James Wesley "Wes" ChoateAug. 30, 1943 - Nov. 21, 2009Wes Choate, 66, passed away Saturday morning at his home in Albany.Born in Torrance, Calif., Wes moved to Oregon as a young man due to his love of the outdoors.  He met his wife, Patti in Albany and the two married in December 1978.  He started his own Water Well Drilling business and moved to Florence with their four children.  After several years, Wes moved the family to Texas, then eventually Michigan, where he managed several large Water Well Drilling companies. In June of 2009, Wes retired, and he and Patti moved back to Albany where they first met.Wes was a man of nature who loved hunting, fishing, golfing and camping.   He spent as much time as possible outdoors, and enjoyed spending time with his dogs which were very important to him. He was an avid reader (especially National Geographic), played guitar and sang, loved to carve wood and was a Jack of all trades.Wes is survived by his wife, Patti; sons Mark Cooke and Robert Choate; daughters Shelly King and Jennifer Lawrence; grandchildren Michael and Cory King, Ryan, Austin, Carson, Payten, Keegan and Dolan Lawrence, McKenzie and Megan Cooke, and Zoe Choate; mother Velma Hart; mother-in-law Dorothy Johnson; sisters Debra Vanley and Kay Donna Romine; brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews; nieces; sons-in-law, a daughter-in-law and many other relatives and friends from all over the country.A celebration of his life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home in Albany.   In Lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA), 912 Killian Hill Road SW Suite 202C Atlanta, GA. 30047.  ( www.aasum-dufour.com )