Obituary for Norman Wesley "Wes" Sprague

Life Story for Norman Wesley "Wes" Sprague

Wes was born to Johnny Lloyd and Gretta May Sprague on January 8th, 1931. He grew up, went to school doing all the mischievous things that all the Sprague boys did in those days. A majority of the time was spent outdoors, winter and summer. For the boys, everything was a race. Run to the swimming hole, who could skate the fastest. Who could pick the most berries. Of course, there was always the fun times like tipping over outhouses, robbing gardens and even the odd egg from some chicken coop. As they got older, the sports changed to playing pool, hunting, and the odd pint of brew and of course even the odd fisti-cuff.
He spent a majority of his life in Gibbons Alberta.
Wes worked for several years in the oilfield until such time that he was medically unable, after which he could be found at home in Gibbons, at Jim and Mae’s in Edmonton or on the farm with Lon. The farm provided hours of entertainment with the rabbits, geese, chickens and dogs … not to mention Lon’s shenanigans.
Wes loved to tease and be teased by all the girlfriends, wives and children in the family. He loved to tease the staff in the lodges in both Gibbons and Red Deer. In fact, Aunty Mable recalls that it wasn’t uncommon for Wes to offer any cute girl to crawl into bed with him, even when he was in the extended care facility. He loved to laugh and was always so thankful to have people visit. His mischievous grin usually meant that he was about to say something really funny, it will be remembered fondly by us all.
Wes’s heart was easy to win with chocolates, cake, pie or cookies basically anything that was sweet. A good roast and spuds would do the trick but you really hit the jackpot, if you included dessert. The Sprague and Mabbutt gals provided many well appreciated home baked goodies. He enjoyed Mrs. Crawford’s baking on many occasions. Her son Jimmy would show up at the door with something hot from the oven.
Wes loved kids. A favorite trick with Auntie Mable’s kids was to fill his pockets with change, go out in the yard and do handstands. The change would fall out of his pockets and the kids would delight in picking it up in the grass. Over the years he loved to receive letters and pictures updating him on what all the kids in the family were up to.
I stayed with Grand Dad and Uncle Wes one summer while I worked in Gibbons. Grand Dad was chief cook and Uncle Wes was chief bottle washer. Uncle Wes was quite pleased with me staying there because the dishes were relegated down the totem pole. I was busy washing dishes while Uncle Wes sat at the table. I washed and placed them on the counter to dry. Uncle Wes said to me” you need to rinse those.” I kind of ignored him because that meant another step. He sat for a minute and then repeated “you need to rinse those.” So I said why? In his dry humor he said “because the soap will give you the shits!”
Wes was an avid reader until his eyes no longer allowed it. He was also a diehard crib player and didn’t hesitate to challenge anyone, anytime and he usually won. He enjoyed Country Music and you could always get a smile when you brought a teddy bear or a stuffy. He also played a pretty mean harmonica in his day.
Overall life wasn’t always the easiest for Wes but he always remembered everyone that came to visit and he was always up for a good tease. I’m sure he is making up for lost time and I wish for all of us to celebrate in the moments we shared with Wes.
Written by Wes' nephew Doug Sprague