Wes Thompson Jr. loved Stella Artois.
It was his beer of choice, even though his brother Frank owns Bayside Brewing.
So what better way to celebrate the man his family remembers as a 'Blenheim boy' than by cracking open a cold Stella at 'The Shed'.
"Wes collected fire trucks, and the thing about red metal is you need a lot of room. So, he built this shed to hold his collection of fire trucks," said Thompson's sister Jennifer Wilson. "Every Friday we used to gather there when the work week was done and have a few Stella... and we would talk about the week and have good times."
It's only fitting that the Friday night tradition continues.
On June 21, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Thompson family invites the community to 'The Shed' to celebrate a man who would hate to know he's being celebrated.
"My brother would hate having all this fuss about him. It's not about him. It's always been about the community and the great people in our community," said Wilson. "He just loved Blenheim, crazy about Blenheim, which we all are," she added.
Thompson passed away on June 15, at the age of 65. And while his sister said he wouldn't want a legacy, he left a pretty big one with the amount of time he gave back to the community.
According to Wilson, that's not just Wes, that's just Bleinheim.
"There are a lot of people like Wes in our community and we are so fortunate to know them and love them," she explained.
The Thompson family were owners of a large grain operations business, which at the time was the largest family-owned operation of its kind in Ontario. Thompson led the business before it sold in 2013, but he was more than just a businessman.
Over the years, Thompson was very involved in the community. From helping those in need, to being involved with the Chatham-Kent United Way, he even led local food drives.
"He was always quick to point out it's not just him, it's everybody, and that's what's great about it. What's great about it is not Wes Thompson. What's great about it is the whole community. So In that way, we all live on in his spirit," said Wilson.
If you're unable to crack open a cold Stella Friday night, you can honour the man who loved his community by being more like him. When asked what Wilson thinks he would have said to the community, she offered this:
"He wants our community to stay strong and remember to take care of each other I think, ... see the good in every person and recognize their value."
