Wesley Wayne (Bubba) Atchinson  passed away January 10, 2025 at Mobridge Regional Hospital .  Visitation will be held Sunday beginning at 4:00 pm with a Prayer service at 6:00 PM at the Kesling Funeral Home in Mobridge.

Wesley Wayne (Bubba) Atchinson was born November 15, 1946 at Belton, TX.  And was raised by Wesley and Doris (Bowen) Atchinson.  The family moved to Austin, TX where Wes spent his early childhood and attended School Graduating from Travis High School in Austin  in 1965 where he was a star Athlete excelling in Football and Basketball and was also voted the Homecoming King his senior year. He Then attended Texas Tech. University where he was a scholarship athlete Playing Foot Ball  until his senior year when he transfer to Howard Payne University in Brownwood Texas to play football and where he played defensive tackle for the Howard Payne University conference winning team of 1969.  While attending college Wes and Sherry  Clark were married in May of 1969 to this union two children were born Kimberley and Wade Atchinson.  Following college the couple moved to McGregger TX. where Wes Worked for the Texas Dept. of Health as a meat inspector for a time before moving to Waco, TX and opening his own Texaco Gas Station which he operated for about 5 years before taking a position with the Texas Department of Corrections as a Corrections officer overseeing  prisoners while they were working in the fields.  Wes spent many hours horseback overseeing the guard dogs and prisoners while working for the Dept. of Corrections. A job he took great pride in and rose to the rank of Major before his retirement in October 1, 1998.  Following his retirement he moved to Timber lake SD to be near his daughter Kim (Lyle) Anderson who lived and ranched near White Horse, SD.  After moving to Timber Lake Wes worked for Herreid Livestock penning back cattle riding horseback, riding his best horse Dollar, a job which he loved because it was being a cowboy.

Wes loved everything about being cowboy from competing in rodeos as a steer wrestler and team Roper and later Breakaway roping in the SDRA to the cowboy way of life and ethics and manors of the cowboy way of life.  It was almost like he was born a hundred years too late as he was meant to be an old time cowboy and live that life.  He loved doing the night calving, Branding and gathering cattle at Kim and Lyles ranch at Whitehorse.

He became Part of the Timber Lake Police Dept. in 2002 as the Deputy to the Chief of Police and in 2003 he attended the Police Academy to become certified in South Dakota and became the Timber Lake Police Chief a position he held until his final retirement in 2007.

Wes also loved John Wayne and Gunsmoke and must have seen every  John Wayne movie and Gunsmoke episode at least three times  because he could quote lines from those shows.

In 2024 Wes became a resident of the Walworth County Care Center where he resided until the time of his passing.

Wes loved his family his children and grandchild and loved to watch his grandchildren compete in rodeos and loved to see them follow the cowboy way of life. He loved to visit with people and joke around giving special attention to any pretty ladies that were close by.

He is survived by his daughter Kimberley (Lyle) Anderson of White Horse and son Wade (Jennifer) Atchinson of Russellville, AK.  Grandchildren Savanna (Colton)Robison pf Scott City, KS, Sloan Anderson White Horse, SD, Reed Atchinson,  Morrilton AK.,  Meg (Copper) Timmons Maumelle, AK.  And Luke Atchinson of Russellville, AK.  Great grandchildren Gentry, Porter and soon to be Hollis Robison.  Sister Donna Ray Pehl  Fredricksburg,  TX. and 2 nephews Ross and Stephen Pehl.

He was preceded in death by his parents.