Wesley Ernest Wedge

WESLEY ERNEST (WES) WEDGE SEP 15, 1933 - SEP 20, 2010 Wesley (Wes) Wedge, age 77, of Gig Harbor, died September 20, 2010. Wes and his twin brother, Winfred, were born September 15, 1933 in Modesto, CA to Ernest and Adeline Wedge. Wes grew up on the family's dairy farm in nearby Ceres, CA. Wesley Wedge began his life-long passion for football by playing for the Ceres High School team. Wesley was also an accomplished trombonist, playing on state and national orchestras. Wes and his brother, Win, both earned athletic scholarships to Stanford University, playing for the 1952 Rose Bowl team and serving as captain of the JV squad. He was also a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, and upon graduation was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps Infantry. After serving with Battalion Landing Team 3/3 in Okinawa, Japan and the Mediterranean during the Suez Canal Crises in November of 1956, and following a stint as the aide de camp to Lt. Gen Victor H. ''Brute'' Krulak, Wes returned to Stanford to earn his masters degree in business. It was then he met and married Janet Tucker and began a landmark career in the manufacture of concrete and asphalt saws. In 1968, Wes launched Wedge Co. in Des Plaines, IL, helping build many of America's freeways and airport runways. His innovation and expertise were harnessed world-wide. He raised his family in Bremerton, WA and following his divorce from Janet and the conclusion of Wedge Co. in the mid-1990's, Wes became a marketing manager for General Tool, Inc; working with president Jae Woo Kim. Jae Woo's generosity will forever be remembered with deep gratitude by Wesley's family. Wes moved to Gig Harbor in 2008 to live with his daughter, Jacquie Goodwill, and her son, Samuel. Later, Wesley lived at the Merrill Gardens community, and served as president of their resident council. Most certainly, Wesley's greatest legacy in life was his family and friends. He is survived by his two daughters; Jacquie (Goodwill) and Ann (Swarens); and three grand- children, Jacquie's son, Samuel, and Ann's children; Tucker and Kelly, as well as his son-in-law, Tim Swarens and former son-in-law, Sam Goodwill. He is also survived by his twin brother, Win, his nephew, Doug; two nieces, Kelli and Patti, and a sister-in-law, Geri Wedge. He will be mourned by the Tucker family as well, Jeannie Tucker and her son Gene, his wife, Lori and their children Jared and Ethan. He will be greatly missed by his godson, George Mr. Jim'' Aucoin, George's family and a host of friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Howard, as well as his former mother-in-law, Elizabeth Tucker, and brother-in-law, Gene Tucker. Donations can be made to the Franciscan Foundation at www.fhshealth.org, or by calling (253)428-4511. Please direct a gift to St. Anthony Hospital, whose staff and volunteers cared for him lovingly in his final days. www.modbee.com/obituaries