Westley Floyd Deitchler
Westley Floyd Deitchler was born, March 6, 1942, in Forsyth, Montana to Donald Louis and Irene Elaine Cornelius Deitchler. He passed away June 25, 2025, in Aurora, Colorado.
Wes grew up as a country kid. He lived the first years of his life near Kaycee, Wyoming, where he was joined by a brother and a sister. The family moved back to Forsyth where another sister and two brothers came along. Wes started school in Forsyth and made many life-long friends. He joined the Cub Scouts and 4-H. In 1955, the family moved to a farm in Cartersville. Here, Wes helped on the farm, hunted, and baby sat the younger kids. While in high school he played football, basketball, baseball and ran track. He slept through the Hebgen Lake earthquake while he was in Dillon for Boys State. He loved academic studies and graduated as valedictorian from Rosebud High School in 1960.
At Montana State College in Bozeman, he earned a BS in secondary education in 1965. Wes was active in politics and was elected president of the Associated Students of Montana State College and was selected for the Outstanding Student award. Faculty members chose him for the Septemviri honor society. He was one of 34 Montana State students selected for Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. He spoke at the Fifth Annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast in Helena and was invited to the White House twice by President Johnson.
From 1965 to 1968, Wes served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia. He taught school, was in community development and was promoted to associate director of the Peace Corps in Ethiopia. After returning home, he sold insurance, worked on ranches and eventually became a carpenter at the Colstrip power plants.
In 1979 he married Karen McMordie and became the stepfather of four children, Angie, Wendy, Mike and Pat.
At this time, Wes joined the Libertarian Party and served on the National Committee for one year. He ran for office several times but was unsuccessful.
Karen and Wes divorced in 1985, but he remained close to the family.
He lived in Colstrip, Forsyth and Miles City for years while working at the power plants and writing political articles. He became afflicted by Parkinson’s disease and in 2018 moved to his brother’s home in Aurora, Colorado. Just before his death, he completed a book on Capitalism versus Fascism. It is available on Amazon.
Wes was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Larry Deitchler, and his sister, Thelma Beyl. He is survived by his ex-wife, Karen, his stepchildren, Angie (Bill) Brickey of Arlington, WA, Wendy Deitchler-Heidt of Eugene, OR, Michael (Robbi) McMordie of Fernley, NV, Pat (Candy) McMordie of Ontario, OR, several grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Barbara DeCock of Three Forks, his brother, Emory (Mary Jo) Deitchler of Meridian, Idaho, his brother, Jeffrey Deitchler of Aurora, CO, his brother-in-law, Jim Beyl of Rosebud and his sister-in-law, Christine Deitchler of Lovelady, TX, as well as a large extended family.
There will be a memorial and lunch at the Haugo Centre, 483 Rosebud St, Forsyth, Montana at 11:00 a.m., September 6, 2025. Cremation has taken place. Inurnment will be at 2:00 p.m. at the Rosebud County Cemetery.
Service Schedule
Memorial Service
11:00 am
Saturday September 6, 2025
Haugo Center
483 Rosebud Street
Forsyth, Montana 59327
Service Schedule
Memorial Service
11:00 am
Saturday September 6, 2025
Haugo Center
483 Rosebud Street
Forsyth, Montana 59327
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Leslie Manning says
Glad to have met U great guy
Francis Smith says
What a great man. I learned more from you and your brother through my high school years than I did from all my teachers.really enjoyed all your writings and wish the world had more great people like you. Am so sorry to hear we now have one less.
Bill Huntzicker says
When I was a freshman at Montana State, Wes Deitchler was the consummate campus politician – an independent student body president in a system dominated by the fraternities. His Independent Student Association (ISA) meant that he was not a candidate from a fraternity. He encouraged me and helped me run for freshman class president and I couldn’t have gotten elected without his help. Each fraternity nominated a candidate and I ran as an independent against about nine others – the same strategy Wes used to become president of the entire student body. He was an interesting, intelligent leader and helpful adviser. He organized a moving Easter sunrise service overlooking a beautiful mountain valley and he led Bible study groups. During that time, I met his parents and his brother Jeff, sister Barbara, and visited their home, which was all that remained of the town of Cartersville. After reading this obituary, I realized it was only a year. Hard to believe considering how much he taught me in that time. We visited and argued politics occasionally since then in Ismay and Miles City. The last time we talked was on the phone last spring when he was living in Colorado. He remarked on the contrast – how much more liberal I had become and how much he had moved in the other direction against government power. Every time I hear the hymn “How Great Thou Art” I think of Wes because that was his favorite. He was a delight and an inspiration.