INDEPENDENCE – Jerome “Jim” M. Wester was born on May 29, 1927 to Hubert P. Wester and Christine (Becker) Wester on a farm near La Porte City. He went to school through 8th grade, after which, he worked on the family farm. He learned many valuable skills as a farm hand and found time for the occasional practical joke. Jim married Bettye Blocker on February 10, 1948, and they had three children, Kathleen Olsen, Michael Wester, and Kristi Hiller. A downturn in the farm economy of the 1960s led Jim to work off the farm. Over the years, he held several jobs, including at Black Hawk Seed Farms in La Porte City, Rath Packing in Waterloo, Universal Hoist in Cedar Falls, and John Deere in Waterloo.