Malcolm Randall "Randy" West

Malcolm Randall "Randy" WEST Malcolm Randall "Randy" West, 77, passed away peacefullyat home with his family by his side on August 7, 2009. He was born August 11, 1931 at home on his parent's farm in the beautiful rolling hills just outside Tullahoma, Tennessee. He had been battling Pulmonary Fibrosis for 4 years. Randy's parents instilled in him a strong work ethic, which served him well throughout his life. In his youth, he worked hard on the family's farm, took on various part time jobs and worked his way up to assistant manager for Kroger Grocers by the time he was nineteen. In 1951, Randy left Kroger to enlist in the Navy where he served 4 years on the U.S.S. Los Angeles. While stationed in San Diego he met his wife of 55 years, Dolores. They were married in Tacoma, Washington in 1954. Shortly after, the young couple moved to Tennessee where they started a family. Randy took a job at Arnold Engineering Developmental Center in Tullahoma but the northwest soon beckoned and the family moved to Seattle in 1956 where Randy took a job at Boeing. The grocery business still in his blood, he went to work for the Food Giant Grocery company working his way up to Vice President by the time he retired in 1996. Randy was very active in the community and won many awards for his service and accomplishments. He was awarded Puget Sound Grocer of the year in 1978 and Washington State Grocer of the year in 1982. During his tenure at Food Giant he donated time and support to many local school programs and charities. He also sponsored a Senior Babe Ruth baseball team and continued his sponsorship into his retirement. Randy proudly belonged to the University Lion's Club and served as president from 1985 to 1986.He spent many hours helping with the annual Lion's Club Auction which raises funds to help the blind and sight impaired. After retirement Randy opened Milt's BBQ restaurant, dabbled part time in the grocery business, loved to fish for King salmon in Alaska, took his family to Australia and made yearly family trips to California's wine country. He also loved to play golf and made 2 hole-in-ones in his life during the same week in different states. His family includes his wife Dolores "Dee", his children Kathy, Pam and Randy, his daughter-in-law Julie, his grandchildren Kayleigh, Janson, Kendall and Conner, his twin sister Clara, his nephew Malcolm and his nieces Sharon and Debbie. We are eternally grateful to his caregivers Meghan and Sarah for their physical and emotional support. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, August 28, at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, 515 South 312th Street, Federal Way, WA 98003. In lieu of flowers, donations in Randy's name can be made to the University Lion's Club or Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care.