Wes Finkle passed away on July 17, 2012 at home with his family at his side after a long illness. He was born in East Greenbush, NY, on July 30, 1936 to John and Thelma (Groux) Finkle.

He leaves his wife, Deb Guay of South Yarmouth, MA and one sister Anna Mae Sutton of Stephentown, NY. Wes had four sons; James Finkle of Round Lake, NY, Michael Finkle of Clifton Park, NY, Jeffrey Finkle of Round Lake, NY and David Finkle of Deland, FL.,one daughter, Peg Finkle of Harwich, MA, and a stepdaughter, Lydia Depano of Long Beach, CA. In addition, Wes had 12 grandchildren; Emily, Josh, Jennifer, Scott, Chrissy, Cara, Anson, Riliegh, Zach, Hailee, Christopher and Alex and 3 great grandchildren; Ammy, Skyler and Colton

Wes attended Columbia High School in East Greenbush, and then joined his father John as an operating engineer in Local 106 in Albany, NY. He retired from the union in 1992 after 35 years, and remained a proud and loyal member until his death.

Since his childhood, Wes enjoyed time in the outdoors. Growing up he and his friends hiked and camped in NY, western MA and VT. When his sons were younger, he introduced them to the beauty and challenge of hiking and boating in the Adirondack Mtns. He and the boys loved to reminisce about some of the winter camping trips when they had to eat fast before the food froze to the plates! Wes’s three oldest sons continue to live not far from the mountains, and enjoy passing on the skills their father taught them to their own children.

Deb and Wes met in 1982 and found they had many interests in common, especially sailing. They had a sailboat on Lake Champlain for several years, and the love of sailing prompted their move to Cape Cod in 1992. It was fun for Wes to see his love of boating passed down to his children. Jim has a sailboat that he and his children enjoy, and whenever Mike or Jeff came to the Cape to visit, there was a canoe or kayak attached to the top of their vehicles.

Wes’s daughter Peg moved to the Cape to be closer to her father, because she valued the unconditional love and support he gave her. The many wonderful family and holiday dinners they shared also gave Wes a chance to display his cooking skills.

Wes was a talented mechanic, and a man who could fix just about anything. When she was only five or six, Wes and his granddaughter Emily spent many happy hours working on the project of the day, and Emily still cherishes the tools he gave her so she could “help” him.

He loved animals, and no matter which family member brought home a puppy or kitten, the animal immediately became Wes’s companion. At the time of his death, he shared a home and his love with three cats—Ivan, Smudge and Shadow. They kept him company and comforted him throughout his long illness.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, July 26, 2012 from 4-7 PM at Morris, O’Connor & Blute Funeral Home, 58 Long Pond Drive, South Yarmouth, MA Donations in his memory may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Cape Cod, 765 Attucks Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601