Ronald Emmett West

Ronald Emmett West, lovingly known as Hoppa, passed from this life on May 23, 2016 surrounded by his beloved family. He is profoundly missed. Ron was born Sept. 7, 1933 in Harold and Lodema West's home in Rosebush, Michigan. He attended a one-room schoolhouse where he helped teach the younger children. At Mt. Pleasant High School, he excelled in chemistry and the sciences, and played football (mostly from the bench). After graduating in 1950, Ron attended the University of Michigan, where he met the love of his life, Peggy Marlies Douglas. On June 16, 1955 they married in Elkhart, Indiana. Ron earned his Bachelor's, Master's and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering at Michigan. In 1957, he became the youngest Michigan PhD Chemical Engineering graduate to date. That summer, Ron and Marlies moved to Boulder where he became a professor at the University of Colorado. Their daughter Sonny was born in 1958, followed by brothers Rex (1960) and Stephen (1961). Ron and Marlies became involved in local politics and in starting a Unitarian Universalist Church. Ron's work covered many areas of Chemical Engineering; most important to him was teaching, supporting international students, and partnering with people on environmentally-focused projects. Together with his friend Frank Kreith, he wrote a number of textbooks. Ron and Marlies took sabbaticals to Wilmington, DE (doing research for DuPont), UCSB (teaching and developing methods for cleaning up oil spills), and teaching in Turkey (twice) and Hungary, where they fell in love with the cultures (modern and ancient), and people. Ron's other passions included The Broncos, donuts, his beloved dogs (Winnie, Bebek, Simit, and Rumi), history, archeology, puzzling, word games, and above all, his family. The tightly-knit family extends beyond international borders. Mingying Zhou from China, and Kalyan Tadikonda from India, and their families, are members of the extended West clan. Whether exploring fascinating places or acting as driving forces behind the Boulder-Dushanbe Tea House project, Ron sowed seeds of love, friendship, kindness, and compassion. Hoppa will always be fondly remembered for his keen understanding of what was most important to the children in his life, putting everything else aside to play with abandon. Ron is survived by his beloved wife, Marlies Douglas West; his children and their families, Sonny Zinn (Lennard, Emily, Sarah), Rex West (Sue, Jivan), and Stephen West (De, Anahata). He was preceded in death by his father, Harold West; brother, James West; and mother, Lodema West. A service celebrating Ron's wonderful life will be held on July 24, 2016 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 5001 Pennsylvania Ave., Boulder, from 3-4:30pm. Ron requested donations be made in his name to the Boulder Humane Society or the Ronald E West Undergraduate Fund, payable to the University of Colorado Foundation. Mail to: University of Colorado College of Engineering and Applied Science Advancement Office, 422 UCB Boulder, CO 80309.