Wesley John Whittemore

Wesley was born in Morris, Minnesota on July 25,1943 to Charles Kloos and Thordis Mathilda Henjum Whittemore. He has an older brother, Charles Kloos born February 24,1939 and a younger brother, Noel Richard born October 28, 1953.

They moved to Elgin, Oregon where his father purchased a lumber yard. He attended Elgin High School (go Huskies) and Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon. He was then married to Sandra Connolly in September 1963 and was divorced in 1975.

He joined the Oregon National Guard and served as a medic where he was stationed at Fort Ord. Oh he could tell stories as to what they did with hospital alcohol.

He went to work for Farmers Insurance Group in their San Jose Branch Claims office. About 1973 he transferred to the Redwood City Claims office as an adjuster after returning from a trip to Europe. Here he met and married Lynn Louise Magers Taylor Camardo on Friday June 13, 1975 (oh what a lucky day). They moved to Spokane, Washington where he continued to work for Farmers Insurance.

In 1978 he moved to Beaverton, Oregon where their son Erik Wesley was born 1979. From there it was on to Thousand Oaks, California where he worked at the Home Office of Farmers Insurance before being transferred to their Pleasanton, California office. In 2004 he retired from Farmers Insurance and moved to Meridian, Idaho where he continued to enjoy bird hunting and traveling to just about every state and exploring our national parks, Canada and Mexico. We spent many great years in Tucson, Arizona in our fifth-wheel and then motorhome meeting some wonderful people from all over this great country.

He enjoyed the many trips with the Rollin’ Eagle Good Sam travel club in Meridian, Idaho. He had many favorite trips - to the Boise State v Virginia Tech football game in Washington, D.C., a wonderful trip to the Calgary Stampede, a fun filled trip to Canada with Bob and Bonnie Schwenkfelder and Craig and Karen Sheets where someone got lost but only for a short period of time. There were wonderful trips to Branson, Missouri and Monument Valley, Arizona and the buffalo round-up at Custer State Park in South Dakota with Darrel and Judie Tschacher.

Wes was always interested in traveling, golf, photography, hunting and fishing and any type of auto racing. He worked many years as an assistant director of transportation at Laguna Seca Race Way in Monterey, California. He was very active in Ducks Unlimited in Pleasanton, California. He especially enjoyed hunting in Gridley and Klamath Falls, California. He was fortunate enough to goose hunt in Alberta, Canada with his good friend Jon York.

He leaves behind two step-children, Victoria Lynn Camardo Tomasik of Portland, Oregon and Keith Russell Camardo of Virginia and his son Erik Wesley and wife Taryn Petersen Whittemore of Mount Vernon, Washington; three grandchildren Jack, Ava and Georgia Tomasik; niece Wendy Whittemore Siri, nephews Thom and Scott Whittemore of Portland, Oregon and niece Sarah Whittemore Kretschmer of La Grande, Oregon. Many cousins John Whittemore of Portland, Oregon, Bill and wife Linda Whittemore of La Grande, Oregon, Steven and wife Melinda Whittemore of Meridian, Idaho, Karen Gruber Pagel, Linda Gruber Fritz of Minnesota, John Gruber of Wisconsin, Diane Gruber Bahrenburg of Vermont and David and wife Laurie Martinson of Washington.

I want to thank his many friends for their support during this time. The family is planning a celebration of life in August at Wallowa Lake, Oregon where he spent many happy hours fishing, being with family and water skiing (yes that water is cold). His ashes will be scattered along with his favorite hunting dog Abby. May they rest in peace and continue to enjoy their time together hunting, fishing and exploring. We almost made our 50 years of marriage.

Lynn and family