Wesley Elvis Conway was born on January 4, 1937, at Midridge, in Northern Shannon County, Missouri. He was the second son of Painter and Gladys (Rivers) Conway. His family moved to Camp Zoe when Wes was a young child. That is where he and his family grew up on the banks of Sinking Creek. Wes went to be with the Lord on April 17, 2021, at Willow Health Care, Willow Springs, Missouri.
He attended grade school at Union Hill and graduated from Eminence High School, where he excelled as an athlete playing basketball and baseball. He loved to tell the story of learning to pitch a baseball through a hole he cut in the barn at the Joe Place at Camp Zoe.
On March 14, 1959, Wes married Erma Blake and they shared a wonderful sixty-two year commitment to each other. To this union three children were born; Floyd, Cammie, and Julie.
In his early years, Wes’s work included working at Camp Zoe, Alton Box Board, Timber School, and then he retired from thirty years of working for the National Park Service. Upon retirement, Wes and Erma moved to Willow Springs and he loved his retirement job at the Willow Springs School, where he would often joke with people saying he was the Superintendent.
He gave his heart to Jesus many years ago and relied heavily on his faith, especially as he knew his time here on Earth was coming to an end. He would want you to know Jesus too and strive to make Heaven your home.
Wes was preceded in death by his parents, Painter and Gladys; one brother, Leland; one nephew, Bud; one great-niece, Sarah; and many family in-laws.
Those he leaves behind are his wife, Erma; his three children, Floyd and Angie Conway, Julie and Brent Lovelace all of Willow Springs, Cammie and Carl Younger of Eminence; siblings, Alvie and Joyce Conway, Gay and Kenneth Bland, and Robert Conway; sisters-in-law, Jo Ann Wibbenmyer, Eula Blake, and Phyllis and Richard Hagen; grandchildren, Randi and Jordan Slayton, Rachel and Dakota Mayberry, Casey and Joe Merkle, Cole and Kelly Younger, Jacob and Bobbi Lovelace, and Joel Lovelace; seven great-grandchildren, Brooklynn, Charlie, Makinley, Madalyn, Weston, Hadley, and Waylynn; and many nieces, nephews and a multitude of friends.
Wes was a great storyteller and his stories were filled with facts, but sometimes he would weave a little fiction. A favorite fiction example is when he would tell the grandkids that “Christmas was being called off this year”. He loved to hunt and listen to his hound dogs run a fox or a coyote. His hunting stories were filled with monster buck deer and hilarious things like Uncle Ira loading his gun with a roll of lifesaver candy rather than a shotgun shell. He had eagle eyes and could spot a quarter lying on the ground a mile away. He loved going to Echo Bluff and sharing his history of Camp Zoe with visitors of the park. He loved his family and will be missed by all who knew and loved him. “It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later, Wes.”
Visitation will be held Tuesday, April 20, 2021, from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at Yarber Mortuary, Willow Springs. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at Pine Grove Cemetery, Willow Springs, Missouri, with Bro. Carl Younger officiating. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2021, at Echo Bluff State Park, starting at 11:00 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of Camp Zoe in memory of Wesley, at the website http://friendsofcampzoe.org/make-your-donation.html or mail a check to:
Friends of Camp Zoe,
8816 Manchester Rd #148
Brentwood MO 63144
Condolences may be expressed at www.yarbermortuary.com.
