Raymond West

OLNEY, MD. - There will be a Mass of Christian Burial held on Friday, June 8, 2018, at 10 a.m. at St. Edward Church, 240 Tod Lane in Youngstown for Raymond F. West Jr., 82, formerly of Youngstown, who died Friday, May 25, 2018, in Olney.

Raymond was born July 24, 1935, in Youngstown, the son of Raymond and Helen (Margetko) West.

He attended Warren Richey Elementary School in Youngstown and Canfield High School and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952. Upon graduating from high school in 1953, he was deployed to Korea for active duty during the Korean War.

Following his discharge in 1955, Raymond began his career as a local businessman, joining his father initially in the family trucking company before going into the restaurant business and later into energy management. He left the Mahoning Valley to make his home in Maryland in 1999.

Raymond valued the Youngstown community and civic participation and combined that interest with his passion for physical fitness and competitive sports. In 1970, he worked along with a team of dedicated Northside residents to found the Northside Knights youth sports league that will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary. An avid runner in the early 1970s, he helped to establish the Youngstown Road Runners club with a few like-minded running enthusiasts and later they formed the International Peace Race in 1975.

He was a devoted member of St. Edward Church for decades, serving as a lector and a member of various committees and also served in a similar capacity at St. Catherine Labouré Catholic Church in Maryland. He was a member of the Youngstown Kiwanis Club. A lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he enjoyed music, dancing, swimming and spending time in nature, especially in Mill Creek Park.

He will always be remembered and loved by his former wife, Madeline (Tamburrini) West of Hilliard, whom he married Sept. 7, 1957; six children, Deacon Ray (Betty) West III, Marie (Ron) Louderback, Mike (Andrea) West, Paul (Kathi) West, Barbara (Ray) Culp and Stephanie (Matthew) Mohr; and 12 grandchildren, Dorian (Kristen), Stephen, and Ryan West, Natalie and Michael Louderback, Stefan West, Anna West, Becky (Blake) Springman, Megan and Ray Culp, and Beatrice and Adeline Mohr; two great-grandchildren, Adrian and Ethan West; three sisters, Mooneam West, Karen Mazzarella and Sally (Gary) Russell; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant brother.

Friends may call on Thursday, June 7, 2018, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home, Austintown Chapel, 4303 Mahoning Ave. in Youngstown.

Burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery in Youngstown.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Homecrest House, 14508 Homecrest Road, Silver Spring, MD 20906.