Wesley Richard Howe

Wesley Richard Howe was born March 5, 1951 to Manley Marshall Howe and Elizabeth Nelson Howe in Los Angeles, California. The family moved northward following his fathers career opportunities, living in Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Watsonville and Los Gatos. It was in Los Gatos that Wes completed his NRA hunter safely training. He was a member of West Valley Swim Club

In 1964, the family moved to Blodgett, OR after his dad purchased and combined two businesses in Corvallis. Life in Blodgett (population 33 at the time) was Wes' dream come true. He was able to hunt on the family farm and fish in the TumTum river. The family also had a second home on tidewater of the Alsea river and weekend trips yielded much time spent fishing and crabbing.

Wes attended Philomath High School, graduated in 1969 and enlisted in the Navy. After completing his tour of duty, he enrolled at Oregon State University and the Navy ROTC program. Upon graduating from OSU, he entered the Marines and had a variety of promotions. One of his fondest memories during his service was being an accompanying diver to the Triest, a deep water submersible vehicle which conducted research in conjunction with Scripps Institute. He served in Vietnam while in the Navy. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan and served in operation Desert Storm. He retired from the Marines as a Major. In 1974 he transferred to the US Naval Reserve and enrolled in the Law Enforcement program at Western Oregon University.

In 1987, he met Sharran Pittman. They dated and married prior to his deployment to Dessert Storm. She was the love of his life. They lived in Corvallis, Blodgett, Dallas and most recently West Salem. After an extended hospital stay, he was able to return home. It was there that he had his final days surrounded by family and friends and his dog, Tank. Wes passed away Sunday, October 19, 2025.

Throughout his life, he acquired a diverse group of friends spread across the country. He always was able to identify the goodness in people and cultivated that trait in others. He was the father to some, the brother to many and the grandfather to those in need. The family is especially grateful to those who were able reach out to express the impact Wes had on their life as his health declined

Wes was predeceased by both his parents and is survived by his wife Sharran, her children, stepson Del Pittman, stepdaughter Gennie Fielder, her husband Rob, their children Ally and Nick, and his twin sister, Vicki Avery of Dallas

A memorial service is being planned and he will be buried at Willamette National Cemetery.Please check the website at Bollman's Tribute Center in Dallas for details. Donations in Wes' memory may be made to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots.