The obituary of Albert E. Wilson, in his own words:

I was born on February 7, 1932 in Ajlune, Washington where my folks, Ray and Nona Wilson, were visiting my grandparents, George and Hattie Cole. After about 3 days, my mother received a good birthday present! Me!! It was her 21st birthday.

I had a good childhood. I got a few spankings which I deserved I am sure and a few balling outs which I thought I did not deserve. I had some cousins who were like brothers and we would get into a lot of trouble together but it was really fun!

I found the best looking woman in the world; Ruthie Reeves. We met when we were about 6 years old at Tunk Valley Grange. When we were 16, we wanted to get married so we fixed it so we could and married September 14, 1948. We were married 771/2 years when she passed away. It is kind of fun to think that we met at the Grange, had a great time at Grange dances, became involved in the Grange, and ended up being 80 year members!

We had a very good married life. I helped my Dad during threshing harvest, then worked for my Uncle Luke Wilson doing field harvest. We lived in Tunk Valley for about 2 weeks and I worked for Ed Figlinski for $3.50 a day.

My cousin Dick Johnson came up one night. He was starting a railroad tie mill on Mt. Hull and he offered me a job at $1 an hour. I went to work for him, but he never made enough to pay me, so I went back to the Longbottom place on my Dad’s ranch in Chewiliken Valley. The valley is where Ruth and I continued to live and work until death.

I worked a lot of odd jobs including work for Clarence Newton at Washington Farmer’s feed store, and seasonal work along with Ruth at Wanoka which later became Chief Tonasket warehouse. In the early 60’s, I would log during the day and take logs to Biles Coleman mill in Omak and work nights there. In the 1970’s I had my own sawmill and we got a railroad tie contract and worked hard to make a living on the ranch with the money from the sawmill. I did have an accident in that mill and got my arm cut up pretty bad, but I survived.

Ruth and I loved riding horses and growing our cattle herd. We raised enough chickens to sell eggs, and milked enough cows to sell cream so we could buy a few groceries every week. Our cows were our pets and we named them: Baby, Katie, Daisy, Ugly Face, Buttercup, Beauty, and Betsy to name a few. Then in March of 1959 we stepped out in faith and bought our first piece of land to call our own: The Cook Place. Eventually we expanded and bought more land from my Dad and Mom when they retired, and Heart of Chewiliken Ranch was established.

Ruth and I had six kids. Our oldest, Kathy, helped Ruth in the house and our boys, Steve, Ron, Mike and Dan, were good workers with me. God blessed us with Tiffany when we were 40 years old. She loved animals as much as we did and I really enjoyed taking her to rodeos and watching her ride as a rodeo queen.

I liked new gadgets that came along. I bought a movie camera and took movies when we brought our baby boy, Daniel John Lee home from the hospital in 1960. We didn’t have a telephone until about 1958, but I was the first in the valley with a Fax machine and that was fun. I liked taking pictures and would carry my camera in my pocket. I always had double prints made so I could share them with anybody who wanted one.

I want people to know about my life, so I look back in my diary that I have kept since 1959, and memories come back to mind! Ruth and I had fun with Sagebrush Ramblers camping club, staying up until 2AM playing pinochle, building the V-plow that the kids had fun riding on when I would make a path in the snow in the driveway. We had fun with bonfires and tobogganing parties at our place with the CYC youth of Free Methodist Church, going to kids’ games and Steve’s wrestling and our girls cheerleading, then the grandkids games, and watching them learn to drive and ride horses. The best thing is seeing our grandkids love the ranch way of life as much as Ruth and I have.

Kids were always fun for us. We had several foster kids and were leaders of Country Cousins 4H club. We would take the kids to Crawfish lake for campouts or ice skating parties on the local lakes. It was a lot of fun.

Ruth and I built our marriage on Christian foundation thanks to the prayers of my Aunt Sara and my Mom. We loved working in the Free Methodist Church. I was Sunday School superintendent for a lot of years. We liked the church potlucks, picnics and home Bible studies. It was a good time in our lives. Now I think about Ruth being in Heaven, and I miss her.

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On Sunday, September 20, 2026, at 94 years of age, Albert Wilson joined his wife, Ruth, in Heaven. He is survived by his sister, Becky Mayfield, his brother, Henry, and his children, Kathy and Dale Duchow, Steve and Verlene Wilson, Ron and Brenda Wilson, Mike and Joy Wilson, Dan and Cheri Wilson and Tiffany and Corey Keeton, and over a hundred grandchildren. He was preceded in death by one grandchild, Cody Keeton.

His services of remembrance will be Saturday, October 17, 2026 with a graveside service at Chewiliken Valley Wilson Cemetery at 10 AM, a memorial immediately after at Tonasket Free Methodist Church, 1 Stanton Loop Road, with a potluck dinner to follow.

Memorials can be made in Albert Wilson’s name to Faith Life Church (Formerly Tonasket Free Methodist) or to Jason and Holly Daniels, 22 Bridge View Road, Tonasket 98855, parents of August Daniels, a child close to Albert’s heart, who is battling eye cancer.