Walter Gerald West Jr.

Born July 14, 1928 in Miami, Florida, to Walter G. and Betty (Kirk) West, Walter moved to Pueblo at ten, attended Central High School, participated in sports and played the violin. He graduated from the University of Colorado. On a bicycle trip through Europe, he met Alda Carandini at a bus stop in Vienna; they married in Parma, Italy, in 1952. As a young man Walter worked for Colorado Fuel and Iron, the Santa Fe Railroad and the city of Pueblo. He served in the Navy from 1952-1954 and the Naval Reserve. One fateful day he saw an ad for the U.S. Foreign Service examination and his life course was set. Walter served his country in Mexico, Japan, Colombia, Panama, Spain, Ecuador and Bolivia. He loved meeting people, delighted in their cultures and spread American goodwill across the globe. Walter traveled extensively, pursuing unique experiences, local peoples and helping those in need. He retired to Pueblo in 1986, playing golf, tutoring foreign students at the university and keeping active in the community. Walter was a generous spirit, a tireless adventurer, a devoted husband, proud father and grandfather. Walter passed at home December 24, 2017 He is survived by three children, Paul (Lisa) West, Christina (Karl) Mueller, Terry (John) MacIntyre; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Funeral service, 2:00 pm, Friday, December 29, 2017 at George McCarthy Historic Chapel, 400 Broadway. Memorial contributions may be made to international children's aid organization SOS Children's Villages (sos-usa.org) or Pueblo's Veronika String Quartet (veronikastringquartet.com).