Peter James West

Peter West of Big Sur, California was born in Swansea, South Wales a month after the stock market crash of 1929. Growing up during WW II, his toys were shrapnel from downed German war planes he found along the coast of South Wales. At 16, Peter left home to do an engineering apprenticeship with Vincent HRD Motor Cycle Company. After working with Kodak in London, he moved to New York to start a career in microfilm. After marrying a local girl from his home town, Peter moved to the San Francisco Bay area to open a branch for Hospital Microfilming Company. As his ambition soared, he founded his own company, Radiograph Reductions, in Silicon Valley. Some of his many accounts were CHOMP, Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, and Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. With a view to retiring, he sold his company, but not long afterwards discovered he had Parkinson’s Disease. He and the family, along with his dedicated caregiver Rose, struggled with this for 22 years. He finally succumbed on December 30, 2014 - his daughter’s birthday. Peter is survived by Shirley, his wife of 48 years; his daughter, Amanda; his son, Christopher and two teenage grandchildren, Shay and Haley.