Mary Joan West's Obituary
Mary passed peacefully surrounded by family at age 84, on October 19th, 2022
She was born to Kenneth and Ruth Tuke in SLC UT., on Sept. 4th, 1938
She was the 4th of 6 children. At a young age she took on much of the responsibility for cooking and cleaning for her 4 brothers and little sister Kathy while mom went to work. She and 'Kath' were life-long best friends; the laughing never stopped when they were together. Mary married Richard S. West, July 13th, 1959. They had 4 daughters and finally one son. He was obviously the favorite, as she would call the other residents 'Ryan' in her last year in memory care. Her fiery temper was countered by her soft heart. She was always doing for others and worrying that she hadn't done enough. She taught us kids to be tough, hard-working, and independent, skeptical and giving. She wasn't above throwing a shoe to keep us inline. As a child she loved ice and roller skating. As an adult, Mary could out-bowl us all, even in her 70's, and golfing with Kathy was a highlight for her. The amount of time she spent cooking for the family, loving to have as many as could come, is incalculable. The grand kids loved going to grandma's; they knew chips and dip, Dunford donuts, or homemade brownies would be waiting. The back bedroom was the scene of way too much tv, pop, and junk food.
Always strong, smart, and confident she could fix anything; she rarely called a repairman. The dryer or washer would be lying in pieces on the basement floor for days, then back in working order. She taught herself to sew, making matching dresses for the 3 older girls every holiday. Grandkids got home-sewn Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, and every birthday and Christmas was quite the celebration.
She is preceded in death by her parents and brothers: Robert, Duane, Jack, and Harvey.
Survived by sister Kathy Budd, children: Tammy Peterson (Mike) Lisa West, Jodi Peterson (Randy), Teresa Kumelski (Jason), Ryan West (Megan), 14 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to St Jude Children's Research Hospital.
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