She grew up a country girl working on the farm following in the steps of her beloved “Grandy.” After graduation from Gilbert High School in 1958 as class valedictorian, she began work at Seibels, Bruce & Company in Columbia, retiring from Seibels-Bruce in 1986. After retiring she began raising sheep, learning to spin the wool and knitting the fiber into woolen projects. She began work at Pond Branch Telephone Company (now Comporium), retiring again in 1993.
She and her mother lived in Cayce, SC from 1969 until her marriage to Harry A. West in 1981. The country continued to call. She and Harry moved to the Pond Branch area in 1982 and became members of Pond Branch Methodist Church, where she held several offices: President of the United Methodist Women, Church Historian, chairperson of the church's 100-year celebration in 1990, and served as church secretary for a number of years.
She loved genealogy, working on the Taylor family and publishing "Leaves of the Taylor Tree", a 352-page book of the family history. She worked with her husband, Harry, on his family’s genealogy for many years. She also wrote a personal history of her grandfather "Grandy", her mother and father, and the life she shared with Harry “Our Story.” Favorite past times were cooking, reading, feeding and watching birds.
She is survived by nephew, Kelly D. Taylor; nephew, Dwayne E. Taylor (Nancy); great niece, Haylie; great nephew, Cameron; stepson, Brian C. West (Rebecca); two step-grandsons, Tyler (Maddie) and Jackson West; special friends, Billy Derrenbacher (Fali), Angie Derrenbacher and their daughters, Daisy Sheldon (Caleb) and Maddie Dooley (Devin).
She was predeceased by husband, Harry A. West, Jr.; her parents; brother, Everett W. Taylor; and sister-in-law, Joyce D. Taylor.
A funeral service will be held at Pond Branch Methodist Church on October 2, 2026 at 11:00 am. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Memorials may be made to Pond Branch Methodist Church, 1913 Pond Branch Rd., Gilbert, SC 29054.
