Wesley Libbey, age 101, died peacefully at home in Grand Rapids on November 2, 2010. Wes was born June 3, 1909, in Anoka, Minnesota. He was the owner, with his father William Libbey, of the Libbey Funeral home from 1931 to 1969. He was a graduate of Grand Rapids High School, Itasca Junior College, and the University of Minnesota. He married Lucille Larson in 1933. He is survived by his wife Lucille, six children (Brad and Lydia, Keith and Pat, Bill and June, Bob and Ginny, Rich and Donna, and Cindy and John Gilpin. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Wes was a national leader in conservation organizations. The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey Chapter of the Izaak Walton League is named in his honor. He restarted the chapter in 1934 and led it for many years, as well as holding numerous offices at the state and national levels. He received the conservationist of the year award from many organizations, including the national Izaak Walton League, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Parks and Trails Council, The American Legion, The U.S. Forest Service, and American Motors. Wes and a few friends started the successful fight to save the boundary waters wilderness area in 1929, formed the Friends of the Wilderness in 1948, and continued the efforts to preserve the BWCA, including several pieces of major legislation. He was a founding member of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and helped organize the local chapter of Ducks Unlimited in 1937. Wes was active in community affairs -- Rotary International, past president of the Pokegama Lake Association, a founding member of the Itasca County Coalition of Lake Associations, Junior Chamber of Commerce, and served on numerous committees. Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday Nov. 5 and on Saturday Nov. 6 from Noon until the 1:00 p.m. Funeral Service in the Libbey Funeral Home, Grand Rapids. The funeral was at the Libbey Funeral Home on Saturday, November 6, the first day of deer season, which he enjoyed every year for 86 years until he was 100, the year of his last hunt. Libbey Funeral Home, Grand Rapids. "Serving the Family for Generations" 218-326-4000.