Wes, as he preferred to be called, was born on August 6, 1927 in Davenport, Iowa to James and Louise McGarvey. He grew up on the family farm just east of Blue Grass, Iowa. Some of his early years were spent in Detroit when his dad was working for the Ford Motor Company. He came down with meningitis and had to be revived with adrenaline injections. He loved showing the scars from that to all of his nurses. After his recovery, he was schooled at School House #7 just outside of Blue Grass. His dog George would always escort him to and from school. After graduating from Davenport High School, he joined the Army during WWII. After he was discharged, he attended college and then began a teaching career with the Muscatine School District. He then began working for the government at the Rock Island Arsenal. He worked at Rodman Lab, and also in the material sciences department. He was proud to have been a part of the early development of laser technology.
He met his future wife through mutual friends, Ron and Verna Freeman. They were married in 1955 and were blessed with over 65 years of marriage. He had two children, a daughter Di and a son Dan. He was a proud grandfather of two and a great grandfather of two. He was a faithful member of Our Savior Lutheran Church where he served in various positions. He made many lifelong friends there and had many great times with them. His favorite pastime was playing golf with friends and family. He was able to shoot his age multiple times and had a few holes in one.
Wes was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Lila; sister, Dell and a grandson, Chad Daniel. He is survived by his daughter, Di McGarvey; son, Dan (Wendy) McGarvey; grandson, Josh (Kristin) LaMaack; granddaughter, McKenna McGarvey; great grandson and great granddaughter, Kaleen and Pru LaMaack; niece, Deb (Dave) Schaller; nephews, Jim (Michelle Russel) and John (Carol) Russell.
Services will be held at Our Savior Lutheran Church on Middle Road in Bettendorf. Visitation will be Tuesday, April 20, from 9:30 a.m. -11:00 a.m., with a service following at 11:00 a.m. Due to COVID, masks and social distancing are required. Burial will follow at Davenport Memorial Park. Memorials may be directed to Our Savior Lutheran Church. Online condolences may be expressed at www.weertsfh.com
