Days after celebrating his 84th birthday, Wesley William “Wes” Lawrence passed away at home in his sleep, surrounded by his family and favorite dog.

Wes was born Oct. 13, 1940, in Marquette, Michigan, the last of six children of a painter-paperhanger and a homemaker.

His first passion was hockey. He spent his youth playing as much as possible, stopping only temporarily when his parents moved to Oregon in 1955 to escape the ice and snow. After Portland’s Memorial Coliseum opened, he played club hockey religiously for another 20-plus years.

A gifted student, Wes attended Grant High School in Portland, and was awarded a scholarship to Tulane University, but left college to provide for his family. That didn’t stop him from becoming an accomplished leasing executive.

Shortly after starting at Transportation Equipment Rentals as an administrative assistant, he was selected for extensive management training, and soon was running the company’s Oregon leasing subsidiary.

He moved to GranTree Leasing as general sales manager, then joined U.S. Bancorp Leasing & Financial in 1981. Over the next 20 years, he oversaw a dramatic expansion of the business as he worked his way from area manager to vice president, executive vice president and ultimately, president.

Following his retirement in 2001, Wes spent his newfound free time on golf, home improvement projects and cooking. After turning 80, he moved to the Oregon Coast full time with the love of his life, Christi, and their golden retriever, Gracie.

Wes and Christi met on a blind date in April 1975. They were married by the end of the year. Rarely did a week go by without a date, often at their favorite restaurant, the RingSide Steakhouse.

Wes will be remembered for his unwavering love for Christi, his devotion to providing for his family, his sense of humor, his storytelling and his legendary home-cooked pizza. At work, at home or on the ice, he was always three steps ahead of everyone.

Wes is survived by his beloved wife, Christine; his sister, Elaine; and his children, Jay, Thomas, Laurie, Sarah, Karen and John; along with 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

A service will be held at 3 p.m. Nov. 15 at Oaks Pioneer Church, 455 S.E. Spokane St. in the Sellwood area of Portland.

Wes will be laid to rest with his parents Frank and Jennie at Gethsemani Catholic Cemetery in Happy Valley.