Wesley "Wes" James Novak

After 68 years of life, the last four of them spent courageously fighting cancer. Wes passed away suddenly on Friday, May 3rd at Benefis Healthcare with his wife by his side. The second oldest of five children, Wes grew up on a farm north of Nashua, Montana. He had many fond memories of growing up in the Grain Community. He loved going back home to visit, where his younger brother still farms, on the land their grandparents homesteaded. Their father was a Czechoslovakian WWII POW and mother, the daughter of Norwegian immigrants. Wes graduated from Nashua High School and after a time working locally, he joined the Marine Corps to “dodge the draft.” After his stint in the military, he went to camera repair school and he eventually settled in Great Falls. He and Roxie Lattin were married in 1978, and they were blessed with two children, Seth and Cassie. Wes was self-employed for years in the camera repair business. Roxie passed away from cancer in 1993 and Wes ended his career in camera repair. He tried many trades, but he was particularly blessed with carpentry and truck driving skills. In 1997, Wes married Janel Sykes. He started his own business, Wilderness Kitchen and Bath, doing bathtub installations and exceptional carpentry while continuing to drive semi-truck. In 2015, Wes was diagnosed with Stage IV throat cancer, due to the HPV virus. While radiation and chemo killed the cancer in his throat, it had already spread to his lungs by the time it was found. Three plus years of various treatment blessed Wesley with more years of basically pain free life, more homebrew and wonderful evenings with friends around the Novak Fire Pit. In 2019, they were given the news that the cancer had spread to his liver and kidneys and was progressing fast. While Wes was not afraid to die, he would tell others that he just didn’t think it would be this soon. The health care providers at Sletten became like extended family and we are forever grateful for the gifts of caring and compassion they share. Wes is survived by his wife Janel; son Seth (Stephanie) and Cassie (David) McArtor, all of Washington State; siblings Mel (Linda) of Nashua, Mary (John) King of Kansas, Leroy (Bonnie) of Nashua, and Tom (Dawn) of South Carolina; and many family and friends. Preceding him in death were his parents, Joe and Helen (Egstad) Novak; first wife Roxanne Lattin Novak; in-laws Frosty and Peggy Lattin and Clair and Ruth Sykes. Services are Wednesday, May 8th at 11:00 am at Redeemer Lutheran Church.Dress code is casual, as Wes was a jeans and t-shirt guy! In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Redeemer Lutheran Church, 332 Riverview 3 West Great Falls, MT59404 or Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp, 550 Lutheran Camp Rd, Lakeside, MT59922.