his wife of 58 years, Ethel. Left to cherish his memory are all his daughters and sons, 21 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and numerous other relatives and friends. Wes loved life and had an undying commitment to his family and to many others he helped along the way. May God bless his soul. Left to cherish his memory are his children Gloria (Bob) Tomm of Bonneyville, Nora McLean (Darrell Miller) of Balzac, Cheryl Halla of Penticton, Cathy (Bob) Johnson of Williams Lake, BC, Bill (Debbie) of Kerrville, Texas, Doug (Paula) of Kitimat, BC, Kevin (Amelia) of Camrose, and Dave (Andreea) of Oakville, ON; 21 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and many other relatives and friends. Wesley was predeceased by his wife Ethel; brothers Douglas, Alec, Roy, Steven; and sisters Cecelia Greep, Eileen Hartschen, and Ethel Elder. A Funeral Service was held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, January 10, 2017 from St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church with Deacon Doug Tien officiating. Interment has taken place in the Camrose Cemetery. If family and friends so desire, memorial contributions are gratefully accepted to the Cross Cancer Institute, or to the charity of one's choice.