Richard Ray West was born July 30, 1931, in Rush, Kentucky, to Raymond Lee West and Pearl (Alexander) West. He passed from this life Saturday, November 11, 2017, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 86. Richard was the oldest of seven children. The family moved from Rush, Kentucky, to Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. Richard enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 and was trained as an aircraft mechanic. He married Sylvia Jane Stout, of Ringgold, Texas, on November 25, 1954. After being discharged in 1954, he joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard (OKANG) 138th CAM Squadron in 1955. He served on the maintenance team for the Talking Bird (global communications aircraft) during the Kennedy administration, and was ordered to active duty during the Berlin Crisis, Korean War and Vietnam. He was medically discharged at the rank of master sergeant in 1987. Richard was a competitive marksman on the OKANG Rifle Team and earned the Governor’s Twenty Award nine times. He was also on the Oklahoma Military Department Rifle Squad, winning four national championships and setting records. Richard was a scoutmaster for the Last Frontier Council, Boy Scouts of America, for decades and enjoyed teaching boys outdoor survival skills, camping, cooking, gun safety, marksmanship, archery, and so much more. He was an avid and skilled hunter.
He is survived by his wife Sylvia West, of the home; son Raymond West and wife Teresa of Tecumseh, Oklahoma; daughter Robin Chase and husband Terry, of Owasso, Oklahoma; grandchildren Ryan West, of Dallas, Texas, Rachel Lam and husband Jerimy, of Shawnee, Oklahoma, Emilie West, of Tecumseh, Oklahoma, Dani Voigt and husband Carey, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Mariah Washington, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Madison Chase, of Owasso, Oklahoma, and Lauren Chase of Owasso, Oklahoma; and great grandchildren Alanna West, Brenlee and Reilly Lam, Corbin and Garrett Voigt, and Ava and Lyla Washington. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, November 18, 2017, at the Mowery Funeral Service Chapel in Owasso with Reverend Leonard Pirtle officiating. An inurnment will be held at Graceland Memorial Park Cemetery in Owasso. Arrangements and services were entrusted to Mowery Funeral Service of Owasso. www.moweryfs.com
