Jan. 11, 1932 – May 19, 2011
Bruce M. West, 79, of Sweet Home died May 19, 2011.
He was born Jan. 11, 1932 in Idaho Falls, Idaho to Lewis Lesley and Edith (Burkeman) West, the youngest of three boys. He grew up on a Swedish farm, growing potatoes for harvest and spending many hours on horseback moving cattle.
He attended New Sweden grade school and Idaho Falls High School, participating in almost all the sports offered. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho in 1965.
He served in the United States Army as a 1st Lieutenant in 1955 and 1956.
He married his best friend, Jeani, in June of 1962 in Idaho Falls, nearly 49 years ago.
Throughout his own athletic career, he played college football, boxed, skied, played basketball, bowled and competitive fast-pitch softball, winning a MVP award for leading his softball team to a state title. He continued to play golf until his early 70s, winning many a local tournament, until his son started taking the titles.
Although in Idaho Falls he started out as a P.E. and Biology teacher in 1954, and 1958-1961, his love of sports led him to work in the ski shop at Sib Kleffner Sporting Goods Store, ultimately managing a second store for Kleffners in Caldwell, Idaho.
His love for kids, teaching and coaching, combined with encouragement from Norm Davis, drew him back to teaching science in nearby Parma, Idaho. He coached football and wrestling in Parma and led the track team to capture the state title – a highlight of his time there. His success led to a recruitment call from Kenai, Alaska where he was hired to start the high school’s first football program, as well as teaching P.E. In his two years there he guided his players, some of whom had never even seen the sport played, to two winning seasons, culminating in the community declaring a “Bruce West Day” in his honor. He continued to coach wrestling in Kenai.
In 1970 his friendship with Norm Davis drew him to the Sweet Home area to teach P.E. and health. He spent 40 years coaching track, wrestling, football, cross country, water polo, golf, diving and through the past season, assisted Coach Doug Peargin with the swimming team. He retired from teaching in 1993, but continued to serve the athletes through 2011. He was honored in 2010, his 50th year of coaching young people, by the Oregon Athletic Coaching Association.
To help his athletes compete, he learned athletic training, going on to spend thousands of hours taping kids’ injuries, or helping to protect against injury. He was the head trainer for all activities in Sweet Home, beginning in 1989.
In his spare time, he loved to fly fish, tie his own flies, and hunt, often at the family log cabin in Island Park, Idaho, which he built with his dad.
He will be remembered as a teacher, coach who played no favorites and was fair to everyone, whether they were a talented athlete or regular run-of-the-mill student. Each one was graded on his own ability, not some standard set by others.
He is survived by his wife and best friend Jeani West; daughter and son-in-law Peggy and James Curtis of Battle Creek, Mich.; son Craig West and Traci Gates of Sweet Home and son Dennis West of Alaska; older brother Norris West of Idaho Falls, Idaho; his “other brother” Philo; five grandchildren, all of Battle Creek, Mich.; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis and Edith West; and his oldest brother Harold.
A memorial service will be held at the Sweet Home High School track at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 26, rain or shine. A reception will follow at the Boys and Girls Club.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his honor to Sweet Home Aquatic District Fund, P.O. Box 593, Sweet Home, OR 97386
Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.