Wayne A West

Wayne Alec West, 79, of Tucson went home to be with Jesus on Wednesday, March 27, 2019. He was gravely injured in a fall on Tuesday while doing one of the things he loved best—working on his house. Wayne is survived by Sandra Thor West, his wife of 53 years, as well as his children Timothy (married to Tessie), Peter (married to Karen), and Colleen; his grandchildren Colin (married to Heather), Brady, Garrett, and Annabelle; and his great-grandson Carsten. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Hugh.

Wayne was born in Glens Falls, NY, on November 8, 1939, to Leslie and Alma (Harrington) West. He grew up in Buffalo but kept fond memories of the family farm in the Adirondack Mountains, where he and his uncle cut and stacked hay in the summer, harvested ice from the pond in the winter, and where he regularly bested his cousins eating corn on the cob competitively in the back yard. He took great pride in earning his Eagle Scout badge at 16. In 1961 Wayne finished an associate degree at the Technical College at Alfred, and in 1965 he graduated from Milwaukee School of Engineering. He married Sandra Thor in 1966. For almost three decades, Wayne worked in industrial sales in Rochester, NY, and Wilmington, DE. In 1994 he and Sandra moved to Tucson, AZ, and from 1998 until his death he worked as a career counselor for Right Management. Wayne took great pleasure in helping others, and it was in this final job that he was happiest.

Wayne loved music. He joined the drum and bugle corps in high school, played old-time music with his parents, aunts, and uncles, played the piano at home, played trumpet in a brass trio at church, and sang and played the ukulele with Sandra and their children around camp fires. A born showoff, as a young man Wayne was a member of the Aqua Bat ski team in Sodus Bay, NY. His nieces and nephews remember an uncle who wouldn’t settle for skiing on a rope, preferring to do headstands on a wooden plank or placing a chair on it and reading the newspaper as the boat pulled him along. Wayne developed a love for woodworking as an adult, building furniture for his children and ultimately building tables, dressers, buffets, clocks, and other pieces for the homes of family and friends. He spent thousands of hours improving his home and those of his children, building cabinets, wiring electricity, installing bathrooms, etc. “If anything needed to be done,” Sandra recalls, “he’d find a way to do it.” Whenever Wayne encountered a snag in a project, Sandra knew he’d found a solution when she heard his whistling resume.

More than anything else, Wayne enjoyed being with people. He is remembered for his ready laugh, his avid attention in conversation, and his ability to connect with others, no matter how different. As a rule, he was the last one out of the church on any given Sunday, lingering and chatting with old and new friends. Wayne was a loving husband and family man and an example to his children and grandchildren, modeling integrity, dutifulness, consideration for others and, above all, Christian love. His love for his family was plain from the pleasure he took in spending time with them and in his hard work to provide for them.

Wayne’s love for others was a reflection of his love for God. Whether he was driving children to camp on the church bus, playing handbells for worship, leading adult fellowship groups, or serving those in need through the Helps ministry, Wayne’s purpose was to share the love of Jesus. He became a believer in Christ at the age of twelve or thirteen. Getting to know Him better, growing more like Him, and serving Him were Wayne’s continual desire and his greatest motivation throughout his life.

A memorial service officiated by Pastor David Stertzbach will be held at El Camino Baptist Church in Tucson at 1:00 PM on Saturday, April 27. A second memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 22, at Berrien Center Bible Church in Berrien Center, MI. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Rincon Mountain Presbyterian Church, ATTN: Lauterbach Mission Acct. 8445 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson, AZ 85749.