Wester Cooley

Wester "Wes" Steven Cooley passed away of complications from diabetes at the age of 65 in Twin Falls Idaho on October 16, 2021. Wes is survived by his wife, Melody Kay Rose-Cooley, his daughter Alexis Cooley Halpert, his son Wester Cooley, his daughter Nikita Neuhaus, his sister Lisa Cooley Cohen, two nephews, stepdaughter Jessie Carr, and three grandchildren. He is predeceased by his father, Wester Shadric Cooley and his mother Beverly Gottfred Charbonneau. Wes was born on June 28, 1956 in Los Angeles, California. Wes began racing motorcycles at a very young age through his parents who owned and operated a racing club organization known as ACA. It was obvious from a very young age that he had the passion and raw talent to pursue racing as his career, ultimately winning two AMA Superbike Championships in 1979 and 1980. Wes was considered a racing legend in Japan for his accomplishments with Suzuka. He won the Suzuka “8 Hours-Endurance Race in both 1978 and 1980, which was particularly impressive due to the challenges of being a Type I Diabetic. In response to his crown victories for Suzuka, they went on to create a Wes Cooley Replica Version of his GSX1400 motorcycle. After several successful years in racing across the United States, Europe and Japan, he was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2004. Wes was always known as being a "fan favorite". He loved people and he loved showing his appreciation to the fans by taking the time to acknowledge and speak with them, which carried on until the day of his passing. With his good nature and nice guy attitude, he was also liked and respected by many of his fiercest competitors in racing. Upon retiring from racing himself, it was only natural for him to go on to teach others at a superbike riding school where it allowed him to still be in contact with others in the industry and be part of the racing community. After several years of teaching, he then went on to work in the nursing profession which also seemed natural since he truly enjoyed helping others. Though Wes was best known and remembered as one of the original "pioneers" in Superbike motorcycle racing, he was talented in so many other areas. As a young boy, he painted in both acrylics and watercolors and won a 1st place ribbon for his watercolor at the Laguna Beach Art Festival in the early 70s, although racing was just "in his blood" and something he not only excelled at, but loved. Wes will be deeply missed by his family, friends and fans. As was his wish, Wes was cremated. In lieu of any flowers, a donation to the American Diabetes Association would be appreciated. Service Live Streamed on YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/zyj22j5y