Obituary
It’s hard to say that a man who died at 94 died to soon, but that certainly is the case with Edward Charles West who died Saturday, August 20th, in Boca Raton, Florida.
Born in 1928 in Philadelphia, Ed was a graduate of West Point class of 1950. He retired from the Army Corps of Engineers in 1972, a Full-Bird Colonel. A most generous, kind and caring man, Ed lived an awesome life that touched the hearts of all who met him. Along with his wife of 72 years, Marlyn (Marci) née Wenger, and their two daughters, Becki and Stephanie, the Wests lived a typical career army life moving over 40 times to cities and barracks all over the world. With limited access to synagogues in some of the smaller towns, Ed, fluent in Hebrew and Jewish teaching, would often assume the role of Rabbi and Cantor to lead small congregations that he would form wherever the family ended up. These Jewish roots proved important to a family that was often uprooted, and for the many other Jewish military and townspeople he came across.
But taking control has always been an innate trait for Ed.
A decorated war hero in Korea with a bronze star for Valor, Ed understood both the importance of serving and the devastation of war. The “ultimate sacrifice” he would often say, was not putting your own life on the line, but that of your daughter or son.
So wide open of spirit and mind, Ed spent many years working at the Pentagon, corresponding with scholars and lawmakers, dining with dignitaries, and engaging in dialogue to seek out ways to make the world a better more peaceful place.
And a cleaner place.
In his years outside the military, Ed was a key partner in the company Agripost, whose main objective was to take city waste and turn that into organic fertilizer. It was, unfortunately, an idea ahead of its time but Ed managed to replicate a smaller version of this idea within the Community of Broken Sound, in Boca Raton.
Under his direction, the community purchased composting drums and collected the local waste and turned that into organic fertilizer for their golf courses.
Always the inquisitive human being, Ed’s appetite for learning resulted in a master's degree in engineering from MIT and a master's degree in Business Administration from George Washington,
Ed is survived by his wife Marci, sister Sandra, daughter Becki and husband Bruce Lev, daughter Stephanie and husband Michael Lieberman, grandchildren Josh, Brynn, Zachary, Erica, BJ, Bronwyn, Jake, Shannon and Ali. Great grandchildren Blake, Dylan, Ari and Julian.
A ceremony is planned at The Old Course of Broken Sound, Monday August 29th at 3PM.
Shiva will be observed August 31st in Philadelphia at AlDar Bistro, 281 Montgomery Ave., Bala Cynwyd, Pa from 2:30-7PM.
Burial will take place at West Point at a time still to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the charity of your choice or to the Jewish Chapel Fund at West Point.