Lewis James West

Lewis James West, 99, of Mount Pleasant and widower of Mrs. Bruce Simmons West, passed away on Monday, November 11, 2019. His funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2019 in J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., Mount Pleasant Chapel, 1494 Mathis Ferry Road at 11:00 am. Interment with military honors will follow in Mount Pleasant Memorial Gardens, 1308 Mathis Ferry Road. The family will receive friends in Stuhr's Mount Pleasant Chapel on Friday, November 15, 2019 from 6:00 until 8:00 pm.

Lewis James was born on May 11, 1920 in Lumberton, North Carolina. He was one of seven children of Fred Gardner West and Vernon C. Baker West. Lewis James married Mrs. Bruce Simmons West from Dillon, South Carolina on September 26, 1938 and they raised ten children. Lewis joined the United States Navy on June 22, 1944 to serve and defend his country during World War II where he served on the USS Tarazed AF-13. He could have gotten deferred from the Navy during this time, but he declined saying, "My buddies are serving and I need to serve too." At this time he was welding and building ships in Wilmington, North Carolina for the war. His boss said they needed him there just as much as the war but he chose to serve his country, which he did honorably. He was a member of the VFW Post 3137 on the Isle of Palms.

After his service in the Navy, he soon left North Carolina to work at the Charleston Naval Shipyard where he worked as a nuclear welder for 23 years and retired. He loved his family and friends, boating and fishing.

He is survived by two sons, Timothy West (Lori) and Larry West; three daughters, Shelby Young (Dale), Pamela West and Mary Schram (Matt); one sister, Mildred Willoughby; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Mrs. Bruce West; three sons, Joseph D. West, Lewis J. West, Jr. and Steven W. West; two daughters, Betty Lou West and Sylvia Goodman; three sisters, Emma West Willoughby, Viola West Willoughby and Lenni Rue Ashby and two brothers, Laughton West and David Earl West.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 38105 www.stjude.org/donate or Veterans' Victory House, 2461 Sidneys Road, Walterboro, SC, 29488