John "Jack" R. West Jr.

John R. West Jr. (known to family and friends as "Jack") passed away at 93 years of age in his home in Laguna Woods, CA on August 18, 2020. A memorial mass* will be held for his family and friends on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 10:30am at the St. Nicholas Catholic Church 24252 El Toro Road Laguna Woods, CA 92637. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in the name of John R. West Jr. to: 1. Attn: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.- Edward J. Kerns Memorial Post 6024 P.O. Box 4457 Mission Viejo, CA 92690-4457 or http://heroes.vfw.org/page/21776/donate 2. Saint Vincent College- 300 Fraser Road Latrobe, PA 15650-2690 Phone: (724) 805-2895 Electronic memorial donations: http://ssl.charityweb.net/stvincent/ John (Jack) was raised in Homestead, PA. He served in the U.S. Army at the rank of Sergeant in WWII, stationed in Italy. He graduated with honors from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. As an exceptional student, and an overall brilliant man, he excelled in math and organic chemistry. He worked for Union Carbide Corporation for over 35 years before retiring in Southern California. Always one for a good conversation and hearty laugh, he was quite witty and shared many memorable an humorous stories of his childhood growing up in a small house with 8 kids. Jack was married to his loving wife, Joan, for 65 years. He was most proud of his continually growing family. He leaves behind 4 children, 7 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all. * Mass will be held outdoors, under tent shelter. Face mask and social distancing required.