Roland "Roly" James West

Who was Roly?

If you had a substitute teacher who told Dad jokes in High School in Andover, MA or Keene, NH any time before 1998 it could have been Roly. If you listened to or danced to music with some guy playing stand-up bass at the Senior Center in Keene, it was probably Roly. If you ever happened upon a group of people trading full-groan puns, Roly might have been one of them. If you waved to some old guy driving by wanting to tell him that he'd left his coffee on top of his car even though it was actually an empty cup stuck there with a magnet, and he just smiled and waved back to you, that was Roly. If he drew a picture on the back of a restaurant placemat and showed it to you or even gave it to you, yeah, that was Roly. If he came over to your table at a restaurant to show you a quarter then made it disappear and then pulled it out of your ear, that was definitely Roly. If you ever saw a guy with a bird on his shoulder he called Flannelmouth, that was Roly, he was quite the ventriloquist.

Roly was a Mechanical Engineer who ran West Engineering in Andover MA for many years. He reveled in solving mechanical problems and there are four US patents registered in his name. There was always a complete woodworking shop in the basement.

Roly was a proud US Navy vet from the 2nd world war.

Roly was an artist who sculpted, and painted, and drew. Oh boy did he draw! Any blank part on a piece of paper was room enough for a cartoony character, an optical illusion, a lobster boat... Watching him draw was like watching someone trace the image, so sure were his hand and eye. His paintings did well at Art Shows, his carved and painted loons fooled real loons, mugs he made in the 60s are still holding coffee out there somewhere. His family eats holiday dinners at the table he built. And summers would not be near as pleasant without the summer place he designed, and he, Rae and family built by hand (no electricity) in '61-'63.

Roly was a teacher by nature. He was a High School substitute, and he would tutor math. He could read, write, and solve algebra upside down. Useful when sitting across the table from the student.

Roly was a musician. Fluent on the piano and stand-up acoustic bass, decent on the tenor guitar, and he could also coax a tune out of virtually any instrument handed to him. Well, maybe not reeds.

Roly sang. Barbershop quartet with the Long Shorts and church choirs.

Roly was a Christian. He believed in the Love and Divinity of Jesus and to the best of his ability he not only talked the talk, he walked the walk. Even when it cost him an otherwise good job.

There was never unbroken ice around the man. Whenever there were people around, and there was waiting to be done, he'd reach into his pocket, pull out a quarter, and perform sleight-of-hand for whoever was next to him in line. He had an excellent French Drop and good patter. And if he didn't have a quarter, he usually had some other item in his pocket he'd made to amuse or baffle people. His world consisted of old friends, new friends, and friends he hadn't met yet.

"Here, watch this, I'm going to make them smile", he'd say.

Roly was born in Millinocket ME on October 29th, 1925. He went to University of Maine, Orono where he played one season on the football team. He majored in Mechanical Engineering and was fond of pointing out that he graduated in the top 99% of his class.

In his time Roly lived in each of the New England states, some more than once or twice. Also New York, Illinois and Wisconsin with all summers in West Newfield ME since '61.

Roly is survived by his sister Ruth Littlefield and her husband Donald of Springvale ME, his son Carl West of Waltham MA, his daughter Susan Bergeron and her husband Norman of Keene NH. Two grandchildren, Colby Madison of Rutland VT and Tyler Madison and his wife Breanna, and great-granddaughter, Willow of Newfane VT. Roly was also considered a grandfather figure to Norman’s children Alicia Bergeron of Newbury NH, Sheila Fifield and her husband Korey and great grandson Austin of Sutton NH and Kenneth Bergeron and his wife Stephanie and great grandson Malcolm of Claremont NH. As well as many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents Frederic Roland West and Rosalie Paradis West, his wife Rae Phipps West and his brother Charles Ferdinand West.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 26, 2022 at 1:00 pm at Sturtevant Chapel, 15 Washington Ave, Keene, NH. A Celebration of Life in Ossippee, NH will be held and announce at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Maplewood Nursing Home in Westmoreland, NH in Roly’s memory.