September 23, 1922 – August 19, 2019
Raymond O. West ’52 died Aug. 19, 2019. He was born in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, on Sept. 23, 1922, where he lived until 1937 when he attended Oshawa Missionary College and met the love of his life, Julia I. Huckabone.
Dr. West joined the Royal Canadian Volunteer Reserve in October 1942 and served as a sick birth attendant and an X-ray technician. Julia and Dr. West were married in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on July 27, 1944. Their loving marriage lasted 74 years until Julia passed away on Dec. 31, 2018.
Dr. West’s time in the Royal Canadian Reserve led him in the direction of health care, and he eventually enrolled at Loma Linda University (LLU) for medical school. He interned at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland, and after passing the medical board examinations in both the U.S. and Canada, he returned to Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, and practiced for two years. In 1953, the family moved to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, where he served as medical director of Rest Haven General Hospital for two years. In 1956, Dr. West and his family moved back to Takoma Park, Maryland, where he practiced family medicine, taking two years off to attend Harvard School of Public Health, earning two degrees.
In 1967, Dr. West accepted a call to LLU, where he served with joint appointments in the new School of Health and the School of Medicine. He served as chairman of the department of epidemiology and associate professor of preventive medicine. Under the deanship of David B. Hinshaw ’47, Dr. West instituted the new department of family medicine. In 1968, he accepted a call from Florida Hospital to chair the new residency program in family medicine. When this program was on a sound footing, he returned to LLU and taught until he retired to Belfair, Washington, in 1990. He was honored with the distinction of Emeritus Professor of family medicine at LLU School of Medicine. During his career, Dr. West also served as editor of the ALUMNI JOURNAL for six years.
After retirement, Dr. West authored a book, “Confessions of a Christian Physician.” He kept his medical license current, took courses, and read medical journals until his death. Dr. West loved adventure, traveling, and learning. Over the years he traveled widely, lecturing and teaching for the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists and LLU. He will be remembered for his compassion and kindness to his patients, students, and family.
Dr. West is survived by his children, Raylene, Donna, Dan, and Julie Carpenter; grandchildren, Jennifer, Jessica, Erin, Zak, and Heather; great-grandchildren, Ashley, Hailey, Audrey, Luca, Max, and Quinn; and his sister, Rosalie Connors.
(Source: Family of Dr. West)
