Doug Sessions

Doug was born on May 29, 1948 in Cody Wyoming to Glenn and Alice Sessions and passed suddenly on September 8 in Slana, Alaska at the cabin he dearly loved.

The Sessions family moved to Merino in 1950 from Oregon Basin oilfield camp near Cody Wyoming. It seems Doug was destined to live and work hard all his life. One of his first memories was running away from home when he was 3. He rode his tricycle to the Merino Post Office. He always got a chuckle out of that. From then on he was on the move. When he was in 3rd grade the Merino school burned down and he was transferred to the small Roosevelt School in Messex, CO. There he met a girl that was to be his future bride.

Doug excelled in sports and mischief while attending High School. The Roosevelt School closed and that cute girl was transferred to Merino and the rest is history. Doug and Pat were married in August of 1966 and had just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

Doug worked with his dad from a very young age. This is where his love of the oil and gas industry came from. His very first job that took he and his family on the road was being sent to Broadus, MT. He packed his dad’s station wagon with his wife and baby girl and with a truck and ditcher headed out. The job was to last only a few months and by the end of the year they returned to Merino. After a few years of working all over NE CO, he and his family with a new baby boy were sent to Walden, CO. They lived there several years. Doug had numerous friends there.

On the move again he moved his family to Wray in 1979 and started working for J-W Operating.

He, with a friend, started a well servicing business. The business thrived. After a few years he bought out his partner and expanded the services he provided. Eventually the rig was sold and the business name changed to Doug Sessions Construction. During his time of owning the business he worked with his brother Ron on many projects from Scott City, KS to Nelson, NE and as far south as Canadian, Texas, where again he gained an enormous amount of friends.

Upon returning to Wray he saw an upswing in the natural gas fields and the business grew to have over 50 employees at one point. To show his appreciation to his employees, customers, friends and community he had an annual rocky mountain oyster and fish feed. They were a lot of work and he was glad when they were over but usually he was planning for the next one. He enjoyed his work, but the years and declining health forced him to pull back from the active life and the business he loved. It gave him great joy to see his Wray grandsons step up into the business.

He could now enjoy the fruits of his labor. He fished in his pond and you could find him on the golf cart giving his beloved dog Banjo rides. He was an avid reader and you could find him reading at any hour of the day or night. He and Pat made several trips to New Mexico to attend many plays and theatrical productions that Rio and Sky were cast in. He also loved hunting with the grandsons. He and his hunting buddy Dwayne, spent many hours scouting deer for the boys. He also got the biggest kick out of hunting hogs in Texas with friends and family. He planned everything for these trips even down to what their menu would be. Most of all he loved taking yearly hunting trips to Alaska with Byron. In 1990 on a trip to visit very close friends in Alaska he completely fell in love with the country. By the end of the trip he had decided he needed a place to call home in Alaska. They found his beloved cabin and the adventures began. He enjoyed sharing his diamond in the rough with numerous and friends and family. Many hunting trips of a life time were celebrated. He was able to hunt dall sheep, black bear, his beautiful grizzly and one enormous moose. This year he was not sure he would be able to go. When he found out Trace was able to go with him he was ECSTATIC!

For all of Doug’s adult life he found joy in the Northern Colorado mountains at the family cabin. He was involved with every step of the cabin being built from breaking ground with the dozer to his last project the recently finished gazebo. He loved challenges of building a legacy in the forest for family and friends.

We have many memories of playing cards with him. He loved the strategy and you had to watch him as he was pretty good at figuring out what we all had in our hands. We all suspected on many occasion he was counting cards.

Doug was preceded in death by his parents Glenn and Alice, infant sister Linda, Sister Sharon and her husband Rex Ladd, Brother Ron Sessions, nephew Brian Sessions and in-laws George and Isabelle Kloberdanz and brother in-law Allen Yetter.

He leaves behind those to mourn his beloved wife Pat and their daughter Michelle and husband Donny Sandquist and son Byron Sessions, grandchildren Joshua Sandquist and his son Wyatt, Tristan (TJ) and wife Bree Sandquist and their children Korra and Elias and Trace Sandquist, all of Wray. Rio Sessions currently of Yuma, AZ and Sky and Natalia Sierra-Sessions of Las Cruces, NM. He is also survived by his brother Les and wife Betty of Merino, CO, sister Sue and husband Danny Skalla of Sterling, and sister in-law Vicki Sessions of Walden, CO. Brother in-laws and sister-in-laws Paul and Lorraine Unrein, Marilyn and Larry Luft, Bob and Kathy Schneider, George and Janet Kloberdanz and Lynette Yetter. He is also survived by many treasured nieces, nephews, friends and colleagues.

Doug was such a huge presence both in stature and in heart he will be tremendously missed by all.

A memorial service will be held at the Eckley Community Center Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

Memorials may be made in Doug's name to Eckley Community Center or Wray Scouts Troop 35.

Jones Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.