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.
Visits: 220
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors