- Obituary of Wesley "Wes" Dodds
(Founder Wes' Chips, Arnprior)
With heavy hearts, the family sadly announce that Wes passed away at the Arnprior and District Memorial Hospital on Sunday evening, August 16, 2020; Wesley Gerald Dodds of Arnprior was in his 84th year. His passing will be deeply mourned by his wife, Monique, his daughter Cynthia and his son Kevin. Also left to mourn are his sisters: Evelyn Latimer (Forrest) and Marlin Small (Trevor) both of Stittsville and Lois Rump (late Edward) of Carp. Lovingly remembered by his nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents, Walter and Nora (nee Flegal) Dodds; his brother Walter "Wally" Dodds (Laverna of Almonte) and his sisters: Fern Watts and Barb Hill. Wes loved life and lived it to the fullest. An entrepreneur at heart, he, along with Monique established and operated Wes' Chips in Arnprior for many many years. His ability to build or repair almost anything was but one of the attributes that made Wes unique. His knowledge, wisdom and his Love of The Lord guided him through life until the very end. A Valley legend has gone to rest. Wes' final arrangements were entrusted to the care of the Pilon Family Funeral Home and Chapel Ltd., 50 John Street North, Arnprior. A private graveside service and interment took place at the Malloch Road Cemetery, Arnprior. In memory of Wes, please consider a donation to The Grove Nursing Home Redevelopment Fund.
https://pilonfamily.ca/tribute/details/2466/Wesley-Wes-Dodds/obituary.html
Talking about his father, Wes Dodds ? made legendary for serving the humble french fry ? Kevin looks around the cluttered workshop behind the family home; the unfinished projects gathered from garage sales; the old boots open and expectant.
Theirs was not a close relationship, certainly not in the early years when Wes was busy serving 50 bags of 50-pound potatoes a day at the Arnprior chip wagon. "By jeepers what a nice day today!" he would exclaim from the cramped truck, boiling hot oil behind him. "How are you and the Lord doing today?"
Kevin didn't serve another customer after turning 17. He would go on to become an artist. Prints of his Rockwellesque paintings appear in popular calendars across North America. He, too, is renowned: one of several similarities that would emerge over the years.
Everyone in the Ottawa Valley and beyond, it seems, knows the story of Wes' Chips. He welded the stoves together every spring, separated them every fall. His annual opening became a sign of spring for CJOH-TV and anchor Max Keeping.
Arnprior's legendary Wes Dodds recalled by son, renowned artist Kevin
"Would you like anything halfway," was Wes' phrase about adding condiments to the box before topped up with more fries. Many chip wagons use it now. It has helped shape the valley's distinct culture.
Something about the unique operation (a tablespoon of salt in the grease for every serving), along with an instinct, a harmony within the truck, drew folks from far and wide. Or Wes' Chips would come to them, at many town fairs during that first decade beginning in the early 1960s. There was little room for a 17-year-old lad. Wes was a larger-than-life figure ? a grand smile, brimming with health well into his 80s ? with a sensitive son scratching out his own path.
"We never saw eye to eye. But I did realize how much he was trying to get closer. I realized how much I meant to him," Kevin said, adding that his parents were there for every art prize and recognition. "And I didn't always show it."
He recalls the recent time passing his dad on the street with hardly a wave. Weeks later, Kevin would visit the family cottage, and reread the kept birthday cards, from himself and sister Cynthia. He honestly thought there was still time.
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1937 - 2020 (83 years)
