William Ewen Wells Jr.

Bill Wells, 81, passed away on May 21st following a hard-fought battle after complications from surgery, with his wife and children by his side. He was born in Denver on October 6th, 1943 to William Wells Sr. and Gladys Wells (née Staley). On January 29th, 1965, he married the love of his life, Martha (née Stiefer).

Bill served his country proudly in the Marine Corps, both at home and abroad, deployed to Vietnam during the war. He exemplified the characteristics of Honor, Courage, and Commitment throughout his life.

After returning home from service, Bill worked in supply for Denver General Hospital and in the parts department at Toyota before moving from Commerce City to Cedaredge in 1979. There, he began working for the Colorado Department of Corrections in 1979, retiring in 2003. Settled in Cedaredge, in a home that they loved, Bill and Martha raised their three children, Ronald, Leanne, and William.

How do we encapsulate Bill? It’s impossible to do so in one brief paragraph. He lived a life of hard work, laughter, love, and forgiveness and kindness to others. He carried a strong faith in his Lord, and was a member of Grand Mesa Baptist Church for 44 years. His walk with God was the most important part of his life, followed by his love for his wife of 60 wonderful years, and his children and their families. He was an incredibly skilled craftsman, and enjoyed working with his hands in and around his home. There wasn’t a mechanical, plumbing, carpentry, or electrical problem he couldn’t solve. He loved to travel and especially enjoyed doing so with his family and his grandchildren. With a big heart, William never met a stranger, and would give them the literal shirt off of his back if he knew it would help them.

William is survived by his wife, Martha; children Ronald Wells, Leanne Wells, and William (Kerry) Wells; grandchildren Christopher Wells, Sarah (Ryan Kuster) Wells, Jeremy Powell, Natalie Powell, Courtney Powell, Olivia Powell, Tony Alonso, Alicia Alonso, Madison Alonso, Easton Wilson, and one great-granddaughter, Elleena Alonso; his sister, Linda (Rick) Wright, his sister Debbie Birely, and his brother Carl (Janice) Wells; many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in his passing by his father William Wells, his mother Gladys Wells, and his beloved step-mother Vi Wells (née Hoselton); his brother Fred Wells, and his brother Larry Wells.

There will be a Celebration of Life held at Grand Mesa Baptist Church on Sunday, June 1st in Cedaredge, Colorado at 3:00 p.m.

William will be laid to rest with military honors at Veteran’s Memorial of Western Colorado on June 2nd at 1:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in William’s honor to the Delta Pregnancy Resource Center: https://www.prcdelta.com/ or the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society: https://support.nmcrs.org/a/homepage/