MINONK - R. Wesley Ford, 91, West Salem, Wis., formerly of Minonk, died Sunday (Jan. 6, 2008) in West Salem.

His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Calvert & Froelich Memorial Home, Minonk, with the Rev. Daniel Gansch-Boythe officiating. Burial will follow in the Minonk Township Cemetery. Visitation will be for one hour before the service at the memorial home. Memorial gifts may be made to St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Minonk, or to a charity of the donor's choice.

Mr. Ford was born March 14, 1916, near Minonk, the son of Graham and Inez (Leonhard) Ford. He married Alvina May on Sept. 28, 1938. She survives.

Also surviving are one son, Thomas E. (Linda) Ford, Mesa, Ariz.; two daughters, Linda (John) Hamilton, Onalaska, Wis., and Karen (Joe) Vallow, Grafton, Va.; six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and one sister, Fannie Mae (John) DeWeese, Port Charlotte, Fla.

Mr. Ford was born and raised in the Minonk area. He attended grade and high school there. He went on to serve in the Navy during World War II.

He and his wife owned and operated Ford's Electric Shop in Minonk for more than 30 years. He worked for the Bloomington branch of Springfield Electric Co. for 10 years, retiring in 1981. They wintered for 15 years in Apache Junction, Ariz.

Mr. Ford was a member of St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Minonk, where he served two terms on the church council and was also a member of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in La Crosse, Wis. He was a 60-year member of both the Minonk Odd Fellows and the Minonk American Legion.