Dr. Clifton Forrest West Jr.

Dr. Clifton Forrest "Clif" West, Jr., of Chestertown, MD, passed away on February 28, 2023, peacefully in his sleep. He was 99 years old. Dr. West was born in Kinston, NC, on September 19, 1923, the son of the late Dr. Clifton Forrest and Susan Perry West. His sister, Lillian West Parrott, and brother, Robert "Bobby" Perry West predeceased him. He graduated from Woodberry Forrest and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed his medical training at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. In 1946, he married the love of his life, the late Joan Darby. He was a devoted and loving husband for 73 years. He was a proud veteran of the U.S. Army and served as a surgeon in a M.A.S.H. unit during the Korean War and served a year in Japan. He enjoyed sharing his stories with family and friends. Dr. West spent his medical career at Lankenau Hospital as a general surgeon before his retirement in 1984. He enjoyed his patients and teaching surgical residents from the Jefferson Medical College. He kept in shape by never taking an elevator in the hospital, always the stairs. He and his wife spent their retirement traveling around the world on many adventures with family and friends. They loved their farm in Quaker Neck, where he enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, swimming, and playing golf. Dr. West had a particular love for gardening orchids, amaryllis, camellias, growing azaleas from cuttings and building and planting troughs for his alpine plants. For many years, he and his friend, John Ray, entered them in the Philadelphia Flower Show and always returned with a pile of ribbons. He was an active and devoted member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Chestertown, Brotherhood of St. Andrews, Chester River Yacht and Country Club, the ROMEO's (Retired Old Men Eating Out), a life member of the Maritime Museum, and the North American Rock Garden Society. He served on the Kent and Queen Anne's Hospital Board for nine years and was Board Chairman for two years. He also served on the Board of the United Way. The Committee of the Chestertown Memorial Day Parade selected Dr. West to be Grand Marshal of the 2023 Parade and will honor him posthumously during this year's parade. He is survived by his children, Betsy Dripps (Craig), Forrest West (Patricia), Carolyn Pace (Kevin), Doug West (Sue); twelve grandchildren; and twenty-three great-grandchildren. Services will be held on Sunday, March 19, at 3 p.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Chestertown. A reception will follow at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Emmanuel Episcopal Church at P.O. Box 875, Chestertown, MD 21620.