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Wesley Shain “Wes” Heitman

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Wesley Shain “Wes” Heitman

Birth	:	30 Dec 1933 Red Bluff, Tehama County, California, USA
Death	:	10 Jul 2015 Chico, Butte County, California, USA
Burial	:	Oak Hill Cemetery, Red Bluff, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate	:	40.1699982, -122.2433014
Description	:	WESLEY SHAIN HEITMAN Wesley Shain Heitman of Chico, Ca passed away at the age of 81 on July 10, 2015. He was the 5th child born to Inez and Harry Heitman of Red Bluff, Ca. on Dec 30, 1933. He attended Marion School, a one room school house, through 8th grade. When he was big enough to push a broom, he was hired as the school janitor. His duties, besides sweeping and mopping the floor, included gathering the wood and starting the fire in the pot belly stove each morning. He always looked forward to spring. Since he didn't have... Read More	WESLEY SHAIN HEITMAN Wesley Shain Heitman of Chico, Ca passed away at the age of 81 on July 10, 2015. He was the 5th child born to Inez and Harry Heitman of Red Bluff, Ca. on Dec 30, 1933. He attended Marion School, a one room school house, through 8th grade. When he was big enough to push a broom, he was hired as the school janitor. His duties, besides sweeping and mopping the floor, included gathering the wood and starting the fire in the pot belly stove each morning. He always looked forward to spring. Since he didn't have to gather wood, he could sleep a little longer. But not much longer as he still had to feed cows & sheep before he went to school. His school job was the beginning of becoming an entrepreneur at an early age. His endeavors included raising bummer lambs and selling them, and he assisted in cutting and bailing hay for his family and neighbors. He attended Red Bluff High School his freshman year but dropped out his sophomore year. School was boring and besides, it didn't leave him with enough time to get a job. He said he had to work. His favorite saying was, "My parents weren't poor, they just didn't have any money." In 1948 at the age of 15, he spent the summer working with Homer Crabtree, a water well driller who had an old cable rig. Homer was severely handicapped. He had 4 fingers missing on this right hand. His ability to hold a welder stinger with a thumb and four stubs made a deep impression on a 15 year old boy. It seemed Wes was always able to find some kind of job. His work experience included working on an oil rig, then as an apprentice for a local plumbing shop. He liked the job, just not the part that required crawling under structures to replace old parts or installing a new one. He worked in a meat slaughter house for a time. And last but not least he worked in the logging industry. He began by falling timber, then buying his own truck and starting his first company of hauling logs to the processing mill, before the age of 20. Life was good until the he received THE letter from Uncle Sam. He was drafted into the Navy on 12-6-1955 as a 3rd Class Petty Officer on an ammunition ship known as "Virgo". He held several positions on the ship. His first duty was a clerical position because he was the only recruit on the ship that could type. He said he would never forget the high seas they encountered on their route to Japan and the Philippines. One memorable storm involved waves crashing into the ship so violently the bow crashed back down into the waves breaking a gun mount on the deck and breaking loose the restraints holding the atomic bomb warhead in the cargo hold. There was a frantic search for anyone on board who could weld. Wes was the only one. The turret was reattached to the ship and the warhead was put back in its cradle , but not without some very tense moments. Wes was discharged from the Navy Sept 5th, 1957 at Treasure Island in San Francisco and hitchhiked his way back home to Red Bluff, Ca. Wes's best friends on the ship were college graduates. They inspired him to go back to school when he was discharged. He attended Shasta College two years. He drove the school bus morning and afternoon between Red Bluff, Ca and Redding, Ca. He worked in a local saw mill at night to pay for his books and tuition. His homework was done on his breaks and lunch hour while at the mill. Two of his boyhood friends from Red Bluff were attending University of the Pacific Pharmacy School in Stockton. After graduating from Shasta College, Wes attended the summer session at University of the Pacific but couldn't afford the tuition for any regular semesters. He loaded his old Plymouth with all his possessions and headed for Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. He had his fingers crossed all the way, willing the old car to make it over the mountain to Corvallis. Wes worked nights in a bakery to pay for his tuition and books all the while taking 22 units at Oregon State University. In his senior year at OSU, he was called into the Dean's office and was informed that he could not attend OSU any longer. The reason? He did not have a high school diploma. A very big deal, as a high school diploma was a requirement to get a college degree, let alone being accepted into OSU. Didn't matter if he had a B average. He didn't have a high school diploma. Wes continued to attend classes leaving the resolution of the high school diploma dilemma to the Dean and his staff. He was told, his grades had to stay as they were, and if they were to slip at all, he would not be able to attend OSU any longer. In the end, he graduated with a B A in Pharmacy. While at OSU he met his wife, Linda Reab. They were married the day before he graduated from OSU. The three days after graduation he took the Oregon Pharmaceutical Board tests. Then they loaded up the same old Plymouth , which was now pulling a trailer, loaded with all their worldly possessions. They crossed their fingers, again, hoping it would make it over the mountain just one more time. Wes found a job in Redding, Ca at a chain pharmacy but he couldn't start for two weeks because he had to take the California State Pharmacy Boards. Just before he left for Sacramento to take the test, he was informed that he no longer had a job with the chain pharmacy. They needed someone right away and another applicant who could start right away was given the job. After the Board exams, he found a job in Chico at Lee Pharmacy on 3rd and Broadway for a couple of years, then took a job at Raley's downtown. He also was a relief pharmacist for Chico's Enloe Hospital and other pharmacies in surrounding towns before opening his own pharmacy in 1969. "Wes's Pharmacy" was located in a medical center on the Esplanade. The pharmacy moved to Rio Lindo Medical Center on Rio Lindo Ave. A few years later he bought the pharmacy in the Chico Medical Center on Cohasset Road and changed the name to Wes's Pharmacy II. Many great years were spent serving the community and building long lasting relationships with his employees and customers. Wes was very generous and cared for his customers and their families, sometimes accepting trades of homemade goods for medications they couldn't afford but needed to live a healthy life. In 1996 he sold Wes's Pharmacy to Payless Drug. Wes had been purchasing land over the years and in 1976 began subdividing the property with the intent of building homes and selling them. There weren't many well drillers available at that time to drill wells for the lots. Since he had prior experience on a water rig and oil rig, he purchased his own rig with the intention of drilling his wells and reselling the rig when the lots were built out. Word spread that he had purchased a rig and he was getting requests from other property owners to drill wells for them, too. That was the official beginning of W. S. Heitman Drilling. The business was incorporated in 1978, and he's been drilling wells, subdividing property and building homes ever since. He has been a long standing member of the California Groundwater Association and the National Groundwater Association. He has served as a member of the Executive Board of the California Groundwater Association. In 1999 he was voted California Groundwater Associations Contractor of the Year. Wes had a number of hobbies and interests. He was an avid bird and large game hunter (deer & elk). He couldn't wait for fishing season to open every year, particularly salmon season. He owned his own boat and salmon fished out of Trinidad, Eureka and Fort Bragg. In recent years he preferred to spend the hot valley summers in his 5th wheel in Fort Bragg. He loved to travel abroad and in the U.S. He loved to snow ski, and in his younger years was an avid and skilled water skier. He owned a Cessna airplane and loved to fly. He loved to travel in his RV, with wife Linda and a group of close friends that own RV's as well. And last but not least, his favorite destination was Alaska for hunting and fishing. One of Wes's favorite yearly events was the Red Bluff Round-Up. He loved to tell stories of how he used to ride his horse to the Round-Up via the creek as a kid. He was an avid supporter and sponsor of the Red Bluff Round-Up and the Red Bluff Jr. Round-Up. Wes is survived by his wife of 51 years, Linda, daughters, Marlo Pedersen ( Husband Howard & grandchildren Mia 9, Cooper 5, step grandchildren Alison 25, Wyatt 21) and Tiffany Barker (Husband Tom & grandchildren Gavin 12, and Hunter 3). Wes's grandchildren were very special to him. They were his life and soul. He could be found in his chair behind home plate at all of his grandson, Gavin's, baseball games AND practices. He didn't miss a game. If he wasn't at the baseball field, he was at the gym watching granddaughter, Mia and grandson, Cooper, at their gymnastics classes. And when he wasn't at the ball field or the gym, he was at the stables watching Gavin and Mia's horseback riding lessons. And when Gavin was taking karate lessons he was at the Dojo 2 or 3 hours each week. And most of all, he was a devoted husband to Linda for 51 years. The family is holding a "Celebration of Life" party for Wes at the Chico Elks Lodge, Manzanita Place (1705 Manzanita Ave. Chico, Ca 95926), August 23, 2015 from 4-7pm. Wes always told his family he wanted them to throw him a party when he was gone. And a party it will be, going out in style like he wished. Share thoughts and memories of Wes online at NewtonBracewell.com. Published in Chico Enterprise-Record on Aug. 16, 2015

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Wesley Shain “Wes” Heitman's memorial?
Wesley Shain “Wes” Heitman's memorial is located at: Oak Hill Cemetery, Red Bluff, Tehama County, USA.
When did Wesley Shain “Wes” Heitman death?
Wesley Shain “Wes” Heitman death on 10 Jul 2015 in Chico, Butte County, California, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Wesley Shain “Wes” Heitman's memorial?
Latitude: 40.1699982
Longitude: -122.2433014

Family Members:

Parent

Harry John Heitman

(1888 - 1970)

Inez Florence Shain Heitman

(1893 - 1964)

Siblings

Laura Belle Boots

(1920 - 1978)

Harry Ralph “Ralph” Heitman

(1925 - 2013)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Red Bluff Memorial Chapel Mausoleum & Columbarium
Red Bluff, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1717130, -122.2466860

2. Saint Mary's Cemetery
Red Bluff, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1716995, -122.2521973

3. Growney Ranch Family Cemetery
Red Bluff, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1167300, -122.1952500

4. Los Molinos Cemetery
Los Molinos, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0475650, -122.1011820

5. Tehama Cemetery
Tehama, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0233002, -122.1433029

6. Red Bank Cemetery
Red Bank, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1036970, -122.4458540

7. Inks Creek Cemetery
Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.3419800, -122.1297100

8. Cottonwood Creek Ranch Cemetery
Cottonwood, Shasta County, USA
Coordinate: 40.3663100, -122.2598800

9. Cottonwood Cemetery
Cottonwood, Shasta County, USA
Coordinate: 40.3856100, -122.2936500

10. Major Pierson B Reading Family Cemetery
Cottonwood, Shasta County, USA
Coordinate: 40.3924300, -122.2126900

11. Sunset Hill Cemetery
Corning, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9271600, -122.1586100

12. Sleepy Hollow Pet Cemetery
Anderson, Shasta County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4199430, -122.2858410

13. Rosewood Cemetery
Rosewood, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.2685360, -122.5575190

14. New Clairvaux Abbey Cemetery
Vina, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9381450, -122.0641890

15. Anderson District Cemetery
Anderson, Shasta County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4419518, -122.2967300

16. Oddfellows Cemetery
Anderson, Shasta County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4431590, -122.2907070

17. Anderson Pioneer Cemetery
Anderson, Shasta County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4439011, -122.2904968

18. Vina Cemetery
Vina, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9636440, -121.9957070

19. Lowrey Cemetery
Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0066986, -122.5635986

20. Cameron-Davis Cemetery
Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.2709800, -121.8778500

21. Parkville Cemetery
Anderson, Shasta County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4640200, -122.1897500

22. Lanes Valley Cemetery
Paynes Creek, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 40.3998400, -121.9762400

23. Pinckney Cemetery
Cottonwood, Shasta County, USA
Coordinate: 40.3997002, -122.5180969

24. Kirkwood Cemetery
Corning, Tehama County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8624992, -122.1519012