James Richard West

Graveside services for James West will be broadcast live on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 beginning at 1:30 PM. To watch this service, please click on the link below.

Click HERE to view Graveside Services for James West

SECTION 1: LIFE & FAMILY
Born September 7, 1937 to James H.C. and Flora West in Murray, Utah
Married Sharon Swain November 18, 1959 in the Salt Lake City Temple
Father to:
Scott (Michelle)
Robyn Wahlen
April Ballou (James)
Kris (Jamie)
Julie Hunt (Ryan)
27 grandchildren
23 great grandchildren
General Contractor (multiple commercial and private buildings)
Spring Meadows Apartments (General Contractor and co-owner with brother Robert West & Sister Margie Hazelgren)

SECTION 2: WHY WE LOVED HIM
The temporal life of James Richard West, “Jim,” came to a close on the 17th of October in the year of our Lord 2020. His final moments were like a tapestry of the elements he most cherished during his time on earth. He was in his Draper home embraced by the love of his life, Sharon. A loving union of more than 60 years had produced five adoring children Scott, Robyn, April, Kristoffer, and Juliette who weaved their own special gifts into Jim’s final pattern. His earthly work was complete, and the tapestry finalized as if by hands from beyond the veil, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant…”
It’s common to hear that the passing of a loved one is experienced by each person differently but as members of the human family there are certain aspects shared by all. Jim’s family lost not just a beloved husband and father but the family patriarch and mentor. Using the talents he was blessed with he altered the course of countless lives – some through his inexhaustible generosity or through his ability to relate to anyone, in any place and to share a bit of the tenderness and humility that were hallmarks of his character.
Some experiences are impossible to understand because we cannot put ourselves in the place of either person in the interaction. I’m speaking now of the family’s request to select me to write what you are reading. It would be difficult to find someone who feels less qualified and less worthy to write about the man who has been my guide, teacher, and friend for more than three decades. I am incredibly moved by the family’s request and consider it the most important document I have ever written.
My identity is less important than the two factors making this document what it is. First, I’m only the one doing the writing. Hundreds of people knew and loved Jim, and any could have written this document given all of the information provided to me. Therefore, this document is a testament to James R. West by recording his qualities and serving as a synopsis of a man who deeply affected us all.
Two, the audience of this document is narrow. Jim’s daughter April said, “Write as though my mom and dad are the only people in your audience. Include the things that would make them happy.” With that guidance, this document provides the most poignant and special elements about Jim’s character that make him capable of so much good.
The lessons Jim taught came from a lifetime in the service of his fellow men. Whether he was serving as Bishop, on the High Council, in the youth organization, or in any other calling his emphasis was on the human condition. The human condition often leaves no room for error and allows little tolerance for those who have fallen. Jim was a powerful advocate for patience and long-suffering.
Whether through his plain-spoken lessons on life, stories about major construction projects, or spiritual experiences that profoundly affected his testimony it was always evident that Jim focused on the lesson to be understood and went out of his way to downplay his own role. Many men would use experiences like Jim’s to build themselves up, to expand their importance, or impress their audience. His natural humility served as an effective bulwark against any self-aggrandizement. In addition, most of his stories came with a lesson about the necessity of humility generally accompanied by a self-deprecating story to emphasize the lesson.
Described as a general contractor or developer by others I only heard him describe himself as a carpenter. His work and the work of the Savior’s earthly father are a powerful and telling parallel. Though not charged with raising the Savior of Mankind, Jim raised two sons and three daughters to understand the teachings of the Savior and to understand that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is about action as much as it is about faith. His natural inclinations gave Jim the power to shape lives in a similar way in which he shaped earth, wood, and stone.
As the life of his temporal body neared its end, no one could doubt that he had given everything possible. It may seem unfair that an earthly life filled with good works, spiritual progress, and an enduring faith would conclude with pain and misery. A close friend of the family who has suffered from chronic pain for a decade shared these thoughts, “I can’t help but wonder if the test is more for the family than for the individual experiencing the pain. After all, doctors search for methods to ease suffering, medicines are developed to more effectively reduce pain, and every effort is made to help the patient cope with the misery. On the other hand, no efforts are made to soothe the agony of family members, no medications are prescribed for loved ones who must watch a family member writhe in pain, and no salve is applied to the heart that has been broken by the loss of a loved one.”
James Richard West has done all for us he can. He was a good provider, a community leader, a church exemplar, a loving father, a devoted husband, and a devoted Latter-day Saint. It’s now our turn to use the lessons he taught in striving to make the world a better place. May we find ourselves as well positioned to move on to the next phase of the plan of salvation as Jim did and may we endure to the end.
Graveside Services will be held Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 1:30 pm at Utah Veteran’s Memorial Park 17111 South Camp Williams Road in Bluffdale, UT. A viewing will be held at Jenkins-Soffe South Valley 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway (10600 S) from 11:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.