Willard Gene “Will West

West, Willard Gene “Will,” 79, passed away in the presence of his family at sunrise Sunday, November 9, at Wesley Medical Center. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, November 14, at Grace Presbyterian Church. Interment will be in Illinois. Will was born in Highland Park, Michigan, August 1, 1929 to Charles E. and Leona West. After a childhood fascination with flight and aircraft, he earned his wings at the age of 16. He flew himself and a friend from Royal Oak, Michigan, to Hillsdale, Michigan, to register for college at Hillsdale College. It was on his first day of college at Hillsdale that he met the love of his life, Florence Elizabeth “Betty” Netto of Belmont, Massachusetts. She would become his wife June 18, 1951. He was a graduate of Hillsdale College and earned an MBA at the University of Michigan. He was in the U.S. Navy from June 1948 to June 1954, serving on active duty from December 1951 to September 1953. Will worked in sales and marketing for companies such as American Standard before landing a job at Beech Aircraft Company. He and Betty relocated their family of two sons and two daughters to Kansas in 1962. The couples fifth child joined the family in 1965. He worked for Beech until he retired in the early 1990s as Director of Marketing for the American Hemisphere. For years, he said going to work each day was like going on vacation as he so enjoyed the friendships and relationships he built within the general aviation industry throughout the United States and elsewhere. Will and Betty were active members of First Presbyterian Church in Wichita for many years. He was an avid tennis player and worked to improve his golf game, freely admitting his efforts werent as fruitful as he had hoped. Friends have recalled his incredible dry wit and said he was the one of the most responsible, kind and trustworthy men they had ever known. He greatly enjoyed socializing with friends and took great delight in putting people at ease and making them laugh. He was tremendously generous both to causes in which he believed and to those for whom he cared. In recent years, he was the sole caregiver for Betty, who suffers from Alzhiemers Disease. Those who loved him watched as he provided years of gentle, loving care for his wife. While he had always been a strong and loving father to his children, he had in recent years become increasingly involved in their lives. He is remembered as the “rock” of the family, and the enormity of his loss cannot be adequately expressed. He is survived by Betty, son Gary and his wife, Anupam Barlow, daughter Lynn and her husband, Truman Charnley, daughter Debra, son Grant, and daughter Sandra and her husband, Robert Graham. He was the loving and proud grandfather to Briar and Ashlee Baum, Amanda Charnley, Daniel Allender and Arya Allender- West, and Gerren and Grayson Graham. He is preceded in death by his beloved parents. Contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 1653, Topeka, KS, 66601 and the Alzheimers Association, 347 Laura, Wichita, KS, 67211. Downing Lahey Mortuary East. Interment will be in the Rosemond Grove Cemetery, Sunday, November 16, 2008, 9:15 AM, Rosemond, Illinois. Viewing will be Thursday, November 13, 2008 from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Downing Lahey East Mortuary.