OLWQS Boat Captain Stu Wells, at the Walnut Beach Resort in 2017 with then Manager Don Brogan who gracious allowed the OLWQS to moor its research pontoon boat at their marina. Photo Credit: Birgit Arnstein
September 8, 1945 – June 17, 2025
Tribute
Stewart Gordon Wells: September 8, 1945- June 17, 2025
Predeceased by his mother Lillian and his father George, Stu died peacefully at Kelowna General Hospital on June 17, 2025, in his eightieth year. While he threatened to start smoking again on his birthday, sadly, he didn’t get the chance.
At the age of eight, Stu moved to Osoyoos from his birthplace, Penticton, and pursued boyhood desert shenanigans with a band of best friends he tormented for over seventy-two years. He loved swimming in the lake, going to Beavers and Boy Scouts and was thoroughly excited to get on the bus to go to Oliver in high school. Not for the pursuit of academics, but for the opportunity to meet “new” girls.
Stu wore many hats: cherry farmer, telephone and pool installer, mayor, councillor, school board trustee, desert center guide, water safety czar, tool collector and news hound, especially news about the town he loved passionately. If you asked him what his favourite hat to wear was, he would say, “Dad,” and children Taryn and Spencer (Jayne) would heartily agree. He absolutely adored his granddaughters, Vienna and Cielle and wished nothing more than the chance to be here longer to spend more time with them. Stu was also a second dad to many brilliant, caring and impassioned people. You know who you are, and you know how proud he is of you and how much he loved you. He wanted the very best for all of you.
He loved to travel! His favourite destination was Mexico, where he arrived in his hippy van with Jon Hack in 1969. There are many crazy stories from that trip that are best left out of this story. Trips to Hawaii, South Africa, New Zealand, and France came later, as did a trip to Vegas to the World Famous Little White Wedding Chapel in the pink Cadillac drive-thru with Elvis on October 10, 2010. Martha is still reeling. Stu’s most recent travel goal was to get better so he could return to Mexico to swim in Chacala, his favourite bay. Instead, he will be making margaritas in heaven for his friends who landed before him. As he desperately missed them, there will now be some pretty big parties up there.
On January 18, 2021, Roxy, his beloved dog, came into his life. If Roxy wasn’t picking fights at the dog park, she was fast asleep on top of her dad. Stu took Roxy to Witches Point many times that summer, ensuring he passed along his lifelong love of swimming to her. Roxy now enjoys her daily swims, and Stu was very happy that Roxy was by his side for most of his final day, but not happy that she jumped on him twice.
Stu served on the town council for three terms, including one term as mayor. He treasured this experience, as well as at the Okanagan Basin Water Board and the RDOS. He volunteered at the Desert Centre and the Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society. He invested his time in his family, friendships, community and swearing.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Stu’s name to the Osoyoos Museum Society would be greatly appreciated, as he was a huge supporter.
Donations can be sent to:
Osoyoos museum
PO Box 791
Osoyoos, BC
V0h 1V0
Or online at www.osoyoosmuseum.org
Stu died just like how he lived. He wrote his own rules, he fought authority, and he paved his own way. At Stu’s request, there will be no gathering to celebrate a life well-lived. Except that in teaching us to fight authority, there will be a small family gathering sometime this summer. We learned from the best. RIP Stu.
