Dwight M. "Ben" West

1929 - 2011

Longtime Fairbanks resident Dwight Milford "Ben" West died April 20, 2011, in Kona, Hawaii.
He was born to Earl and Edna West on June 21, 1929, in the Washington farming/timber community of Elma. But the farming life was not for him and as soon as he was of age, he joined the Navy. He served in the South Pacific and was honorably discharged in 1952 as an aviation structural mechanic. During this period, he unofficially became "Ben" since he hated the name Dwight.
His next career was with a Seattle telephone company as an installer. On one of his jobs, he met his future wife - Marilyn Juneau. They eloped to Las Vegas to the dismay of her parents. The couple built a home on Bainbridge Island. Their lives were spent outdoors as much as possible - especially mountain climbing and skiing. Ben taught mountaineering classes for the Seattle Mountaineers.
In the 1960s, they joined one of Ray Genet's climbing expeditions to Mount McKinley. After that, they decided to move to Alaska. It took a few years, but they arrived in Fairbanks in June 1970. They immediately fell in with the outdoor folks of Fairbanks - the Alpine Club and the cross country ski community. They built a home in Goldstream Valley summer 1971. That done, they had time to teach mountaineering classes for the Alpine Club. They led numerous trips into the Alaska Range and the Brooks Range. Eventually, they took to the water in canoes and rafts. Every June, they helped lead a Girl Scout trip down Birch Creek. They also participated in amateur radio, square dancing, curling, ice skating, biking and gardening.
Ben worked for Municipal Utilities System until he retired at age 50. Since Marilyn still worked, Ben did the cooking and gained the reputation as quite the gourmet. In summer, he and Marilyn guided visitors for Brooks Range Expeditions and eventually their own company - The North by West. For several summers in the 1990s, Ben was part of the volunteer labor force that built St. Raphael's Catholic Church on the Old Steese Highway. 
They loved travel and made several trips to Europe and Hawaii. They took one summer to float the Yukon and another to float Canada's Mackenzie River. On a trip to Malawi to visit Father Loyon's mission, Ben surprised Marilyn by having the priest baptize him in the Catholic faith.
His life experienced a major change with Marilyn's death in 1999. Though her parents originally objected, the marriage lasted more than 40 years. After a few years, Ben met the woman who would stay with him the rest of his life - Raylene Taylor of Hawaii. They met at the annual square dance event in Delta Junction. Originally they made their home in Fairbanks. In addition to square dancing, Ben and Raylene enjoyed bowling, movies and Goldpanners games. Their active life was curtailed by injuries suffered when Ben's van was hit by a drunken driver on Goldstream Road. They became snowbirds, and for the last two years they called Hawaii home. 
This past April, Ben fell and broke a hip. While in the hospital awaiting surgery, his liver failed. Three days later, Ben was gone. 
Ben was preceded in death by his parents and first wife, Marilyn. 
Ben leaves behind his partner Raylene and many friends in Fairbanks and Hawaii. 
A Fairbanks service for Ben will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 26, at St. Raphael's Catholic Church, 1125 Old Steese Highway.
Condolences may be sent to Raylene Taylor, P.O. Box 6091, Ocean View, HI 99737.