Wesley J Sample

Wesley J. Sample was born on October 2, 1925 in Ionia, Kansas to Flossie O'Linda (Hiatt) and Virgle sample. He is the youngest of eleven and the only surviving sibling. He attended Ionia Grade School and then Athens High School where he graduated in May, 1943. As a youth he enjoyed working on the farm and hunting. In high school, Wesley played on the state-ranked basketball team that only practiced on a dirt outdoor court until tournament time.

The summer after Wesley graduated he joined a wheat harvest crew. In December of that year he joined the Navy and was sent to Idaho for boot camp. His 22 years of service earned him six medals while serving in Italy, Ireland, Iceland, Okinawa and others. He served his last six years in Washington D. C. at the pentagon before retiring in 1971.Wesley returned to Kansas where he helped his niece and her family. He did that for seven years, then re-retired.

Wesley's hobby of attending auctions led to a large pick ax collection. If you drove by his home on South Independence Street you saw his display of axes all along the front of the house and a fence on the side. He put a lot of time and effort into doing that. He was a handy guy as he also hand-dug, bucket at a time, his basement, and poured the walls and a four inch concrete floor. According to his nieces he always had some project going on. Wesley was very generous to his extended family of nieces and nephews, remembering birthdays and graduations. Wesley also supported the Ionia Church and enjoyed attending their auctions for a number of years. He was also a lifetime member of the VFW where he served as Color Guard.

He is survived by his many nieces, nephews and friends.

Visitation will be Friday, March 18, from 2 – 6 p.m. at Schoen Funeral Home and Monuments. Funeral Service is Saturday, March 19, at 2 p.m. at the Funeral Home. Interment to follow at Ionia Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the VFW.