September 03, 1936 - June 10, 2021
Charles Wesley "Wes" Hampton Obituary
On Thursday, June 10, 2021, Charles Wesley ?Wes? Hampton, loving husband, father, grandfather & friend passed away at the age of 84.
Wes was born September 3, 1936, in Springville, New York to Charles Willson Hampton & Olive Mae Jessop. He was the second oldest of his three other siblings.
Wes met his wife, Sandra ?Sandy? E. Darling as a sophomore in high school. She was the ?older woman? and had just graduated from high school. After dating for two years they married June 18,1955(he was 18 and she was 20!). They were married 65 years, just 8 days short of 66 years. They were an example of a marriage that brought out the best in each other, always showing respect, patience and adoration. Theirs truly was a love story for the ages! They raised six children: three girls, Kerri, Cindi, Leslie and three boys, Wesley, Kevin and Craig.
Wes? career began in 1958 training in data processing(the precursor of computers). Through hard work and perseverance Wes achieved his goal of becoming Director of Data Processing before the age of 30. Though he had no formal education, he was a quick study and had a knack for numbers and computers. He moved his family from New York to Chicago and on to southern California (?the land of opportunity?). He was hired in 1969 as the Director of the Computer Center at Cal State Northridge(CSUN) and worked there for 28 years. Wes retired in 1994 after an earthquake destroyed the just newly built Computer Center.
Wes referred to himself as a music nerd, he played the baritone sax in the high school orchestra. He went on to become an avid music lover, collecting and listening to all things jazz, including Gene Krupa, Stan Kenton and Bix Beiderbecke, along with Johnny Cash, Van Morrison and the Bee Gees. His latest favorite band was Tuba Skinny although many in the family would scratch their heads in wonder.
Wes had a passion for antiques, especially restoring old clocks. On the hour at any given time, 8-10 clocks would ding and chime simultaneously. He gifted clocks to family and sold several. He was a real ?McGyver? spending many Saturdays fixing cars, bikes and anything else that needed fixing. He enjoyed figuring out solutions to problems, whether mechanical, technical, financial or interpersonal. He was a thinker and could see the beginning, middle and end outcome of problematic situations. The advice he gave was timeless; he had strong ethical, moral and religious convictions. He always made time to talk and listen.
Wes loved fishing, cars(owning 75 during his lifetime)dogs, Civil War history, reading, and family history. His data base of names was over 15,000 at the time of his passing.
His dry sense of humor could always make Sandy laugh while others stared in confusion wondering if he was kidding or not.
Wes was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, joining in 1969 along with his wife and three daughters. A year later the family was sealed together in the Los Angeles Temple.
Wes may have seemed gruff on the outside but he was a softy. His heart was big; his kindness and generosity was felt by so many. He made sure you were driving a safe car(with insurance), had enough food to feed your family and many times came to the rescue of those who needed a place to stay or some extra money to get by.
Wes was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Olive, his three siblings: Marilynn, Christopher and Wendy and his youngest son Craig. His is survived by his wife Sandy, five children: Kerri(K. Rasmussen), Cindi(Chris Kramer), Leslie(Robert Elkins), Wesley and Kevin(Nydia), 26 grandchildren and 43 great-grandchildren. He left a wonderful posterity and was very much loved and admired.
Guests are invited to attend a Memorial Service in the Glenrose Ward building at 4444 E. 43rd Ave. in Spokane on Saturday, August 14, at 10 am. Immediately following the service will be a light luncheon. We will meet at Riverside Memorial Park, 508 N. Government Way for the dedication of the grave at 2:30 pm.
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