Wesley Gene Ashley

Wesley Gene Ashley passed away peacefully at his home in Montrose,

Colorado, on November 4, 2024, after a long struggle with chronic pain and

complications from heart and lung illnesses. He died in the tender care of

his wife and family.

Gene was born in the old St. Luke's Hospital in Montrose, Colorado, on

June 24, 1937, to Wesley Leonard Ashley and Doris Mae Calloway. He was

the oldest of three children and was raised with his sisters Donna and Sue in the Montrose area before

the family moved to Ouray County where Gene spent most of his youth. He graduated from Ridgway

High School in 1955 which he never let his wife Wanda or her brothers forget, all graduates of rival

Ouray High School.

From an early age, Gene was drawn to the outdoors. He learned farming, ranching, and hunting from

his father and fishing from his mother. He spent countless hours tracking deer and elk, casting in worms

for rainbow trout, and riding horses. As he was known to frequently share (with a sparkle in his eye), he

always caught the most and biggest fish, shot elk and deer with the widest antlers, and rode the most

dangerous trails of the San Juans. In his later years, his yard and garden were his pride and joy. He

had no rivals when it came to the size of his onions or the heat of his jalapenos.

When it came to winning, he always did! As a youth, he and his partner Wanda, later to become his

wife, were on the team that won the Colorado state square dancing championship. As family members

will attest, he seldom lost in cribbage, his favorite card game, and was almost impossible to beat in

horseshoes. Gene always had a regulation-size horseshoe pit in his backyard and challenged anyone

to a game. Oh yes, he never let a difficult word puzzle conquer him.

While in Germany during his three year service in the Army, Gene gained a love of country and was a

proud veteran and patriot throughout his life. Old Glory always flew on the family flagpole in the front

yard and he wasn’t shy about letting you know who he was going to vote for in the next election.

He was a man of many professions and never shied away from a hard day of work. Ranching was his

first love and he spent much of his life raising cattle and breeding horses. He started an Appaloosa

ranch in Colorado and eventually moved it to Montana where he spent many years. When not ranching

he was operating heavy equipment for county governments, running a logging operation with his dad in

Colorado’s Sanborn Park, and working for the ski resorts in Aspen, Colorado. He was even a team calf

roper on the rodeo circuit for many years.

Gene amazed his family with his memory. Had he pursued an academic career, he would have been

the envy of his class. Up until the very end, he never forgot a person, place, or thing. He remembered

the name of every childhood friend and every experience he had with them, every road he had ever

driven, every home he had ever lived in, and every person he had ever met. He easily recalled every

fact and figure he ever learned and was the family’s walking encyclopedia.

He is survived by his four children from his first marriage and many grandchildren. He will be missed by

his wife Wanda and the family he inherited from her including her three children, her brothers and sister,

and many nieces and nephews. His family expresses appreciation to all of Gene’s caregivers with a

special thanks to Wendi Sorden of Hope West Hospice. Gene will be interred in Grand Junction at the

Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado. A memorial service for friends and family will be held at a future date.